The Last of Us, HBO's adaptation of the popular post-apocalyptic video game, has been creating a lot of buzz. So it's no surprise that the series has set a new, very impressive ratings record for HBO.
The show's debut episode last week scored the network's second-biggest premiere of the decade, with 4.7 million viewers tuning in.
Now, after the series' second episode dropped, ratings have increased to 5.7 million across linear airings and HBO Max streams, according to Nielsen Ratings (via Collider).
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That means the show is now one of the fastest-growing in HBO history. The network also notes that same-day viewership only accounts for around 20 to 40% of an episode's total gross audience, meaning the numbers can only get bigger.
The Last of Us is of course adapted from the 2013 game of the same name and executive producer Craig Mazin recently explained how the show creators chose what to leave out of the TV series.
"Ultimately, adaptation is all about choices. And we can talk until our faces turn blue about how we make those choices," he told RadioTimes. "There's a lot of math to it. But for me, what it always came back to was: 'What do I love?' What, as a fan, would I be hurt if I didn't see it in the show?
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"And what do I think we would absolutely have to change to adapt to a medium that is passive, that isn't interactive, that doesn't require gameplay? What are the things that we can be inspired by and adjust and just let ourselves be creative, but always within the bounds of 'what do we love'?"
The Last of Us airs on HBO in the US, and on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW in the UK.
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