HBO renews ‘The Last Of Us’, following strong early ratings

The Last Of Us

HBO has renewed The Last Of Us for a second season, following strong ratings for the post-apocalyptic drama series.

The show, which launched just two weeks ago, is already shaping up to be one of HBO’s tentpole scripted series. Its second episode, which premiered on Sunday, was watched by 5.7m viewers across HBO and linear telecasts in the US, up 22% from the series debut.

The figure marked the largest week two audience growth for an HBO Original drama series in the history of the network. According to HBO, the first episode has now surpassed 22 million viewers in the US, up nearly five times its premiere night audience.

The Sony Pictures Television show, co-created by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann (The Last Of Us video game) is also in demand internationally, with Amazon in France striking an exclusive deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to place The Last Of Us on its Prime Video streamer.

Based on the 2013 video game developed by Naughty Dog and set 20 years after a global fungal infection that led to the collapse of society, the series stars Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) as Joel, a taciturn smuggler tasked with escorting teenager Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across a United States now populated by dangerous raiders and monsters.

“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, EVP, 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.”