The Last of Us 2 from HBO premieres successfully with audience approval, but faces strong rejection from the public

The long-awaited second season of The Last of Us by HBO finally premiered in early 2025, and the initial numbers were impressive: the first episode, titled "Future Days", recorded 5.3 million views on the release day, a growth of about 10% compared to the debut of the first season, which had marked 4.7 million viewers, according to data revealed by the network itself. A noteworthy achievement for any streaming series, but not everything is rosy for Joel, Ellie, and company.

Despite the audience success, The Last of Us Season 2 has faced a much less enthusiastic reaction from the public, especially compared to the warm reception from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, while critics delivered an impressive average of 96% approval, the audience score dropped rapidly: from 63% in the early days to only 57% currently. Most of the fan reviews focus on three main points: changes in the timeline of events from the original game, controversial casting choices, and performances considered below expectations in key moments of the episode.

These complaints are also reflected on IMDb, where "Future Days" is already considered one of the weakest episodes of the series, with an average rating of 7.7. For comparison, only the episode "Left Behind" from the first season managed a lower average, with 7.4. These two episodes are the only ones in the series so far with ratings below 8, a clear sign of dissatisfaction from part of the audience.

It is inevitable to draw parallels with what happened at the time of the release of The Last of Us Part II by Naughty Dog, in 2020. The game, despite being acclaimed by critics — even winning the Game of the Year award at The Game Awards — strongly divided the fan base due to bold narrative decisions and drastic changes in tone compared to the first title. The television adaptation seems to follow this same path of controversy, with HBO now facing harsh criticism as the audience adjusts to the new directions taken by the narrative.

The second season brings back Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie, as well as the introduction of new faces for important characters, like Abby, who promises to be a central point of the story. However, the casting choices for beloved — or controversial — characters are already sparking heated discussions on social media.

Still, it is important to remember that the audience for The Last of Us Season 2 continues to grow and interest in the series has never been higher. Despite the criticism, the viewing success and buzz on social media indicate that HBO's adaptation remains one of the biggest television phenomena today.

It remains to be seen if future episodes will be able to win back the hearts of fans or if the series will follow the same polarizing path as its counterpart in video games. Either way, the journey is just beginning, and there is still a lot of story to be told — and debated.