The Last of Us Season 2 Finale Draws 3.7M U.S. Viewers

HBO is celebrating massive viewership numbers for The Last of Us Season 2, reporting that the series has now reached more than 90 million global viewers since its debut. While the Season 2 finale pulled in 3.7 million U.S. viewers across platforms last night - down from the season premiere's 5.3 million - Warner Bros. anticipates those numbers will climb post-Memorial Day weekend.

The show's first season finale still holds the series record with 8.2 million viewers, setting a high bar for future finales to match. But Season 2 boasts brighter numbers where it counts - averaging 37 million worldwide viewers per episode, surpassing Season 1's final average of 32 million U.S. viewers after 90 days.

IGN's review of The Last of Us Season 2 finale awarded a 6/10 score, describing the climax as "disorienting as much as it thrills" with its breakneck pace toward an agonizing cliffhanger. Our ending breakdown explores how the finale sets up potential storylines for Season 3.

The prestige video game adaptation has dominated awards season since its January 2023 premiere, claiming eight Emmy wins from 24 nominations. Showrunner Craig Mazin recently hinted that wrapping the full narrative may require a fourth season, telling Collider that concluding the story in Season 3 alone "would take forever."

"There's no way to complete this narrative in a third season," Mazin explained, suggesting a fourth installment remains "the most likely outcome" to properly conclude the adaptation of Naughty Dog's acclaimed games.