In an attempt to increase viewership and reach a larger audience, HBO has made the first episode of "The Last of Us" TV adaption available for a limited time ahead of Episode 3's airing this Sunday. The episode can currently be accessed on both Sky TV's YouTube channel and HBO's subscription service, where the series is currently airing.
The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic television series developed by Chernobyl's creator Craig Mazin and video game director Neil Druckmann based on the video game of the same name by Naughty Dog. Since its debut two weeks ago with the episode “When You're Lost in the Darkness”, the series has received widespread and critical acclaim, performing even better than other popular series such as "Chernobyl" and George R.R. Martin's "House of the Dragon," when they were airing on the same subscription service.
According to a report by Deadline, the debut episode of "The Last of Us" television series garnered a viewership of 4.7 million when it first aired. The episode's reception was overall positive, and viewers enjoyed the show's deeper exploration of Joel's past life prior to the outbreak of the infection, believing it intensified the viewers' feelings of grief, and heightened the emotional impact of the events of the game.
HBO recently confirmed that The Last of Us had been renewed for a second season, despite airing only two episodes thus far. The critical reception demonstrated the show's ability to captivate viewers and resonate with them the same way the game did. It's also possible that the game series might receive a third entry as director Neil Druckmann has hinted at the possibility before. Though according to Druckmann, that would depend on whether the studio could come up with as strong a narrative as the first two games, one that depicts a universal statement about love.
The prologue events of The Last of Us' story can also be enjoyed for free in another way, through PlayStation Plus's free trial feature. The first two hours of the game have been made playable for subscribers of all tiers, and they mostly capture the same events that happened before the outbreak, albeit much quicker and without the elaborate build-up of the TV show.