After just two episodes, HBO has announced that it has renewed the video game-based series from Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. The Last of Us scored the second biggest premiere this month after House of the Dragon since the launch of Boardwalk Empire in 2010.
The first episode has more than 22 million viewers domestically, almost five times as many as on the premiere night on January 15. Episode two drew 5.7 million viewers on HBO Max and linear broadcasts in the US on Sunday night. That's about a million more than the audience that tuned in to the premiere episode and marks the biggest second-week viewership growth for an HBO Original drama series.
The series is also strong on social media, trending #1 both in the US and worldwide on Twitter during the series' debut.
“Craig and Neil, along with executive producer 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 of HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Movies. "After pulling off this unforgettable first season, I can't wait to see this team outdo themselves again with season two."
Based on Naughty Dog's award-winning video game, The Last of Us is set twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job quickly turns into a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both have to cross the US and depend on each other to survive.
"I am humbled, honored and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in to our retelling of Joel and Ellie's journey. The collaboration with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast & crew and HBO has exceeded my already high expectations," said executive producer Druckmann. "Now we have the absolute pleasure of doing it again with a second season! On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog & PlayStation, thank you!"
In addition to Pascal and Ramsey, the first season also stars Gabriel Luna, Anna Torv, Nico Parker, Murray Bartlett, Nick Offerman, Melanie Lynskey, Storm Reid, Merle Dandridge, Jeffrey Pierce, Lamar Johnson, Keivonn Woodard, Graham Greene, Elaine Miles, Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker.
“I am so grateful to Neil Druckmann and HBO for working together, and I am even more grateful to the millions of people who have joined us on this journey,” said executive producer Mazin. "The audience has given us the opportunity to continue, and as a fan of the characters and the world that Neil and Naughty Dog have created, I couldn't be more ready to dive back in."
The Last of Us was written and produced by Mazin and Druckmann. The series is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television and is executive produced by Carolyn Strauss, Evan Wells, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan and Rose Lam. The production companies are PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint and Naughty Dog.
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