The Last of Us finally arrived on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday night, and the buzz that has been building around the video game adaptation reached its peak with a debut that continued to earn universal praise from critics and audiences alike. Having already secured good ratings from critics, by the time of the premiere episode, only 2 out of the 91 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes gave the series a “rotten” rating, denying the series the perfect score it is so close but so far from claiming.

While there were around 200 audience reviews posted on the review website hours before the actual premiere for the series, some generically positive and others being negative “to balance fake reviews”, there have been over 1400 reviews posted since the show’s launch that have boosted the questionable 86% rating to 96%. With this number all but certain to continue to rise as more reviews come in, there is no way to deny that a TV phenomenon is underway.

There are usually mixed feelings about any adaptation of a much loved video game series, just as the fans 90% of every game-to-screen adaptation ever made, but somehow The Last of Us has taken what is regarded as one of the greatest video games of all time and seemingly turned it into one the greatest TV series of all time. Considering some of the backlash that the original casting of the show received, the across-the-board love of the show is a masterful show of what being loyal to a popular franchise can do.

Related: The Last of Us: Craig Mazin Praises the Chemistry Between Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey

Bella Ramsey Doubted She Could Play Ellie in The Last of Us Due to Fan Backlash

Bella Ramsey The Last of Us
HBO Max

Bella Ramsey is no stranger to brutal TV shows, having appeared at the age of 11 in Game of Thrones. However, her casting as Ellie in The Last of Us brought with it a backlash from fans that had the young actress believing that she may not be good enough to carry the role. In a recent interview with New York Times, the now 19 year old explained:

“It’s the first time I’ve ever had a negative reaction to something. There would be times I’d find it funny. Then I’d get to the end of a 10-minute scrolling session, put my phone down and realize: Maybe that was a bad idea. It’s only recently that I’ve accepted I am Ellie, and I can do it, and I am a good actor, but this will last for a few weeks and then I’ll think I’m terrible again. That’s just the process.”

Among many other things, the reaction to The Last of Us’ first episode should have finally dispelled Ramsey’s doubts over her performance in the series, and this time next year could find herself on the receiving end of an award or two to boot.

The Last of Us premieres new episodes on HBO and HBO Max every Sunday.