HBO Max just moved up The Last of Us episode 5 release date for the Super Bowl

Pedro Pascal as Joel in HBO's The Last of Us — (Image credit: Liane Hentscher/HBO)

Super Bowl 2023 just pushed HBO to change The Last of Us episode 5's release date. So, if you were planning on watching the clickers and other infected tear up Kansas City, you don't need to wait for Sunday.

Announced on Sunday as episode four was on air, The Last of Us episode 5 will now hit HBO Max on Friday (Feb. 10) at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT — 48 hours ahead of schedule. As of this moment, the schedule for the HBO linear networks at HBO.com doesn't appear to be showing that episode at that time. This could change, but right now it seems like you'll need HBO Max to watch the episode at its earliest time.

The Last of Us episode 3, for example, changed Bill and Frank's story — and wound up being one of the best TV show episodes in months. That ensured The Last of Us was one of the best HBO Max shows overall — and not just one of the better video game adaptations ever.

HBO Max's trailer for The Last of Us episode 5, embedded above, shows Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey) on the hunt for Henry — and unwilling to forgive, due to a lack of justice.

But to explain one detail shown in that trailer, we need to go over something of a spoiler, though it's something that The Last of Us game creator Neil Druckmann's already explained in interviews.

That trailer, if you look closely, shows that Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) seem to be on the move with Henry (Lamar Johnson) and Sam (Keivonn Woodard). As hinted at by subtitles in the trailer, and explained in and interview embedded below, Sam is now, unlike in the game, a deaf character.

Druckmann told The Washington Post that "One of the changes that we made for the TV show is we made Sam deaf ... That kind of constraint led to really interesting storytelling decisions that, in some ways, make that sequence more impactful than it is in the game."

We can only imagine that an inability to talk will make things more difficult when dodging the infected.

The Last of Us episodes revised schedule

As you'll see below, episode 5 sticks out at its new night and time.

The Last of Us episode 1 — Sunday, Jan. 15 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max
The Last of Us episode 2 — Sunday, Jan. 22 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max
The Last of Us episode 3 — Sunday, Jan. 29 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max
The Last of Us episode 4 — Sunday, Feb. 5 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max
The Last of Us episode 5 — Friday, Feb. 10 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO Max
The Last of Us episode 6 — Sunday, Feb. 19 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max
The Last of Us episode 7 — Sunday, Feb. 26 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max
The Last of Us episode 8 — Sunday, March 5 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max
The Last of Us episode 9 — Sunday, March 12 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max

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Henry was a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.