The Last of Us Series Draws in 8.1 Million Viewers for Episode 8 as It Gears for the Finale

The Last of Us is the television adaptation of the popular video game series of the same name, and it is a resounding success for HBO Max. HBO revealed that Episode 8, the second last episode of Season 1 achieved a new high of 8.1 million viewers on Sunday night, March 5, 2023, when it aired in the United States. This marks a 74% increase from the debut night in January and established a new premiere night high for the series ahead of the season finale.

The Last of Us is also successful in its performance on HBO Max, where it has cemented itself as the top title overall for eight consecutive weeks. All episodes of the series have ranked among the week’s top 10 individual assets. The first five episodes have an average audience of about 30 million across all platforms.

Episode 8 of The Last of Us has also been heavily praised. IGN called it an “outstanding” episode in its review, writing that it is “hard to take your eyes off” off the episode. You can also check out IGN’s comparison of The Last of Us Episode 8 with the video game.

The story of the series follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they make their way across the United States. The country is in a post-apocalyptic stage from a fungal infection. This infection has turned many people into zombie-like creatures called the infected. Both the characters are travelling across the country to a resistant group that is known as the Fireflies. Along the way, they face many dangers and face the harsh realities of this world.