The Last of Us surpasses House of the Dragon viewership 

The ninth and last episode of Last of Us premiered on Monday, marking the end of the first season. The series achieved the highest-ever viewership of 8.2 million in the finale episode, and the new viewership surpassed HBO's other series House of the Dragon's record. The Last of Us has grown in viewership with every episode since its debut on January 15. 

According to HBO, the series recorded an average of 30.4 million viewers across the first six episodes. It may be noted that the 5th episode alone recorded 11.6 million views. Meanwhile, House of the Dragon recorded 29 million cross-platform viewers throughout its run in the late summer and fall of 2022. HBO has already announced the second season of the series. The next season will begin adapting Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II

The Last of Us follows the adventures of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they travel across The United States to find the mysterious fireflies, a gang of revolutionaries attempting to overthrow the American military in the wake of a zombie apocalypse. With Ellie holding the keys to immunity in her genetic code, Joel needs to deliver her safely, or else risk the entire world losing the fight against the infected.