Apologies to anyone who put money on the zombies winning the Super Bowl: HBO has officially moved the premiere date for the fifth episode of The Last of Us. Episode 5 will be available early on HBO Max and HBO On Demand, starting Feb. 10 at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST, instead of splitting the Sunday night slot with the Super Bowl.
For those who still wish to watch The Last of Us on HBO’s linear premiere, the new episode will still air on Feb. 12 at 9 p.m. EST. But should you choose to do that, you run the risk of missing the big game (though it’ll likely air post-Rihanna halftime show, so at least the biggest part of the night will be over).
It’s also possible you’ll have the next chapter of Joel and Ellie’s travels through Kansas City spoiled for you, since The Last of Us has been pulling record ratings for HBO across its first few episodes. The fourth episode also ended on a cliffhanger, with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) being held at gunpoint.
HBO programming has been defining Sunday nights for a few decades at this point. Everything from The Sopranos to Sex and the City. But that schedule has left The Last of Us with a fairly unenviable next few weeks, with a season covering the Sundays of the Oscars, Grammys, and Super Bowl. For now, at least, HBO notes in its press release that new episodes of the series will continue to air regularly on Sundays.
The Last of Us airs regularly on Sundays at 9 p.m. EST. Episode 5 will be available on HBO Max and HBO On Demand starting Feb. 10 at 9 p.m. EST.