The second season of The Last of Us came to an end with the finale this Sunday. The video game adaptation has managed to hold its own with the critics, but the TV viewership ratings are another matter. According to figures released by HBO (the platform airing the show internationally), The Last of Us S2 finale had 3.7 million viewers across platforms, which was a 30% drop from the S2 premiere and a staggering 55% drop from the S1 finale. Yet, overall, the second season has fared better than the first outing, which is curious. (Also read: Bella Ramsey becomes the ‘most hated’ star; all because they acted in a video game adaptation)
How The Last of Us S2 fared
The Last of Us season 2 peaked with its premiere in April, which brought in 5.3 million viewers in the first 24 hours. In comparison, the season finale on Sunday had 3.7 million viewers. The dip looks much bigger when taking into account that the season 1 finale in 2022 had 8.2 million viewers. However, Variety reports that while the viewership count is low on release day, the show is making up for it in the days and weeks to come. The Last of Us S2 is tallying 37 million viewers per episode as opposed to 32 million for S1. The fact that S2 will continue to accrue more viewers. The gap may just widen.
What exactly is happening with The Last of Us
Since season 1, The Last of Us has received polarising reactions. Many have praised the show’s tone, its loyalty to the original video game’s plot, and visualisation. The performances of the two leads – Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey – have been praised too. Yet, Bella has been subject to ugly trolling and hate online for ‘not looking like’ Ellie from the video game. In season 2, after Pedro’s character, Joel, was killed off in episode 2, the trolling for Bella intensified. Many ‘fans’ of the show felt Bella could not carry the show herself, leading to intense backlash online. Kaitlyn Dever, the new entrant to the show this season, also faced opposition. While Bella was ridiculed for ‘not being pretty enough’, ironically, Kaitlyn’s casting was called out as she was ‘not as muscular and buff’ as her character in the game.
The internet rhetoric has certainly worked against the show in the short run, with fewer ‘loyal fans’ tuning in for the episodes on release day. However, the show continues to expand its viewer base with consistently good reviews. More new fans are discovering the show over time, leading to increased viewership as time passes.
The road ahead
The Last of Us will return for a third season, and showrunner Craig Mazin says a fourth may also be possible. For the first time, Pedro Pascal will not be leading the show. So, it will be interesting to see how ‘loyal fans’ react, and how the internet trolls take it. The Last of Us is streaming in India on JioHotstar.