【Anne Marie Gonzales Archives】

The Anne Marie Gonzales Archiveswait between The Last of Usepisodes is starting to become almost as interminable as the wait between House of Dragonepisodes we had to endure last year — but, this week at least, there's a bit of a reprieve.

In a nutshell, it looks like we're going to be able to watch episode 5 a little bit earlier than usual. We've included the details of the where, when, and why below.

SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us's Melanie Lynskey defends show and her casting as Kathleen

What time is The Last of Us episode 5 streaming on HBO and HBO Max?

HBO confirmed in a press release that episode 5 of The Last of Uswill be premiering on HBO and HBO Max early this week on Friday, Feb. 10 at 9 p.m. ET.

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New episodes usually go out every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET, so we're getting the episode a full two daysahead of schedule.

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After the cliffhanger episode 4 left us on, with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) being held at gunpoint in a city under the control of a brutal militia group, this early launch is welcome news.

SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us' episode 5 trailer teases a hideous new monster

Why is The Last of Us episode 5 launching early?

Although HBO hasn't given a specific reason, it's pretty obvious: Sunday, Feb. 12, the day the episode wouldhave launched, is Super Bowl Sunday. The Last of Ushas been steadily picking up steam since it started, with the third episode garnering 6.4 million viewers and generating a massive reaction on social media to the heartbreaking story of Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett). Episode 4 did even better, scoring 7.5 million viewers across HBO Max and linear telecasts. Like the Cordyceps, the audience keeps growing!

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With the show gaining more and more traction it makes sense that HBO wouldn't want anything to come along and derail that, so avoiding a competition with one of the world's largest sporting events makes a lot sense.

As if to underline this, the change in scheduling is only for one week — after episode 5 has aired, The Last of Uswill be back to showing on Sunday once again.

The Last of Usepisode 5 premieres Friday at 9 p.m. on HBO Max. Episodes usually premiere on Sunday.

Opens in a new window Credit: HBO Max 'The Last of Us'

Topics HBO Streaming The Last of Us