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'The Last of Us' Was the Most-Pirated Show of 2023
(gizmodo.com)
You’re welcome
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Torrent Freak’s annual look at piracy in 2023 saw the top 10 shows once again dominated by familiar faces from the world of streaming sci-fi, fantasy, and superhero material.
It’s a running trend for the last few years since the age of Game of Thrones’ climax—which dominated torrent sites for pretty much the entirety of its run, a legacy continued now by House of the Dragon, which took the crown in 2022—gave way to pirated streaming content.
It should be noted, as Torrent Freak does, these statistics only reflect a portion of any pirated content this year.
But even with that in mind, it’s not surprising that for the most part the biggest shows in demand are the ones that require premiums to access across multiple streaming platforms—even The Last of Us fits this, as both a hybrid show broadcast on premium cable and simulcast on (HBO) Max.
As the streaming age continues to descend into a portfolio of walled gardens, rather than its initial promise of offering access to content from a variety of studios in a singular place, it remains unsurprising that people will see piracy as an alternative to paying for another subscription-based service on top of what they already do to try out a show.
It’s not like the streamer didn’t have any big shows this year, either—it’s more likely that a lot more people have a Netflix subscription than they do an Apple TV+ or Disney+ subscription... and given the general trend across many streaming platforms this year has been increasing prices on cut or stagnated content, and, well, can you blame people for not wanting to buy in on top of what they already have?
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The show was mid. Nothing about it was bad, in fact there were some genuinely quality stand out moments, the Frank and Bill episode was unexpected but really moving, but everything involving the zombies and Joel and Ellie seemed like a retread. Because it was. It was almost a 1:1 retelling of the game with added scenes that IMO felt haphazardly sewn into the main narrative. The game is more engaging and the show felt rushed due to, ironically, being shorter than the average person's playtime of Part 1.
The best stuff in the show (side from episode 3) was lifted directly from the game. But I don't really blame the showrunners for that. The game had spectacular dramatic moments, and some things don't really need to be fixed.
Moments like Ellie and Joel in the truck, Ellie convincing Joel not to leave her with Tommy, and Joel arriving as Ellie saved herself from David were perfect moments, and I respect the showrunners for realizing that.
There was some stuff they changed that I understand, even if I didn't love it. Giving Henry and Sam more of a backstory made some sense from a working perspective since so much of the bonding with those characters in the game came through gameplay moments and not the cutscenes. It didn't work great, but I understand why they tried it.
Overall it's far and away the best adaptation of a game I've ever seen.
And episode 3 is an absolute masterpiece. My parents who have always been pretty homophobic were choking up by the end of the episode.
Didn't watch it since I already hate Joel's guts from the first game, but I can't wait for part 2 so
spoiler
we can have all that discourse all over again after the golf episode.
@return2ozma @technology Hated that show
I was expecting more zombies but I actually did really like the show.
I would have expected a man with a rainbow heart to have enjoyed the rampant homosexuality. 🌈
Ah, yeah that was a great episode.
I didn't even understand how to watch it in Germany (eventually figured it out, but the high seas were easier to sail).
I did buy the UHD Blu-ray set of this season though, because I enjoyed it quite a bit.
this post was submitted on 28 Dec 2023
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