HBO's 'The Last of Us' season finale draws in a series high

LOS ANGELES (AP) — “The Last of Us” fans set another ratings record for the season one finale of the apocalyptic, mushroom-infested zombie video game adaptation. Despite airing against the Oscars on Sunday night, HBO said the season finale was watched by 8.2 million viewers.

Viewership for “The Last of Us” has grown steadily throughout the season. The series has won over not only gamers with high expectations but also critics and people who are not familiar with the game.

The series premiere attracted 4.7 million viewers in the US, based on Nielsen and HBO data, which was HBO’s second biggest debut behind “House of the Dragon”. HBO said that outside the US, “The Last of Us” is now the most-watched show in HBO Max history in both Europe and Latin America.

The number of series will continue to increase as viewers watch episodes on streaming platforms days after the episode airs. HBO said the series is now averaging 30.4 million viewers over its first six episodes, with the first episode reaching 40 million viewers in the US.

HBO acknowledged the ratings behemoth that is the Super Bowl, dropping a fifth episode of “The Last of Us” on HBO Max and HBO On Demand on the Friday before the big game on February 12. Episode five was still strong, with 11.6 million viewers from Friday to Sunday.

The series concluded with Joel making some difficult and controversial decisions, leaving viewers to wonder what lies ahead for protagonists Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal). While not much has been officially announced about a second season, video game fans know about “The Last of Us Part II” and are eagerly speculating how the game will be adapted for season two. Will be done.