Citing impressive critical and audience response to the first two episodes, The Last of Us has been officially renewed for another season!
While many assumed we’d get to see more The Last of Us on HBO, it’s always nice to have some official confirmation. This morning, ahead of the show’s third episode on Sunday, Warner Bros. has announced a renewal order for season two!
The journey continues. #TheLastOfUs will return for another season on @HBOMax. pic.twitter.com/FQNG6vhk1d
— The Last of Us (@TheLastofUsHBO) January 27, 2023
HBO drama THE LAST OF US has been renewed for a second season. The series from co-creators Craig Mazin (Emmy® Award-winning creator of HBO’s “Chernobyl”) and Neil Druckmann (creator and writer of the award-winning “The Last of Us” franchise and Naughty Dog Co-President) marks HBO’s second largest debut, behind only “House of the Dragon.” Episode 1 has now surpassed 22 million viewers domestically, up nearly 5x from its premiere night audience.
Episode 2 of THE LAST OF US tallied 5.7 million viewers across HBO Max and linear telecasts in the U.S. Sunday night, based on Nielsen and first party data, adding more than 1 million new viewers vs. the series premiere. This 22% jump marks the largest week two audience growth for any HBO Original Drama Series in the history of the network.
THE LAST OF US was also a hit on social media, with the series trending #1 both in the U.S. and worldwide on Twitter during its series debut. To date, season one teasers and trailers have amassed more than 100 million views globally. Additionally, the first episode of the series’ companion podcast hit #1 on the Apple Podcast US charts across all genres within 48 hours of its release.
“Craig and Neil, alongside EP Carolyn Strauss, and the rest of our phenomenal cast and crew, have defined a genre with their masterful debut season of ‘The Last of Us,’” said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films. “After pulling off this unforgettable first season, I can’t wait to watch this team outshine themselves again with season two.”
“I’m humbled, honored, and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie’s journey. The collaboration with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast & crew, and HBO exceeded my already high expectations,” said executive producer Neil Druckmann. “Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two! On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog & PlayStation, thank you!”
“I’m so grateful to Neil Druckmann and HBO for our partnership, and I’m even more grateful to the millions of people who have joined us on this journey,” said executive producer Craig Mazin. “The audience has given us the chance to continue, and as a fan of the characters and world Neil and Naughty Dog created, I couldn’t be more ready to dive back in.”
I have been loving the show so far (it even managed to prompt yet another playthrough of the game for me), and I’m excited to see everyone else is enjoying this story as well. Let the heartbreak continue!
