Is ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Finale’s Drop in Viewership Proof That ‘The Last of Us Part 2’ Was Always Divisive?

The finale of The Last of Us Season 2 recently aired and saw a drop in viewership numbers. However, HBO’s second installment of the Naughty Dog series was also down in ratings across the board. The divisive season has sparked a debate with some fans over whether The Last of Us Part 2 was always going to struggle with casual viewers.

‘Last of Us’ Season 2 Was Divisive With Viewers

Recent reports have revealed that The Last of Us Season 2’s finale was down in viewership by 55%. HBO argues that this was the result of a holiday weekend and that they expect the number to grow over time. Interestingly, it appears that The Last of Us Season 2 has also divided viewers, as the show has had a significant drop in ratings as well.

On IMDb, user ratings ranked Season 2 episodes with an average 7.4 rating. In comparison, a majority of Season 1 episodes would often get 8.6 to 9.0 ratings. Similarly, Rotten Tomatoes saw a pretty big decrease as well. The Last of Us Season 2 received a 38% Rotten score among users. However, user ratings can be hit or miss. For example, it’s not uncommon for games to get “review bombed” by angry mobs.

On a personal level, I can speak to the season’s less than favorable reception from some viewers. I have family and friends who have told me that they didn’t enjoy Season 2 as much as Season 1. So, there genuinely seems to be discontent with HBO’s adaptation among portions of its audience. However, some fans are asking whether Season 2 was always doomed with casual viewers due to The Last of Us Part 2‘s challenging plot.

Do Audiences just Dislike ‘The Last of Us Part 2’s Plot?

When The Last of Us Part II first came out in 2020, it was divisive with players. Critically, it was heralded as one of the best games of all time. And for good reason. Naughty Dog truly set a new level for cinematic storytelling in the games industry with the sequel. On a technical level, the graphics and gameplay were incredible. However, some players took issue with the game’s plot, which saw the death of Joel at the hands of Abby.

Looking at the user scores for The Last of Us Season 2, we see ratings for the show drop immediately after the episode where Pedro Pascal’s character exits the series. So, is there truth to viewers also not liking the game’s plot? Fans of the show took to social media to react to the finale’s drop in viewership and overall ratings. One user argued, “The second season just shows how horribly written the second game was.” Another comment exclaimed, “We turned it off after Joel died.” A user who played the PS5 game explained, “Not too surprising. I didn’t like where the story of the second game goes.”

However, there were just as many fans who argued that the problem with Season 2 had to do with the scripts—not the game’s actual plot itself. More specifically, viewers took issue with Season 2’s pacing, as well as the general adaptation changes they made from the game. Backing this up is the fact that Episode 6 was the second-highest rated episode, which aired long after Joel’s death. Regardless of the reasons, it seems the overall consensus is that Season 2 wasn’t as good as Season 1.

Season 3 Could be even more challenging

As far as answering the question of whether The Last of Us Part II’s plot was always going to be a hard pill for viewers to swallow, I feel like we won’t know the full picture until the next series arrives. It will be very interesting to see how audiences react to The Last of Us Season 3, as it will likely be more Abby-centric. In fact, I don’t think the HBO show has yet to reach the more challenging aspects of the PlayStation title. Seeing the narrative shift to Abby’s perspective is easily what I’ve seen most players complain about.

Concerning viewership, HBO has already renewed The Last of Us for a Season 3 specifically because of its strong streaming numbers. Did the finale have a hard hill to climb due to the Memorial Day weekend? It’s something to consider. After all, Season 2 actually amassed more average viewers than Season 1.

With all that said, it’s hard to ignore the massive drop in Season 2’s user ratings. Sure, this could partly be a result of PlayStation gamers still being angry about Part 2‘s story. But if you lurk around enough online, you will see enough Last of Us HBO viewers who are genuinely not happy with Season 2. Whether that’s down to script changes, pacing, or the plot of Last of Us Part 2, it’s anyone’s guess. But it’s an interesting thing to think about. Especially as we consider the legacy of the Last of Us Part 2 in the future.