The Last of Us has been on everyone’s mind since its debut on HBO Max last Sunday and it shows. The show had the second-largest debut on the service with over 4.7 million viewers tuning in. The show itself marks the largest debut for the platform just after House of the Dragon since Boardwalk Empire launched in 2010. While House of the Dragon far surpassed The Last of Us with nearly 10 million viewers when it launched on August 21st, 2022 this is still a huge achievement for the series.

Taking direct inspiration from the original game series, The Last of Us draws on both the story of the original game of the same name and the Left Behind expansion. Being co-written and produced by Co-President of Naughty Dog, Neil Druckmann, and acclaimed executive producer Craig Mazin, most known for his hit series Chernobyl, The Last of Us stars Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie. The Last of Us has been doing exceptionally well amongst both viewers and critics alike with the show sitting on a healthy 9.5/10 on IMDb.

Speaking on the show’s success to Deadline Casey Bloys, Charman and CEO at HBO and HBO Max said:

We are thrilled to see fans of the series and game alike experience this iconic story in a new way, and we extend our gratitude to them for helping to make it a success… Congratulations to Craig, Neil, and the brilliant cast and crew who worked tirelessly to bring this show to life. We look forward to fans around the world enjoying the rest of the season.

Casey Bloys – Charman and CEO at HBO and HBO Max

Alongside this, both Mazin and Druckmann were “overjoyed” at the first episode’s success saying:

Our focus was simply to make the best possible adaptation of this beloved story for as big an audience as we could… We are overjoyed to see how many fans, both old and new, have welcomed The Last of Us into their homes and their hearts.

Craig Mazin (Writer and Producer) and Neil Druckmann (Writer and Producer)

The show’s success will likely see many more tune in for next week’s episode as the nearly 80-minute pilot episode blew most fans away with its attention to detail and focus on adapting the original material. You can currently watch the first episode on HBO Max and for those in the UK and Ireland you can watch the show on Sky Atlantic and NOW.