"The Last of Us Season 2 Finale Viewership Hits 3.7 Million in U.S., HBO Expects Growth"

HBO has celebrated the continued success of *The Last of Us* Season 2, announcing that a surge in viewership has pushed the series’ global audience past the 90 million mark since the end of Season 1. The show continues to captivate fans worldwide, even amid shifting viewing patterns and holiday scheduling challenges.

In the United States, the Season 2 finale attracted 3.7 million cross-platform viewers during its initial airing. While this is lower than the 5.3 million who tuned in for the Season 2 premiere, Warner Bros. anticipates a notable increase in final numbers once delayed viewing figures are accounted for—particularly due to reduced viewership over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

It's also important to note that the Season 1 finale achieved an impressive 8.2 million viewers, setting a high bar that the Season 2 finale has yet to match. However, there’s still room for growth as post-airing data continues to come in.

A bright spot for Season 2 lies in its average per-episode viewership, which has outpaced that of Season 1. Currently, each episode of Season 2 is drawing close to 37 million global viewers—a number Warner Bros. reports is still on the rise. For comparison, Season 1 ended with 32 million U.S. cross-platform viewers at the 90-day mark post-premiere.

IGN recently published its review of *The Last of Us* Season 2 finale, awarding it a 6/10. The review noted, “The Season 2 finale of *The Last of Us* reaches its agonizing cliffhanger ending at a breakneck speed, disorientating as much as it thrills.”

To help fans better understand where the story stands, we’ve also broken down [ttpp]The Last of Us Season 2 Ending Explained[/ttpp], exploring how it sets the stage for what’s to come in Season 3.

Since its January 2023 debut, *The Last of Us* has been met with widespread acclaim, often cited as one of the most successful video game adaptations to date. Season 1 alone earned eight Emmy Awards from 24 nominations, cementing its place in television history.

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Last week, showrunner Craig Mazin hinted that a fourth season may be necessary to fully conclude the narrative arc based on the first two *Last of Us* games developed by Naughty Dog. Speaking with Collider, Mazin acknowledged that trying to wrap up the full story within just Season 3 would likely result in an overly rushed or excessively long season. He stated that while Season 3 could potentially be longer than Season 2, “there’s no way to complete this narrative in a third season.”

He added, “Hopefully, we’ll earn our keep enough to come back and finish it in a fourth. That’s the most likely outcome.”

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