The season two finale of The Last Of Us saw a 55 per cent drop in viewership compared to season one’s final episode.
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As reported by The Wrap, season two’s last episode, ‘Convergence’, aired in the US last night (May 25) to 3.7million cross-platform viewers, less than half the audience of the season one finale, which was watched by 8.2million.
It’s also a 30 per cent drop compared to the season two premiere of the HBO drama, ‘Future Days’, which first aired on April 13.
The Wrap also stated that HBO expects the finale viewership to grow post-airing as more people catch up via streaming – this happened with the season one finale, which totalled 32million viewers 90 days after its release.
Season two has had a larger viewership than the first season so far, with roughly 37million average viewers per episode. The show has already been renewed for a third season.
It’s been an eventful season of the post-apocalyptic video game adaptation, which stars Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, with the brutal ending of episode two leaving many fans shocked – though Ramsey said that an emotional scene in episode three was actually the most challenging to shoot.
Episode five, ‘Feel Her Love’, was another highlight, with fans hailing the “masterclass “ level of acting from the cast in that particular instalment.
There has also been some controversy around the show during the second season, with some fans having to avoid spoilers of the finale after it leaked online. Many lovers of the original game were unhappy when the show’s creators confirmed it will need a fourth season to complete the story, saying “They’re just dragging it out now”.
Neil Druckmann, head of Naughty Dog and co-creator of The Last Of Us TV series, also reignited a debate amongst the game’s fans last week when he hinted that the Fireflies could have made a cure to the Cordyceps brain infection that has ravaged humanity in the show.
Season two received a four-star review from NME, with Nick Levine writing: “A few fiddly episodes don’t spoil an entire season – especially one driven brilliantly by the fierce heat of vengeance.
“At its best, The Last Of Us is unsettling enough to make you question your own hypothetical moral code. When every day is about survival and making sense of post-apocalyptic chaos, does taking a life become easier, or somehow even harder? This show doesn’t just go deep narratively – it also cuts deep emotionally.”