Fans cannot get enough of HBO’s The Last of Us. According to a WBD press release, the newly-released second season trailer has become HBO and Max’s most-watched original trailer. Totaling 158 million global views in three days, the trailer has outperformed previous show trailers by a whopping 160%.
To put those numbers in perspective, the season eight trailer for Game of Thrones held the record of 81 million views in 24 hours. This predates the streaming-focused model of today. Nonetheless, it is a gigantic feat for the series and the network.
After an official teaser announced it was coming this April, the full trailer was released last Saturday during the show’s panel at the SXSW Festival. Based on the critically acclaimed video game franchise, the series examines a world ravaged by a fungi virus that turns living beings into flesh-eating zombies. Amidst the chaos, a smuggler is tasked with transporting a young child across the country in hopes of creating a potential cure. The series stars Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie, our de facto father-daughter duo and protagonists.
Season one concluded with Joel completing his mission, but a rash decision changed his and Ellie’s plans forever. The second season exposes the consequences of Joel’s actions in the official logline: “Five years after the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie are drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.”
The second season invites a host of new characters to the narrative. For those familiar with the game’s storyline, Kaitlyn Dever will star as Abby, a pivotal character in The Last of Us: Part II. Dever is joined by Tati Gabrielle (You, Kaleidoscope) as Nora, Danny Ramirez (Captain America: Brave New World, Assassination Nation) as Manny, Young Mazino (BEEF, Blindspot) as Jesse, Ariela Barer (Marvel’s Runaways, How to Blow Up Pipeline) as Mel, and Spencer Lord (Riverdale, Family Law) as Owen. Isabela Merced (Transformers: The Last Knight, Instant Family) joins as Dina, while Jeffery Wright (The Agency, American Fiction) reprises his video game role as Isaac. Catherine O’Hara (Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Schitt’s Creek) is set to guest star.
The Last of Us season two arrives on Sunday, April 13 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.