Not that it’s a surprise, but HBO’s The Last of Us has officially been renewed for a second season, Deadline reports. With just two episodes into the first season, the first episode became the second biggest premiere on HBO since Boardwalk Empire was released in 2010.
On January 15th, the first episode of The Last of Us debuted with 4.7M viewers but has now surpassed 22M viewers domestically. Last Sunday, the second episode attracted 5.7M viewers across HBO and HBO Max in the U.S., making the show the biggest in terms of two-week audience growth for any HBO drama series, according to Variety.
“I’m so grateful to Neil Druckmann and HBO for our partnership, and I’m even more grateful to the millions of people who have joined us on this journey,” said executive producer Craig Mazin. “The audience has given us the chance to continue, and as a fan of the characters and world Neil and Naughty Dog created, I couldn’t be more ready to dive back in.”
“I’m humbled, honoured, and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie’s journey. The collaboration with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast & crew, and HBO exceeded my already high expectations,” said executive producer Druckmann. “Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two! On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog & PlayStation, thank you!”
HBO’s The Last of Us is based on PlayStation’s Naughty Dog critically acclaimed video game. The story “takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel (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 soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.”
“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 of 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 2.”
