The Last of Us Season 2 Finale Draws 3.7M Viewers on HBO

HBO has celebrated The Last of Us Season 2's viewership surge, revealing the show's global audience has surpassed 90 million since Season 1 concluded.

In the U.S., the Season 2 finale attracted 3.7 million cross-platform viewers last night. While falling short of the season premiere's 5.3 million mark – partly attributed to Memorial Day weekend's lower viewership – Warner Bros. anticipates significant post-holiday growth in finale numbers.

Notably, Season 1's record-breaking finale drew 8.2 million viewers, leaving Season 2's finale with ground to cover.

Season 2 maintains a strong performance advantage with higher per-episode averages than its predecessor. Current global viewership stands at approximately 37 million per episode – an upward-trending figure according to Warner Bros. Compare this to Season 1's 32 million U.S. viewers across platforms at its 90-day mark.

IGN's Season 2 finale review awarded a 6/10 score, describing "an agonizing cliffhanger ending delivered at breakneck speed that disorients as much as it thrills." Our companion piece explores how the ending sets up potential future seasons.

The acclaimed series debuted in January 2023, earning widespread praise as arguably the finest video game adaptation to date. Its first season secured eight Emmy Awards from 24 nominations.

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Showrunner Craig Mazin recently confirmed a fourth season would likely be necessary to properly conclude the adaptation of Naughty Dog's games. Speaking with Collider, Mazin explained compressing the remaining story into Season 3 would make it "take forever," making a fourth season the probable solution. While Season 3 may extend beyond Season 2's length, Mazin asserts complete narrative resolution within three seasons remains impossible.

"We hope to earn our keep sufficiently to return for a proper conclusion in Season 4," Mazin stated. "That represents our most realistic path forward."