David Farnor | On 11, Feb 2023

Episode 5 of The Last of Us has landed early on UK TV today, as the programme pivots to avoid the Super Bowl.

Based on the hit video game of the same name, the thriller takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the US and depend on each other for survival.

It has been a smash in its own right since its debut last month, but HBO is still wary of something getting in the way of the show’s momentum – with the Super Bowl taking place on Sunday night, when the series typically airs on HBO, the cable giant has instead decided to bring its air date forward to Friday 10th February (although it will still run in its usual time slot, without viewers having to choose between the two). In the UK, Sky Atlantic is following suit, with Episode 5 arriving today at 2am, despite the fact that the show’s Monday time slot doesn’t clash with the Super Bowl at all. On the plus side, it means viewers will be able to avoid spoilers from US audiences watching it slightly sooner than usual.

The advance release is only a one-off, however, with episodes then set to continue arriving on Sunday until the Season 1 finale on 12th March.

The unusual move follows Sky’s equally rare decision to release Episode 1 of the series for free on YouTube. You can watch that below.

 

Sky releases The Last of Us Episode 1 for free

28th January 2023

Episode 1 of The Last of Us is now available to watch online for free.

Based on the hit video game of the same name, the thriller takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the US and depend on each other for survival.

The first episode marked the second-biggest US drama debut on Sky Atlantic with overnights of 1 million viewers second only to House of Dragon and surpassing the debut launch of Game of Thrones. Ahead of its third episode arriving on Sky Atlantic and NOW Monday, HBO has already greenlit a second season and now, Sky is giving UK audiences a chance to to catch up for free, with the first feature-length episode now released on YouTube.

Watch it for free online here:

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