It’s airing early so make sure to watch out for spoilers.
HBO
Episode five of the hit HBO and Sky Atlantic show The Last of Us will air two days earlier than normal in the United States, although those in the United Kingdom will wait until the usual Monday morning slot. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have to wait that long to watch.
The US airing has been moved to accommodate the NFL Super Bowl shenanigans that will take place on Sunday – The Last of Us normally airs at 9pm ET on the same day. Instead, it’ll now air the Friday before at the usual time.
But where does that leave those watching across the pond? Well, Sky confirmed to VGC that it will still air The Last of Us in its normal 2am slot on Monday, 13 February. But that doesn’t mean that you’ll have to wait that long. Both Sky and NOW will allow people to stream the fifth episode on demand early from Saturday, 11 February at 2am.
That is of course excellent news for those of us who had concerns that they might have to spend the entire weekend trying to avoid spoilers for an episode that promises to be explosive. Quite likely literally.
The moving of the episode makes plenty of sense, at least in the US The Super Bowl is obviously a big deal over there, and while The Last of Us continues to pull in impressive viewing figures – and huge growth since the first episode – it’s difficult for it to compete with the biggest sporting event of the calendar year.
“The viewing figure was up 12% from the previous week’s 5.7 million viewers and up 37% from the first episode’s 4.7 million viewers,” VGC notes. As The Last of Us continues to gain traction HBO will surely want to ensure that the Super Bowl can’t jeopardise things. And it’s easier to move the TV show than the Super Bowl.