"TLOU Season 2 Trailer Breaks HBO Records Early"

The second season of The Last of Us hasn't premiered yet, but its impact is already being felt across entertainment circles.

The show's latest Season 2 trailer, unveiled during a SXSW panel, has achieved record-breaking viewership. According to Warner Brothers Discovery, the trailer accumulated over 158 million cross-platform views within just three days - establishing a new benchmark for HBO and Max original content, outperforming previous promos 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 growing its fanbase as both new and returning audiences eagerly await Season 2. Current domestic viewership for Season 1 episodes averages approximately 32 million cross-platform viewers - a massive increase compared to the 8.2 million same-day viewers recorded for Season 1's finale in March 2023 (per Deadline). This surge demonstrates the show's expanding popularity and confirms its status as one of HBO's most successful recent productions.

The Last of Us Season 2 Character Posters

Season 2 will advance the timeline by five years, following Joel and Ellie as they navigate escalating conflicts between themselves and an increasingly perilous world. Returning cast members include Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Gabriel Luna, and Rutina Wesley, joined by new additions Kaitlyn Dever, Isabella Merced, Catherine O'Hara, and Jeffrey Wright.

During the SXSW panel, creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin revealed the return of fungal spores - absent from Season 1 - as part of the infection's evolution. The trailer showcases Ellie encountering spore-releasing infected, with Druckmann explaining: "There's an escalation of numbers and types of infected, but also an escalation of the vector of how this thing spreads."

Mazin confirmed "spores are back," while Druckmann added: "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 debuts April 13, 2025 on HBO and HBO Max.