The Last of Us Season 2 Finale Draws 3.7M U.S. Viewers

HBO is celebrating the strong performance of The Last of Us Season 2, noting that a surge of new viewers has expanded the show's global audience to over 90 million since Season 1 concluded.

The Season 2 finale in the U.S. drew 3.7 million viewers across platforms last night. While the Season 2 premiere attracted 5.3 million viewers, indicating a drop from the opener to the closer, Warner Bros. anticipates the finale’s numbers will climb significantly given reduced holiday weekend viewership around Memorial Day.

It's important to note that the Season 1 finale set a record with 8.2 million viewers, meaning the Season 2 finale has ground to cover before matching that milestone.

On a positive note, Season 2 has a higher average viewership per episode than Season 1. Season 2 currently averages nearly 37 million viewers per episode worldwide, a number Warner Bros. confirmed is still rising. For comparison, Season 1 had 32 million U.S. cross-platform viewers 90 days after its premiere.

IGN’s review of The Last of Us: Season 2 finale gave it a 6/10 score. We noted, "The Season 2 finale races toward its agonizing cliffhanger conclusion at a dizzying pace, creating as much disorientation as excitement."

We also published a Season 2 Ending Explained article, exploring how the finale sets up the story for Season 3.

The Last of Us debuted in January 2023 to widespread critical acclaim, with many calling it the finest video game adaptation to date. Season 1 won an impressive eight Emmy Awards from 24 nominations.

Every IGN The Last of Us Review

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Last week, showrunner Craig Mazin indicated a fourth season is practically essential for the series. Speaking with Collider, Mazin agreed that wrapping up the entire story from Naughty Dog's two games in just Season 3 would require that season to "take forever." So, while there's a "decent chance" Season 3 will be longer than Season 2, ultimately "there’s no way to complete this narrative in a third season."

He continued: "Hopefully, we’ll earn our keep enough to come back and finish it in a fourth. That’s the most likely outcome."