Most shows follow a rather similar formula when it comes to how their viewership grows. After a strong debut, most series tend to see a drop in viewership or a strong push once strong word-of-mouth makes the rounds. Though it’s quite common that it starts dropping with the third episode, which we also saw with the monolith release of House of the Dragon last year.
Yet, The Last of Us is beating those very odds and has seemingly gained more viewers once again going into its third episode. 6.4M viewers have joined according to Nielsen and Warner Bros. Discovery’s first-party data measurement of HBO Max streams. As such, the series has seen an increase of 12% going into Bill and Frank’s captivating story.
As of now, the series has climbed from 4.7M viewers in its premiere episode and could potentially see another rise after the buzz the latest entry created. It would be great to know if this increase per episode also sees a boost for previous entries. Those that missed the premiere are likely catching up quickly and that rise in retention might play into HBO and HBO Max’s favor.
It’s not surprising that HBO renewed the series for a second season early on, as there’s definitely an audience captivated by what this post-apocalypse has to offer. The show is surprisingly true to the game while adding or even expanding upon elements in interesting ways. The Last of Us’ third episode had the biggest departure from its source material but also gave us one of the most emotional entries yet. Who knows what future episodes might have to offer?
Source: Variety
