HOLIDAY SLUMP

‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Finale Sees Significant Decline in Viewership

Viewership was down more than 50% from season one’s finale.

The Last of Us season two had a quiet send-off Sunday night. In a stark comparison to its season one finale, the second season of the hit HBO series only managed to score 3.7 million cross-platform viewers for its final episode on Sunday. Viewership was essentially down 55 percent from the season one finale, which drew 8.2 million cross-platform viewers, a particularly commendable feat as it aired the same night as the Oscars. Moreover, viewership for The Last of Us’ finale was also down 30 percent from its season premiere, which drew 5.3 million cross-platform viewers. HBO has stated that it expects season two’s finale viewership to notably grow following Memorial Day, reasoning that there were low tune-ins during the holiday weekend. Though its finale had some faulty viewership, The Last of Us season two did boast a series record for average viewers per episode, tallying nearly 37 million viewers worldwide. The Last of Us, which is based on the video game franchise of the same name, stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as found-family duo Joel and Ellie, who fight to survive in a post-apocalyptic world where a fungal-based virus has infected and/or killed the vast majority of the world. Though season two has spurred some divisive discourse, the show has already been greenlit for a third season—with talks of a fourth also brewing.