The finale of the second season of The Last of Us showed a «catastrophic» drop in views — 55% less than the first

The seventh and final episode of the second season of the TV series «The Last of Us, which debuted on HBO this Sunday, showed a significant drop in viewership.

In total, the episode was watched by 3.7 million viewers, which is a 55% less than in the first season finalewhich in March 2023 attracted about 8.2 million viewers. HBO, meanwhile, said that many viewers were unable to watch the finale due to holiday weekend plans, and that viewership is expected to increase in the coming days. Additionally, the company noted in the report that a total of 90 million viewers have watched the franchise since the end of the first season.

It should be noted that such figures are fully consistent with viewer estimates: for example, on Rotten Tomatoes rated the season at 39% — however, the initial rating was more decent and fell so significantly only after Joel’s murders and with the debut of the episode about the beginning of «Ellie and Dina’s adventures in Seattle. If take into account IMDb ratingsThe same episode received one of the lowest ratings for the season.

At the same time the critics’ scores were almost perfect with a single negative review for the open final. It was assumed that this was a targeted review bombing organized by fans of the game, dissatisfied with the casting of Bella Ramsay and Caitlin Deaver as Ellie and AbbyHowever, it should be noted (subjective opinion) that, with the exception of the second episode, there was little interesting in the season.

Let us remind you that the series «The Last of Us» — is an adaptation of the post-apocalyptic games of The Last of Us series by Naughty Dog. The first season told the story of smuggler Joel (Pedro Pascal), who is tasked with guiding an immune teenager, Ellie (Bella Ramsay), through the US regions devastated by a parasitic fungus pandemic. The second one takes place five years later and features the key characters from The Last of Us Part 2: Abby, played by Caitlin Deaver, who seeks Joel out for revenge, Dina (Isabela Merced), who is Ellie’s new love interest, Jesse (Young Masino), and Isaac, whose role is dubbed on television by Jeffrey Wright.

The third season already in development, but does not yet have a release date (we assume 2027). It is expected to, will focus on Abby’s story, will explore more deeply the conflict between the WLF (Washington Liberation Front) and the Scarred Ones, and will show the Rat King in an abandoned hospital.Actually, the third season will not be the final one, as Craig Mazin stated thatcomplete the story on it «no possibility».