Episode 8 of THE LAST OF US delivered 8.1 million viewers Sunday night across HBO Max and linear telecasts, up 74% from the series debut night in January and establishing a new premiere night high for the series ahead of next Sunday’s season finale episode. Viewing is based on Nielsen and first party data.

THE LAST OF US was also the top title overall on HBO Max for the 8th consecutive week, with all episodes ranking among the week’s top 10 individual assets. The average audience for the series’ first five episodes is now approaching 30 million viewers across all platforms.

Episode 8 of THE LAST OF US, titled “When We Are in Need,” is hailed by IGN as “an hour of television that’s hard to take your eyes off,” in which “Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal are once again astounding in a poignant outpouring of anger, relief, and tenderness.” In a story that The New York Times calls “one of pure suspense,” their performances shine, with Slate heralding Pascal for giving “a performance so restrained and disciplined you feel every moment of closeness,” while Ramsey is “uncanny at capturing the vulnerability and resilience that, even under the pressure of an apocalyptic world, are still recognizably teenaged.”

To prepare for Sunday night’s season finale, fans can tune in to The Last of Us Podcast, the series’ official companion podcast where host Troy Baker, who plays Joel in the video game, sits down with series creators Craig Mazin (Emmy^®-winning creator of HBO’s “Chernobyl”) and Neil Druckmann, the creator of the acclaimed video game, for a scene-by-scene deep dive of each episode. Since its premiere, the series’ companion podcast remains in the top 5 on Apple and Spotify’s TV & Film charts in the U.S. with Esquirenaming it one of “The Best Podcasts of 2023 (So Far)” and calling it “…the perfect ally for your streaming journey.”

A spotlight page for THE LAST OF US is live on HBO Max, featuring behind-the-scenes content and access to the companion podcast, as well as an interactive flashlight to help fans find their next series to watch. The spotlight page also showcases a curated selection of movies and series from 2003, the year the life-altering outbreak occurred in the new HBO series.

Additionally, the first episode of THE LAST OF US is available to stream for free on HBOMax.com.