Next Episode Of The Last Of Us Coming Much Sooner Than Expected
The fifth episode of The Last of Us will premier this Friday at 9 pm EST so as not to interfere with the Supebowl Sunday night.
The Last of Us television show featuring Pedro Pascal has become just as popular (if not more so) than the video game it is based on. And for fans of the bleak show, watching it on Sunday nights when new episodes premier has become something of a ritual. However, thanks to the upcoming Superbowl, the fifth episode of this hit series is going to drop early, premiering this Friday.
In addition to announcing the temporary schedule change, this tweet about The Last of Us also gives audiences a glimpse of what to expect in the next episode. However, in typical series fashion, the preview doesn’t do much more than whet our appetites to see more. And it’s exciting to know we can indulge those appetites a couple of days earlier than we normally could.
Why is HBO shifting the premiere of the next episode of The Last Of Us, though, when it would be guaranteed to still get plenty of viewers if it dropped on Sunday? Right now, HBO executives are paying close attention to both the streaming numbers for the show as well as the numbers for live viewings. Since the Superbowl kicks off just a few hours before the typical Sunday premiere time, chances are that the network was nervous about the possibility of losing out on some of their live viewers who are instead tuning into the big game.
And make no mistake: while The Last of Us has quickly proven to be a critical darling, the show’s ultimate success or failure is determined by how many people continue to tune in to this prestige drama. The sheer number of fans watching the show live and via streaming was enough for HBO to greenlight a second season only weeks after the first episode dropped. By shifting the next episode’s release date to maximize the number of people who watch it, HBO is clearly hoping to keep the momentum going.
Shifting when the next episode of The Last of Us drops also reveals how confident the network is in the show. Basically, they know that they will still have plenty of viewers for a new day and time because sheer word of mouth regarding this popular show will let everyone know when to tune in. And speaking of word of mouth, giving fans an extra few days to talk about how great the latest episode is may be enough to get more people to cave in and subscribe to HBO Max so they can stream the show and catch up on what they’ve been missing.
If you don’t want to miss a thing when it comes to this post-apocalyptic video game drama, then make sure to tune into HBO Max this Friday at 9:00 pm EST to see the newest episode. That way, you can avoid unwanted spoilers and be on the ground floor for any cool discussions about the series. Of course, with the episode dropping early, you’ll also have that much more time to treat yourself and start playing through The Last of Us on PlayStation again, and we won’t even judge you for how many times you’ve beaten it before.
