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The Last of Us was HBO's second most-watched premiere in a decade

Behind only Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon.

HBO's The Last of Us earned the network its second-biggest premiere since 2010, behind only last year's debut for House of the Dragon.

In the US, 4.7 million viewers tuned in for the series' first episode on Sunday, Deadline reported. We're still waiting to hear word from UK broadcast partner Sky Atlantic for viewing figures here.

How does that compare? Putting House of the Dragon aside for a moment, The Last of Us is HBO's biggest non-Game of Thrones launch since 2010's Boardwalk Empire, which managed 4.81 million viewers - only slightly more.

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But House of the Dragon really has conquered all - it premiered with just under 10 million viewers for its debut episode last year, making it HBO's biggest ever debut.

Still, The Last of Us has undeniably done very well - anecdotally, trending on social media above the NFL in the US, and the recipient of numerous glowing critical reviews.

Yet to tune in? Here in the UK, you can find the series' first episode available to view via Now TV, ahead of episode two's launch next Monday morning from 2am. Fancy a refresher? Our resident superfan Victoria has Eurogamer's The Last of Us episode one recap right here.