"The Last of Us Season 2 Trailer Shatters HBO Records Prematurely"

The excitement for the upcoming second season of *The Last of Us* is palpable, even before its release. The latest trailer for Season 2, unveiled during a SXSW panel, has shattered records by accumulating over 158 million views across various platforms within just three days, as reported by Warner Brothers Discovery. This achievement marks a new high for HBO and Max original programming, with the trailer outperforming previous promos for the series by at least 160%.

You can’t stop this.
#TheLastOfUs returns April 13 on Max. pic.twitter.com/DH8UzAugIV

— Max (@StreamOnMax) March 8, 2025

The series continues to gain momentum, with both new and returning fans eagerly awaiting Season 2. The episodes from Season 1 are now averaging around 32 million viewers across platforms domestically, a significant increase from the 8.2 million same-day viewers that tuned in for the Season 1 finale in March 2023, as reported by Deadline. This surge in viewership underscores the immense popularity of the series, positioning it as one of HBO's most successful shows in recent years.

The Last of Us Season 2 Character Posters

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Season 2 of The Last of Us will feature a five-year time jump, continuing the journey of Joel and Ellie as they navigate a world fraught with new dangers and conflicts. The returning cast includes stars Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Gabriel Luna, and Rutina Wesley, joined by new additions such as Kaitlyn Dever, Isabella Merced, Catherine O’Hara, and Jeffrey Wright.

During the SXSW panel, showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin announced the return of spores, which were absent in Season 1. The trailer hints at their reintroduction, showcasing Ellie, portrayed by Bella Ramsey, encountering an infected whose breath releases the spores. Druckmann highlighted the escalation in both the number and variety of infected, as well as the new vectors for the spread of the infection. He noted, "Season 1, we had this new thing that wasn’t in the game of these tendrils that spread, and that was one form. And then one shot you see in this trailer, there are things in the air."

Mazin confirmed the spores' return, with Druckmann explaining the dramatic necessity for their reintroduction: "The reason [we’re doing it now], I mean, we really wanted to figure it out, and again, everything has to be drama. There had to be a dramatic reason for introducing it now. And there is."

*The Last of Us* Season 2 is set to premiere on April 13, 2025, on HBO and HBO Max, promising to deliver even more thrilling and emotionally charged storytelling.