Though normally slated for Sunday premieres, The Last of Us episode 5 has gotten an early release date. Based on Naughty Dog's game of the same name, the post-apocalyptic drama series has scored widespread acclaim from critics and audiences alike for its faithfulness to the source material and the performances of its cast, namely Pedro Pascal as haunted smuggler Joel and Bella Ramsey as witty teenager Ellie. Garnering massive ratings within its first few weeks of airing, The Last of Us has already earned a season 2 renewal, though HBO's confidence in the show isn't stopping there.As audiences tune in for the fourth episode of the hit series, the official Last of Us show account has revealed that episode 5 has gotten an early release date.
The post, which features footage from the next chapter of the series, reveals that The Last of Us episode 5 is set to premiere on Friday, February 10 at 9 p.m. EST on HBO Max, a full two days ahead of its premiere on HBO. The decision is said to stem from wanting to avoid competition with next week's Super Bowl LVII. Check out the announcement above:
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While a network looking to avoid competition from a major sporting event may not sound like a surprise, The Last of Us episode 5 being bumped up by HBO is a big deal. The cable channel has rarely elected to shift any of its programming to earlier dates in the past, a rare exception being when Warner Bros. elected to use their streaming platform, HBO Max, for same-day film releases amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike that simultaneous release decision, however, The Last of Us episode 5's early release is already being met with positive reception from both audiences and the industry at large.
Unlike many other of the channel's previous titles, The Last of Us does have the advantage of getting to air on the streaming platform early to avoid exterior competition. Given the Super Bowl is slated to kick off just a few hours before the show's normal airtime, it could lead to some loss of live viewers keen to finish the NFL championship before catching the next chapter of the series. However, with the overlap between gaming and sports fans generally proving to be minimal, it could also be argued that HBO wouldn't have to worry about any dip in viewership for The Last of Us episode 5 heading into its original Sunday date.
With HBO choosing to release The Last of Us episode 5 early, it goes to show the confidence they clearly have in their latest hit series. Not only does it allow audiences to spend a whole weekend watching and rewatching the new episode, but it also offers the network a chance to create further word of mouth for those without an HBO Max subscription to ensure they tune in come the episode's premiere a few days later. Only time will tell if their effort pays off when The Last of Us episode 5 premieres on HBO Max on Friday, February 10 at 9 p.m. EST.
Source: HBO/Twitter