Video game adaptation The Last of Us gathered 4.7 million viewers across linear and HBO Max when it premiered on Sunday, January 15, marking HBO’s largest debut since the Game of Thrones spin-off House of Dragon, which premiered at almost 10 million viewers across linear and HBO Max, according to Deadline. The series, based on a PlayStation game, follows Joel Miller and Ellie Williams, a pair connected through the harshness of the world they live in, as they are forced to endure brutal circumstances and ruthless killers on a trek across post-pandemic America.
The Last of Us series premiere views were double the season two premiere views for the HBO Max original series Euphoria, which premiered at 2.4 million and ended up gathering 19.5 million viewers per episode in the U.S, via Deadline. HBO has reported that Sunday night viewership represents about 20% to 40% of the show’s gross audience per episode, according to Deadline.
The series stars Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian, Game of Thrones) as Joel Miller and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones, Hilda) as Ellie Williams, as well as Gabriel Luna (Terminator: Dark Fate, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Merle Dandridge (Station 19, Truth Be Told), Anna Torv (Fringe, The Newsreader), Jeffrey Pierce (Bosch, God Friended Me), Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus, Noor), and Nick Offerman (Pam & Tommy, Parks and Recreation).
The show’s writers and executive producers Craig Mazin (Chernobyl, Identity Thief) and Neil Druckmann (Uncharted, The Last of Us: Part II) tell Deadline: “Our focus was simply to make the best possible adaptation of this beloved story for as big an audience as we could. We are overjoyed to see how many fans, both old and new, have welcomed The Last of Us into their homes and their hearts.”
Season one of The Last of Us includes nine episodes ranging from 46 minutes to 81 minutes per episode, via RadioTimes. The series is available on HBO Max, with new episodes every Sunday at 6pm PST/9pm EST.