Weve seen the first four episode of the latest show to arrive on HBO Max, and were over the moon about it.Earlier this week, I saw The Last of Us. Already aware that word of mouth is through the roof, getting more eyes on the product and giving them a taster of what everyone else is talking about may just entice others to subscribe to their respective platforms to continue following the series. Neither of which is the case for HBOs remarkable nine-part adaptation of The Last of Us, generally regarded as one of the greatest video game stories ever told. And trust us: you want to see this show ASAP. Given the budget of the show, and the blue chip nature of its production, this is a big statement of confidence from the networks. HBO - and its British partner, Sky - are marking this fact by making the premiere episode of the hit series free to view on YouTube. The series scored the network's second-biggest premiere of the decade, with the adaptation of the acclaimed video game garnering a 22% growth in viewership from episode 1 to episode 2 of the series, which is the largest growth of any HBO original drama in its first two weeks.

Originally seen as something of a gamble for HBO, the bet has paid off as The Last of Us has set pop culture alight and garnered record numbers of viewers on HBO Max, with the premiere episode reaching over 18 million viewers since its original airing just over a week ago.

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