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Library/Series/The Last of Us (series)
Grade A26 sourcesHIS-01288

The Last of Us (series)

Series · 2023 · Viral

65Editable slideCertificate

HBO reported 8.2 million US first-night viewers for the first-season finale.

Trailer · HBO Max on YouTube
Clip · Saturday Night Live on YouTube
The Last of Us key art with Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.
HBO / Sony Pictures Television; Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann
Joel and Ellie in the snow in the official trailer.
HBO Max on YouTube
Pedro Pascal and Anna Torv as Joel and Tess.
The Hollywood Reporter
Spotify's official The Last of Us playlist cover.
Spotify
Joel and Ellie in a scene from The Last of Us.
Deadline
HBO Thailand’s display at Siam Paragon, photographed April 25, 2025; CC BY-SA 4.0.
Ominae / Wikimedia Commons
Pedro Pascal as Mario in SNL's 'Mario Kart' parody of the show.
Saturday Night Live on YouTube
Tess, Ellie and Joel in episode 2.
Variety
Bill and Frank's candlelit dinner.
Deadline
'Look for the light' Fireflies graffiti at the end of a stairwell.
Marketing Brew
A costumed Clicker at Binge's Australian premiere.
Mediaweek
Nick Offerman as Bill guarding his fence.
NME
Bill and Frank in the 'Long, Long Time' episode.
PinkNews
Sky's The Last of Us billboard.
Marketing.ie

Spread Score

How it works
Reach88Contagion35Breadth80Velocity52Longevity4865

Numbers

Observed peak date
Week of Jan 22, 2023
Jan 11 ’23 to Week of Jan 22, 2023
Platforms
9
Started on Box office
Origin
Mixed
Entertainment

Mechanics

  • Response chainPrimary
  • Controversy
  • Platform jump
  • Press loop
  • Pairing

How it spread

Trace the origin

HBO followed fan screenings with a weekly TV release. Episode three prompted praise, reaction videos and review bombing. HBO reported rising first-night audiences, while UK boxed-game sales and streams of the featured Linda Ronstadt song increased.

Observed peak within the documented measurement window; not an all-time maximum. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.

Wikipedia views · Google searchesNov ’22Jan ’23FebMarJunOctMar ’24AugFeb ’25JunObserved peakYouTubePressBox officeTVRetailOpen webAudioXTikTok
YouTubePressBox officeTVRetailOpen webAudioXTikTok

13 more events on this chart

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Timeline (16)

  1. December 2022

    HBO Max precursor · Dec 2022

    HBO Max released the official trailer before the series premiere.[1]

    'Look for the light' Fireflies graffiti at the end of a stairwell.
    Open the first post ↗

  2. January 2023

    The Hollywood Reporter precursor · Jan 10 ’23

    THR published its season review and singled out the Bill and Frank episode before broadcast.[2]

    Pedro Pascal and Anna Torv as Joel and Tess.

  3. BINGE seed · Jan 11 ’23

    BINGE screened the series premiere for fans at Sydney’s Ritz Cinemas.[3][4]

    A costumed Clicker at Binge's Australian premiere.

  1. commercial · Jan 15 ’23

  2. commercial · Week of Jan 21, 2023

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Why it worked

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  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3

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Origin
Mixed
Sector
Entertainment
Region
US
Reported figure
—
Evidence
Grade A

Spread the same way

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Netflix (distributor); Kinetic Content (producer); Chris Coelen (creator)

Netflix projected that 30 million households sampled the dating show's first season.

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