HBO celebrates the triumph of The Last of Us Season 2, noting a surge in viewership that has boosted the show’s global audience to over 90 million since the end of Season 1.
In the U.S., the Season 2 finale attracted 3.7 million viewers across platforms. The Season 2 premiere, by contrast, had 5.3 million viewers, indicating a drop from start to finish, but Warner Bros. anticipates a “significant” increase in finale viewership due to reduced audiences over the Memorial Day weekend.
Notably, the Season 1 finale achieved a record-breaking 8.2 million viewers, meaning the Season 2 finale has ground to cover to surpass that milestone.
Still, Season 2 boasts a stronger average viewership per episode than its predecessor. With nearly 37 million global viewers per episode, Warner Bros. reports that this number is “on the rise.” For comparison, Season 1 ended with 32 million U.S. cross-platform viewers 90 days after its premiere.
IGN’s recent review of The Last of Us Season 2 finale gave it a 6/10, stating, “The Season 2 finale of The Last of Us races to its gripping cliffhanger, both thrilling and disorienting in its pace.”
We also published a breakdown of The Last of Us Season 2’s ending, exploring how it sets the stage for Season 3.
The Last of Us debuted in January 2023 to widespread praise, with some calling it the finest video game adaptation to date. Season 1 earned eight Emmy awards from 24 nominations.
Every IGN The Last of Us Review
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Showrunner Craig Mazin recently hinted that a fourth season is likely necessary to conclude the series. In an interview with Collider, Mazin acknowledged that wrapping up the story from Naughty Dog’s two video games in Season 3 alone “would take an eternity.” While there’s a “good chance” Season 3 will be longer than Season 2, he added, “it’s impossible to fully resolve the narrative in just one more season.”
He went on: “With any luck, we’ll earn the chance to return and complete the story in a fourth season. That’s the most probable path forward.”
