Will The Last of Us air a new episode tonight? (February 12, 2023)

The Last of Us will air on HBO tonight but will the episode going up against a Super Bowl broadcast be a new one?

To claim that The Last of Us is the biggest TV show of 2023 so far wouldn’t be unfair. The HBO series has single-handedly dominated pop-culture in the month since its release, with each of the first four episode’s ratings showing huge increases over the previous ones. In this day and age of streaming and on-demand television with just far too much selection, word-of-mouth is actually still working, and for The Last of Us it’s all positive.

Part of the show’s successful approach is that it’s released online via the HBO Max streaming service at the same time that it airs live on HBO. This allows viewers of HBO to watch, while also allowing HBO Max subscribers to enjoy it – and given that the streaming service is available in various locations around the world, that ensures it’s part of a global conversation.

This strategy allowed HBO to take a different approach to its airing this week. With episode 5 set to go up against the Super Bowl, it was released earlier on streaming. If you need the release schedule for the episode clarified, here’s what you need to know.

Is The Last of Us new tonight, February 12?

If you’re watching The Last of Us on HBO (and have done so for the past four weeks), then yes, you can expect to watch a new episode on the cable network tonight. Episode 5, “Endure and Survive”, will make its TV debut tonight, airing on HBO at 9:00 p.m. ET, 6:00 p.m. PT, and 8:00 p.m. CT.

However, if you already watched “Endure and Survive” when it was released on HBO Max (or the HBO On Demand service) on Friday, then you shouldn’t expect to catch a new episode of the show on HBO, because again, that will be the episode premiering on TV tonight.

While HBO or Warner Bros. Discovery have not revealed the official reasoning behind the decision to release episode 5 early on streaming, we can assume that it was because if the show’s primary release time was up against the Super Bowl LVII tonight, then its ratings likely would have seen a great decline.

While the TV ratings for HBO will likely still be impacted, the early release strategy allowed them to ensure that fans of the show could watch the fifth episode at a time that suited them without having to choose between it and the sporting event. Meanwhile, those who still planned on watching it on HBO can still tune in on Sunday night if they wish to.  It’s a win-win.

When does The Last of Us episode 6 come out?

For fans hoping to see episode 6 of The Last of Us, “Kin” will premiere next Sunday, February 19. With no Super Bowl to compete with, both the episode’s HBO and HBO Max (and HBO On Demand) releases will once again coincide, as episode 6 will air and stream simultaneously at 9:00 p.m. ET, 6:00 p.m. PT, and 8:00 p.m. CT.

Will you be watching The Last of Us episode 5 on HBO tonight or did you already watch it on HBO Max? Let us know in the comments below!