HBO’s The Last of Us wrapped its second season on Sunday, May 25, 2025, with 3.7 million U.S. viewers tuning in across platforms, according to HBO. That’s a 30% drop from the Season 2 premiere’s 5.3 million viewers in April and a steep 55% fall from the 8.2 million who watched the Season 1 finale in March 2023. HBO’s pinning the lower numbers on the Memorial Day holiday weekend, when viewership often takes a hit, and they’re confident the finale will see a big boost as folks catch up on Max. Globally, the show’s still killing it, averaging 37 million viewers per episode—outpacing Season 1’s 32 million average—proving it’s got serious staying power.
A Blockbuster with a Holiday Hangover
The Last of Us has been HBO’s pride and joy since its 2023 debut, when it became the network’s second-most-watched premiere in a decade, jumping from 4.7 million to 5.7 million viewers between its first and second episodes. Season 1 hit a high of 8.2 million for its finale, even with the Oscars stealing some thunder. Season 2, adapting the first chunk of The Last of Us Part II, kept the momentum going with a premiere that drew 5.3 million U.S. viewers, up 13% from Season 1’s debut. But the finale’s 3.7 million? That’s got folks talking.
HBO’s not sweating it, though. They point out that Memorial Day weekend is a tough slot—shows like Game of Thrones saw similar dips back in 2011 and 2012. Some fans on X aren’t convinced, noting that Season 1’s finale held strong against bigger competition. One post put it bluntly: “HBO blames the decline on Memorial Day, a questionable explanation given Season 1’s finale aired during the 2023 Oscars and still far outperformed.” Still, HBO’s banking on delayed streaming to close the gap, and with good reason—Season 1 saw massive growth after airing, and Season 2’s already outdoing it globally.
Read Also: What the ‘Last of Us Season 2’ Finale Sets Up for Season 3
A Polarizing Season
Season 2 picks up five years after Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) Season 1 journey, diving into a darker, more divisive story of revenge and loss. The season’s bold moves—like killing off a major character early—stayed true to the game but ruffled feathers. Fans on X are split: some call the finale “explosive” and praise the performances, especially Ramsey and Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, while others gripe about pacing or changes from the source material. Audience scores reflect the divide, with Rotten Tomatoes dropping from 87% for Season 1 to 47% for Season 2, and Metacritic sliding from 6.6 to 3.9.
The finale, “Convergence,” delivered a cliffhanger that’s got everyone buzzing, setting up a shift to Abby’s perspective in Season 3. Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have teased that the next season will dig deeper into the game’s moral gray areas, and with a third season already greenlit—and maybe a fourth on the horizon—there’s plenty more story to tell.
The Big Picture
Despite the U.S. viewership dip, The Last of Us is a global beast. Season 2’s 37 million viewers per episode tops Season 1’s 32 million, and the franchise has racked up over 90 million viewers worldwide since Season 1 ended. A 150% surge in Season 1 streaming before Season 2’s premiere shows fans are still obsessed. HBO’s calling it a win, even if the finale didn’t match the “appointment viewing” hype of Season 1.
So, what’s next? With Season 3 on the way and a cliffhanger leaving fans hungry, HBO’s betting on viewers coming back to Max to push those finale numbers higher. Whether it’s the holiday slump or fan gripes about the story, The Last of Us is still a heavyweight. Holiday or not, the infected apocalypse isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
Source: Variety