Warning: Spoilers for The Last of Us Episode 3 are featured in this article.
There is a tough task for productions to reach the same level of quality and reception for video game adaptations. It seems that there are very few that get close to that source material reception. However, HBO’s The Last of Us looks to be quite the exception. This series has continued to turn out new viewers weekly. We’re only getting past the third episode of this series’ debut season. However, so far, there has been no slowing down the number of viewers tuning into the show each Sunday night.
This adaptation showcases the first video game installment for The Last of Us. Fans are getting to witness a live-action adaptation of Joel and Ellie as the duo makes their way across the country. It’s a tough uphill battle as our protagonists have to deal with the infected around every corner. Fans of the video game series knew this episode would introduce a big character, that being Bill. While the game only showcased Bill, this series offered more backstory on the character that we didn’t get to witness much during the gameplay.
We got the storyline of Bill and how he met his love interest, Frank. The story expanded on the duo’s life and their eventual introduction of Joel and Tess. While the narrative offered some expansions, this adaptation also made a rather significant change to the conclusion of Bill’s story. It seems that fans of the series were ready to dive into the third episode as Video Games Chronicle reported that 6.4 million viewers tuned into the series episode. That’s a jump from last week’s 5.7 million viewers and the debut title which had just under 5 million.
This number comes from both HBO data and Nielsen. But that’s a significant increase, and the number of viewers tuning into the series continues to grow each week. So it looks like HBO has a winner with The Last of Us, and we’re certainly interested in seeing what other changes are made. Likewise, some key points within the storyline should be thrilling to see come to life in this series. Regardless, we already know that the series has been renewed for a second season. We’re just wondering now if this series will continue with The Last of Us Part II or if we’ll see the production fill in some narrative between the events of the two video game installments.