This HBO Show Is Still the 4th Most Popular In America Weeks After Its Finale

HBO is home to some great movies and shows. Originally founded in 1972, HBO became the first premium service cable channel. Since then, the provider has branched out by adding the streaming service Max. Some of the most popular HBO shows include classics like The Sopranos and Sex and the City. Newer hits like The White Lotus and Euphoria can also be found on the soon-to-be retitled HBO Max. However, many would consider its most popular series to be Game of Thrones, despite the much-maligned final season.

With so many options available to watch on streaming and cable, competition is higher than it's ever been to find viewership. This has advantages and disadvantages as the television landscape continues to change. While there is a glut of material to choose from, many shows don't get the chance to find their footing or their audience before being cancelled. Famously, Seinfeld barely made it past season 1 before going on to be one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. However, some streaming shows are a hit right out of the gate, and that is certainly true for one HBO show.

The Last Of Us Is Maintaining Its Incredible Popularity

Season 2 Had Its Finale Almost 4 Weeks Ago

The Last of Us is still one of the most popular shows in America. The post-apocalyptic series debuted in 2023 and was based on the video game of the same name. It follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they try to survive hordes of infected and other survivors, and try to find a home. Season 1 has an impressive 96% approval rate on Rotten Tomatoes with an 86% Popcornmeter. Season 2 saw a slight dip with critics going down to 92% and a 37% audience score.

According to IMDb, The Last of Us is the fourth most popular show in the United States. As of writing, it has been 26 days since the season 2 finale aired. Currently ranked above The Last of Us are Dept. Q, Ginny & Georgia, and MobLand. The remainder of the top 10 most popular shows as of June 20 are Tires, Stick, Andor, The Better Sister, FUBAR, and The Survivors.

Our Take On The Last Of Us Remaining Popular

The Next Season Will Go In A Different Direction

The Last of Us season 2 did see an overall growth in viewership compared to season 1. Each season 2 episode averaged 37 million viewers across all platforms, in contrast to season 1, which averaged 32 million. Season 2 arguably had the biggest moment of the series when Joel was killed by Abby, a controversial moment translated from the game The Last of Us Part II.

Following a cliffhanger ending, The Last of Us season 3 will take the series in a different direction and tell events from Abby's point of view. As the show is not afraid to make bold choices, it will be interesting to see how the popularity of The Last of Us continues into what will likely be a drastically different season.

Source: IMDb