Honestly, it feels like forever ago that we were all huddled around our screens, bracing for another "video game curse" disaster. But then January 15, 2023, actually rolled around. That was the official The Last of Us season 1 release date, and man, did it change the conversation for good.
It wasn't just another Sunday night on HBO. It was the moment we realized that maybe, just maybe, Hollywood finally figured out how to translate a controller-driven story into something that could make your parents cry.
When did The Last of Us Season 1 actually drop?
The rollout was pretty traditional for HBO, none of that "drop the whole season at midnight" Netflix style. The first episode, "When You're Lost in the Darkness," hit HBO and HBO Max (now just Max) at 9:00 PM ET. It was a cold winter night, perfect for a show about the end of the world.
The season ran for nine episodes total. It wrapped up on March 12, 2023. If you were following along week-to-week, it was a brutal two-month emotional gauntlet. One week you're watching a clicker rip through a museum, and the next you're sobbing over a strawberry patch in the middle of a post-apocalyptic forest.
The schedule looked like this:
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- Premiere: Jan 15
- The "Long, Long Time" episode (Bill and Frank): Jan 29
- The big finale: March 12
Wait, I should mention that weird Super Bowl shift. Episode 5, "Endure and Survive," actually dropped a couple of days early on streaming—Friday, February 10—just so it wouldn't get buried by the Big Game. Smart move, because that episode was way too intense to compete with halftime snacks.
Why the build-up was so stressful
Before the The Last of Us season 1 release date was even announced, the hype was kind of suffocating. You had Neil Druckmann (the guy who made the game) and Craig Mazin (the Chernobyl mastermind) at the helm. That's a lot of pedigree. People were skeptical about Pedro Pascal being "too cool" for Joel or Bella Ramsey not "looking like" Ellie.
They started filming way back in July 2021 in Alberta, Canada. They didn't finish until June 2022. That is a massive production window. When you spend almost a year shooting in the Canadian cold, you’re either making a masterpiece or a very expensive mistake.
Luckily, the 4.7 million people who tuned in on day one seemed to agree it was the former. By the time the season ended, that number ballooned to nearly 32 million viewers per episode. It became HBO's most-watched debut season ever, which is wild considering House of the Dragon exists.
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Breaking down the release strategy
HBO played the long game. They didn't just dump the show; they built a cultural moment. Every Sunday became "The Last of Us night."
- The Companion Podcast: They released an official podcast immediately after each episode where Mazin and Druckmann broke down why they changed certain things from the game.
- The 4K Factor: This was one of the first big shows they really pushed in 4K on the app from day one.
- Global Access: It wasn't just a US thing. Sky Atlantic in the UK and Binge in Australia had it virtually simultaneously.
What most people get wrong about the premiere
A lot of folks think the show was a shot-for-shot remake. It wasn't. While the The Last of Us season 1 release date marked the arrival of Joel and Ellie on TV, it also introduced us to things the game never touched. We got the 1968 talk show intro. We got the Jakarta flashback.
The show gave us context. It wasn't just about "don't get bitten." It was about "how did we let this happen?"
Some fans were annoyed that there wasn't enough "action" compared to the game. If you go back and re-watch now, there are actually several episodes where Joel barely fires a gun. That was a conscious choice. They wanted the violence to feel scary and rare, not like a shooting gallery.
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What should you do now?
If you're late to the party or just looking to dive back in before Season 2 (which is already causing its own stir in 2026), here is the best way to handle it.
First, watch the "Making of" documentary on Max. It shows how they actually built the town of Jackson and what went into the prosthetic makeup for the Bloater. It's fascinating.
Next, if you haven't played the games, do it. The "Part 1" remake for PS5 or PC is the definitive way to experience the source material. It gives you a much deeper appreciation for the tiny nods Pascal makes to the original Joel, Troy Baker.
Lastly, keep an eye on the production news for the upcoming seasons. We know Season 2 covers the first chunk of the second game, but the creators have already hinted that the story is too big for just two seasons. We're looking at a long road ahead in this universe.
Go back and start episode one again. Pay attention to the watch Sarah gives Joel. It hits differently when you know exactly where that story is headed.