HBO’s The Last of Us raises the bar for game-to-TV adaptations

The season finale for HBO’s The Last of Us (TLOU) aired Sunday, capping off one of its most successful game adaptations (for now). Both the quality and popularity of customizations are generally increasing. But unlike previous adaptations, The Last of Us achieved a new level of success on both stats.

The Last of Us was able to capture Joel and Ellie’s struggle for survival and authentically present it to a new audience. Though the quality wasn’t perfect – mild spoilers ahead! – there’s no denying that the show pleased fans and newcomers alike. According to Parrot Analytics, The Last of Us was the most requested show worldwide from its premiere on January 15 to March 11, 2023.

Quality and involvement of the maker

The Last of Us has been a huge success for both Sony and Naughty Dog, largely due to its story. As a result, the game is a strong choice for any studio looking to customize gaming IP. But to truly succeed, HBO’s vision had to be executed on that strong foundation.

HBO approached the project with care and worked closely together Neil Drukman, co-president of Naughty Dog and creator of TLOU, to create the show. Druckmann served as a writer and executive producer for the adaptation. Likewise the game’s many original voice actors cameo appearances throughout the series.

This collaboration between the original creative team and Hollywood seems to be the secret ingredient for The Last of Us as well as others game adjustments.

Judging by the success of the show, it’s clear that the adaptation captivated audiences just like its gaming counterpart. The actors – especially Pedro Pascal as Joel – sell the story and the themes of grief and parenthood. However, I do have some reservations about the show.

Missed opportunities

While I thoroughly enjoyed the first season of TLOU, I can’t help but second-guess the decision to adapt the first game in one season. The relationship between Ellie and Joel is the cornerstone of the series. A single nine-episode season was barely enough to build this relationship, especially when two of those episodes are devoted to flashbacks.

The main story for TLOU will take players around 20 hours to complete with plenty of opportunities to expand on the source material. I understand the desire to end with Joel’s last morally gray decision, but the show tries to develop a complex relationship at a breakneck pace.

The move to a new medium exacerbated this problem. In the game you (mostly) play as Joel and must actively protect Ellie. The gameplay itself strengthens the bond between these characters as you participate in the story. This is simply not possible for passive TV viewers.

Considering there’s only one game left to customize, a limited number of infected characters, and the perfect centerpiece to find Joel’s brother, I think the show would have benefited from having the first game in two seasons. to split.

The Last of Us has reached new fans

Despite the show’s distilled nature, TLOU has been wildly successful. According to Parrot Analytics, which specializes in measuring demand for TV series, The Last of Us was a big hit.

“The Last of Us unquestionably achieved mainstream success and was the number one show in the world for the past 60 days (January 11 – March 11, 2023). Global audience demand for the show grew steadily over the course of its first season, suggesting that it successfully brought more mainstream audiences who knew little to nothing about the game into the franchise’s fandom,” said a spokesperson. from Parrot Analytics.

In this time frame, TLOU was in demand 90.01 times more than the average show worldwide, peaking at 134 times. This was much better than other hits such as Game of Thrones (71.9 times) and The Mandalorian (64.9 times).

This specifically rules out the finale, which could increase demand for events – especially for those looking to binge the entire series. HBO said the finale drew a series peak of 8.2 million people on TV despite airing against the Oscars.

TLOU really shines compared to other game modifications. While it couldn’t eclipse The Witcher’s season 1 peak of 152.38 times average demand, TLOU grew over time. Part of this difference can be attributed to different platforms and release schedules. The Witcher season 1 was released on Netflix all at once, while The Last of Us was released weekly on HBO.

More importantly, demand for TLOU outpaced demand for both Arcane and Halo. All three shows were exceptionally popular, reaching the top 0.2% of all shows. However, it seems that The Last of Us was able to break into the mainstream zeitgeist on another level.

This is more apparent when TLOU is compared to HBO’s House of the Dragon. The Game of Thrones prequel had a much higher built-in audience, which explains the higher initial demand. However, by the end of the season, the shows were pretty much even.

While the show isn’t perfect, The Last of Us set a new bar for game-to-TV adaptations. The series translates the game’s themes well for a wider audience. TLOU in turn became a mainstream hit. While the 2023 awards season is over, I wouldn’t be surprised if TLOU gets new nominations next year.