Fans of The Last of Us will have a shorter wait time than usual to see the resolution of the thrilling cliffhanger at the end of last night’s episode: HBO has announced Episode 5 will be premiering two days early ahead of the Super Bowl.
Though the episode will still air on HBO at its regular time slot on Sunday, February 12th at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT, it will be available on HBO Max and HBO On Demand beginning Friday, February 10th at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Following this week, episodes will continue to air on HBO and be available to stream on HBO Max on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Though The Last of Us has been appointment viewing and made audience gains with every episode, the Super Bowl remains a ratings juggernaut. Last year’s game between the Rams and Bengals averaged more than 112 million viewers across TV and streaming. With a closely competitive game expected between the Chiefs and Eagles, an even larger audience will likely tune in this year. Find out everything you need to know about the halftime show and national anthem performances here.
The Last of Us is based on Naughty Dog’s 2013 PlayStation game of the same name. Centered around grizzled survivor Joel (Pedro Pascal) and 14-year-old Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) post-apocalyptic journey across the US, it comes from Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann (the latter also wrote and directed the video game). HBO has already announced it will be returning for Season 2.
In the days ahead of Episode 5, catch up on our comprehensive coverage of The Last of Us, including an interview with Mazin and Druckmann about the heartbreaking third episode and a breakdown of how it’s different from the game. Also, check out all the music in the series and learn the deeper meaning behind the Episode 1 needle drop with Depeche Mode.
