The Last of Us continues to be a ratings hit for HBO.
Episode 3 had 6.4 million viewers this past Sunday night, up an additional 12% from last week’s jump in viewership and up 37% from its series debut. The season now averages 21.3 million viewers across its first two episodes.
Four recent HBO original series have cross-platform audiences averaging more than 15 million viewers per episode:
House of the Dragon: Season 1: 29 million viewers
The Last of Us: Season 1: 21.3 million viewers
Euphoria: Season 2: 19.5 million viewers
The White Lotus: Season 2: 15.5 million viewers
This is the first time HBO has had multiple current series drawing more than 15 million viewers at a time across all genres. For comparison, in 2002, The Sopranos averaged an estimated 18.2 million viewers in its fourth season, with “Sex and the City” season 5 (13.8 million) and “Six Feet Under” season 2 (12.1 million) following closely behind.
Fans can also tune in to The Last of Us Podcast, the series’ official companion podcast, where host Troy Baker, who plays Joel in the video game, sits down with series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, the creator of the video game, for a scene-by-scene deep dive of each episode.
HBO recently announced The Last of Us has been renewed for a second season.