The Last of Us Episode 2 was truly a fitting follow-up to the live-action series adaptation's amazing premiere and now it's part of HBO history. It has just been confirmed that the second episode has shattered another viewership record for the network.
According to a new report from Nielsen, which is backed by first-party data from Warner Bros. Discovery, The Last of Us Episode 2 brought in 5.7 million viewers across HBO and linear telecasts in the US (via TheWrap). This brings the viewership up 22% from the premiere and adds one million viewers compared to Episode 1. HBO also points out that this is the “largest Week 2 audience growth for an HBO Original drama series in the history of the network.”
This shouldn't be a huge surprise considering that Episode 1 piqued interest in the series adaptation with a 77-minute introduction to Joel, Ellie, and the world of Clickers. The premiere was such an intriguing intro that people had huge expectations of the next episode. Luckily, Infected delivered and went beyond, effectively keeping viewers on the edge of their seats. Needless to say, The Last of Us is well on its way to becoming one of the greatest TV shows in history and we're here to enjoy every single episode.
The Last of Us Episode 2 opened with a glimpse at Day One of the outbreak which takes place in Jakarta in 2003 and the opening featured Indonesian star Christine Hakim as a mycology professor who confirms that there is no cure for a cordyceps infection. In the episode, it was also revealed how Tess dies after being infected, something that happened offscreen in the original video game.
The Last of Us Episode 2 is titled Infected and is now streaming on HBO Max. The third episode is titled Long Long Time and will finally introduce Bill and Frank. Episode 3 will premiere on HBO on Sunday, January 29, 2023.
Related: The Last of Us Episode 3 Teaser Previews Trouble for Bill and Frank
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