‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Premiere Scores 5.3 Million US Viewers, Up 13% Across Platforms

You are reading an exclusive WrapPRO article for free. Want to level up your entertainment career? Go here for more information.

“The Last of Us” remains infectious on HBO, with the Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey-led drama returning with 5.3 million U.S. cross-platform viewers for its Season 2 debut, outpacing the Season 1 premiere by more than 10%.

Season 1 would reach nearly 32 million viewers per episode, the largest audience of an HBO and Max debut season ever, with its finale securing 8.2 million viewers during its first broadcast, according to numbers from both Nielsen and internal data from Warner Bros. Discovery. The first season “The Last of Us” also became the most watched show in both Europe and Latin America in the history of HBO Max.

The series was the No. 1 title on Max globally on Sunday, with catch-up viewing up more than 150% week-over-week.

Season 2 of the Naughty Dog and PlayStation video game adaptation, which takes place five years after the events of the first season and is based on the original game’s 2020 sequel “The Last of Us: Part II,” finds the pair settled down in Jackson, Wyoming. But the duo is drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind following the events of the Season 1 finale.

In addition to Pascal and Ramsey, Gabriel Luna and Rutina Wesley return as Joel’s brother Tommy and Tommy’s wife Maria. New additions in Season 2 include Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny and Jeffrey Wright reprising his role as Isaac. Catherine O’Hara also guest stars as Joel’s therapist Gail.

The series, which is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television, is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. Prior to the premiere, HBO greenlit the series for a third season. Mazin had previously told TheWrap that the show could warrant more than a second season, given the sequel’s story is “much bigger.”

Other executive producers include Carolyn Strauss, Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O’Connor, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Evan Wells. Halley Gross, who co-wrote “The Last of Us: Part II,” serves as a writer/co-executive producer on Season 2. Production companies on the series include PlayStation Productions, Word Games, Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog.

New episodes of “The Last of Us” air Sundays on HBO and Max.

The post ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Premiere Scores 5.3 Million US Viewers, Up 13% Across Platforms appeared first on TheWrap.