Originally seen as something of a gamble for HBO, the bet has paid off as The Last of Us has set pop culture alight and garnered record numbers of viewers on HBO Max, with the premiere episode reaching over 18 million viewers since its original airing just over a week ago. The series scored the network's second-biggest premiere of the decade, with the adaptation of the acclaimed video game garnering a 22% growth in viewership from episode 1 to episode 2 of the series, which is the largest growth of any HBO original drama in its first two weeks.
HBO - and its British partner, Sky - are marking this fact by making the premiere episode of the hit series free to view on YouTube. Given the budget of the show, and the blue chip nature of its production, this is a big statement of confidence from the networks. Already aware that word of mouth is through the roof, getting more eyes on the product and giving them a taster of what everyone else is talking about may just entice others to subscribe to their respective platforms to continue following the series.
Starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie, a pair united by circumstance who form a close bond as they attempt to travel across a post apocalyptic United States, ravaged by an outbreak of the cordyceps virus which has turned humanity into mindless, violent creatures, the show has proven that it is possible to adapt one of the greatest video games in history successfully for the screen.
With over 10 million copies of the original game sold worldwide, and countless awards, the pressure was on the shoulders of co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann (who helmed the two video games). However, they appear to have stuck the landing with their collaboration with HBO.
Rounding out the star-studded cast are Gabriel Luna, Anna Torv, Merle Dandridge, Murray Bartlett, Nick Offerman, Melanie Lynskey, and Rutina Wesley. Ahead of Episode 3, airing this weekend, Offerman has shared images of his debut in the series as the character Bill, in what is set to be a feature length episode of the series and has been marked out by publications as one of the strongest in the series.
Episode 3 of The Last of Us drops on January 29 on HBO and Sky in the US and UK. You can check out episode one of The Last of Us - for free - down below.