HBO shared a press release this weekend, touting a massive 37 million global viewers per episode of The Last of Us season 2.
However, on Sunday night, the divisive finale drew 3.7 million cross-platform viewers in the U.S. As The Wrap (via GameFragger.com) was first to note, The Last of Us' season 2 finale suffered a 55% drop from the 8.2 million cross-platform viewers who tuned into the previous finale.
Addressing that, the press release is quick to point out, "The audience will grow significantly due to low viewing levels over the Memorial Day holiday weekend." While that remains to be seen, this is still a significant drop in viewership from the season 1 finale.
While Memorial Day weekend admittedly didn't go in the show's favour, we'd be remiss not to point out that the season 1 finale had strong competition in 2023 when it went head-to-head with the Oscars.
Season 2 also premiered to 5.3 million cross-platform viewers, so there's a noteworthy drop from premiere to finale.
The Last of Us season 2 has proven to be surprisingly divisive. There was always a risk that viewers would walk away from the series in the wake of Joel's death, and that played out in the second of seven episodes. Other changes from the game have also divided opinions, including what many feel has been the watering down of Ellie's violent nature.
Season 3 has already been confirmed and will shift focus to Kaitlyn Dever's Abby before the story presumably concludes with a fourth season (whether there's enough material in the game for that is hard to say).
"There is another side to this story that we have yet to really delve into. And there’s no question that Abby is the hero of her story," The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin said this weekend. "Where we go next, all I can say is it will always be centering on somebody, whether it’s Ellie and Dina or whether it’s Abby."
"But really, if you want to boil it down, everything is under the cloud or sunlight of Joel — what Joel did to Abby and what Joel did for Ellie — and that will never change," he added.
The Last of Us season 2's returning cast includes Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Gabriel Luna as Tommy, and Rutina Wesley as Maria.
Other announced new additions 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 as Isaac. Catherine O’Hara also guest stars.
In our The Last of Us season 2 review, we concluded with, "Pedro Pascal is a force to be reckoned with in The Last of Us, and with Bella Ramsey and Isabela Merced matching him beat for beat, season 2 is a powerful, rousing triumph that cements this series as the best video game adaptation ever."
What did you think about The Last of Us' season 2 finale?