We have raved about it for a couple of months – and rightly so with the series garnering bigger and bigger numbers every week. However, all good things come to an end, for now at least. With this understanding in mind, HBO has released the season finale of its video game adaptation, The Last of Us. Throughout the entirety of its first season, the series was praised for its faithfulness to the source material while constantly enthralling audiences. In a feat we have become accustomed to, the season finale has beaten its own viewership record set from last week. With an audience of 8.2 million tuned in to see how the season wrapped up, the series continues its habit of constantly increasing its viewership with each passing episode. The viewership numbers for Episode 9 are even more impressive when put into consideration that the 2023 Oscars aired on the same night.

The series’ penultimate episode, "When We Are in Need" had previously held the record for the highest viewership for the series prior to the finale with 8.1 million viewers. The Last of Us was a hit straight off the bat with its January premiere attracting 4.7 million viewers and a number which as previously highlighted, continued to grow throughout the season. The new series high from its finale has seen a 75% increase from the premiere.

The season finale had the Oscars as competition for the night and its performance is commendable. It is, however, not the first time that the series has had to share and fend off competition from other major events. Then at a series high of 7.5 million, the show’s Episode 4, "Please Hold My Hand" aired at the same time as the 65th Grammys. The feats of The Last of Us have also seen it take up an exalted position on HBO’s charts with the show now the most-watched show in the history of HBO Max in both Europe and Latin America. The series premiere is now nearing 40 million viewers in the US with the first six episodes now averaging 30.4 million viewers.

Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us Season 1 Finale
Image via HBO

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It Will Take More Than One Season to Tell the Story of The Last of Us Part II

The Last of Us ended with a lot of carnage dished out by Joel (Pedro Pascal) in his bid to save Ellie (Bella Ramsey). His decision to lie to her about what truly happened is sure to inform how the pair relate when the show returns and the truth is unveiled. Season 2 will focus on the events that occurred in the second part of the game series, The Last of Us Part II. Given the immense size of the content within the game, co-showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have revealed that it would take more than an extra season to tell the story in full. So there seems to be a lot more from Joel and Ellie to come.

The first season of The Last of Us is streaming on HBO Max. Watch the trailer below: