After months of anticipation, HBO's small-screen adaptation of Naughty Dog's acclaimed survival horror video game, The Last of Us, premiered on Sunday (last night in The UK and Ireland), and the first episode was a massive hit.
The 90-minute premiere, "When You're Lost in the Darkness," drew in 4.7M viewers across linear HBO Max platforms on Sun night in the U.S., based on Nielsen and 1st party data.
Though this doesn't come close to House of the Dragon's near-10 million, it gives the network its second-biggest opening night audience since Boardwalk Empire (4.81 million) in 2010.
“We are thrilled to see fans of the series and game alike experience this iconic story in a new way, and we extend our gratitude to them for helping to make it a success,” said Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and HBO Max Content. “Congratulations to Craig, Neil and the brilliant cast and crew who worked tirelessly to bring this show to life. We look forward to fans around the world enjoying the rest of the season.”
HBO has also officially released the opening credits and a "Weeks Ahead" trailer, giving us an idea of what to expect from the rest of the season.
Check them out below. You'll also find our premiere recap here, and full season review here.
The Last of Us is set 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed and centers on the relationship between Joel, a smuggler in this new world, and Ellie, a teenager who may be key to a cure for a deadly pandemic. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle the 14-year-old girl out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey as they traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.