It’s no secret that HBO has gone all in on its adaptation of Naugty Dog’s acclaimed video game The Last of Us, and suffice to say it’s paying off, with 4.7 million people (US figures) tuning in to watch the premiere of the show a couple of days ago.
The viewership is the second-highest HBO debut since 2010, with only House of Dragons beating it with 9.986 million viewers. It bodes well for the rest of the series, and for its future, with fans likely to crave more Joel and Ellie after the nine-episode season concludes.
Adding to the adaptation’s achievements, the series’ critical reception has also been overwhelmingly positive, with it currently sitting at a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 99%. WellPlayed’s James Wood wasn’t as hot on it, scoring it a 9 in his review, but as someone who has seen all nine episodes, if you’re a fan of the games I think you’ll find a lot to like here.
If you want to listen to James and I discuss the season in our spoiler-free review, you can do so below (or search WellPlayed DLC on your podcast service of choice):
Otherwise if you have seen Episode 1 and want to hear talk all about it, spoilers and all, you can take a listen to our recap:
Were you expecting TLOU to pull in that many eyeballs? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
Despite a childhood playing survival horrors, point and clicks and beat ’em ups, these days Zach tries to convince people that Homefront: The Revolution is a good game while pining for a sequel to The Order: 1886 and a live-action Treasure Planet film. Carlton, Burnley FC & SJ Sharks fan. Get around him on Twitter @tightinthejorts