The Last of Us debuts as one of the biggest HBO premieres in over a decade

Over 4.5 million viewers tuned into The Last of Us’ premiere on Sunday, Jan. 15, marking one of the highest-viewed HBO premieres since 2010 behind Boardwalk Empire and House of the Dragon. 

According to Deadline, 4.7 million viewers watched The Last of Us’ premiere across linear and HBO Max. This was reportedly the second-largest HBO premiere since Boardwalk Empire launched in 2010, which attracted 4.81 million viewers. Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon attracted 9.986 million viewers last year. 

Euphoria, another popular HBO series, had 2.4 million viewers for its season two debut last January, showing how popular the latest video game adaptation is. 

The Last of Us fans finally saw the iconic video game series come to life in the HBO adaptation starring Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller and Bella Ramsey as Ellie Williams. Many were anxious about the show doing justice to the source material, but the first episode delivered a heartfelt and stunning story in a new medium for a wider audience. 

The rest of the season is confirmed to feature other important characters from the first game, including smuggler and survivalist Bill, played by Nick Offerman. Henry and Sam, played by Lamar Johnson and Keivonn Woodard respectively, are also set to appear later this season. 

Fans can watch episode two of The Last of Us on Sunday, Jan. 22.