The Leftovers (TV series)

The Leftovers
Intertitle for seasons 2–3
Genre
Created by
Based onThe Leftovers
by Tom Perrotta
ShowrunnerDamon Lindelof
Starring
Opening theme
ComposerMax Richter
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes28 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Nan Bernstein Freed
  • Patrick Markey
  • Alma Kuttruff
  • Amanda Crittenden
Production locations
Cinematography
  • Michael Slovis (pilot)
  • Todd McMullen
  • Michael Grady
  • John Grillo
  • Robert Humphreys
Editors
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time51–72 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkHBO
ReleaseJune 29, 2014 (2014-06-29) –
June 4, 2017 (2017-06-04)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The Leftovers is an American supernatural drama television series created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta that aired on HBO from June 29, 2014, to June 4, 2017.[1] Based on Perrotta's 2011 novel,[2] the series begins three years after the "Sudden Departure", a global event that resulted in 2% of the world's population disappearing. The lives of police chief Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) and his family, along with grieving widow Nora Durst (Carrie Coon) and her brother, Reverend Matt Jamison (Christopher Eccleston), are the focal points of the series as they struggle to adjust to life after the Departure.

The pilot was written by Lindelof and Perrotta and directed by Peter Berg.[3] The series stars an ensemble cast led by Theroux and features Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Liv Tyler, Chris Zylka, Margaret Qualley, Carrie Coon, Ann Dowd, Regina King, Jovan Adepo, Kevin Carroll, Janel Moloney, and Scott Glenn. The series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on October 4, 2015, and concluded December 6, 2015.[4][5] On December 10, 2015, at Lindelof's request to be able to conclude the series, HBO renewed it for a third and final season,[6] which premiered on April 16, 2017, and concluded on June 4, 2017.[7] Over the course of the series, 28 episodes aired over three seasons.

The first season received mostly positive reviews, though some criticized the series for its grim tone.[8] The series underwent a critical reevaluation during its acclaimed second and third seasons,[9][10] with many critics referring to The Leftovers as one of the greatest television series of all time,[11][12][13][14][15] with particular praise for its writing, directing, acting (particularly Theroux's and Coon's) and thematic depth.[8][9][10] The musical score composed by Max Richter also attracted critical praise.[16] Despite receiving average Nielsen ratings throughout its run, the series has developed a cult following.[17][18] The series has been compared favorably to Lost, a previous series co-created by Lindelof.[19][20][21][22]

  1. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (April 25, 2014). "'The Leftovers' Premiere Date Shifted to June 29". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  2. ^ Adalian, Josef (June 28, 2012). "Damon Lindelof Talks to Vulture About His New HBO Project: Tom Perrotta's The Leftovers". Vulture. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  3. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (April 12, 2013). "Peter Berg to Direct, Produce Damon Lindelof's HBO Pilot 'The Leftovers'". The Hollywood Reporter. Eldridge Industries, LLC. Archived from the original on June 21, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  4. ^ Snierson, Dan (August 13, 2014). "HBO renews 'The Leftovers'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  5. ^ Fowler, Matt (July 30, 2015). "The Leftovers: Season 2 Premiere Date and Story Details". IGN. Archived from the original on August 1, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  6. ^ Ausiello, Michael (December 10, 2015). "The Leftovers Renewed for Third and 'Wildly Ambiguous' Final Season". TVLine. Archived from the original on December 11, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  7. ^ Ausiello, Michael (January 24, 2017). "The Leftovers' Final Season Gets Premiere Date, Teaser Trailer". TVLine. Archived from the original on January 25, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference S1RT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference S2RT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference S3RT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Collins, Sean (June 5, 2017). "Goodbye, 'The Leftovers': How HBO's Show Went From Good to Canon-Worthy Great". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 13, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  12. ^ Nevins, Jake (June 6, 2017). "How The Leftovers became the most ambitious show of the decade". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  13. ^ St. James, Emily (June 5, 2017). "The Leftovers is one of the best TV shows ever made". Vox. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  14. ^ Naahar, Rohan (June 11, 2017). "The Leftovers review: An obituary of one of the greatest shows in the history of TV". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  15. ^ Osterndorf, Chris (June 5, 2017). "'The Leftovers' wasn't just the best show on TV—it was the most important". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  16. ^ McGuire, Liam (April 19, 2017). "Max Richter's 'The Departure' is The Leftovers' most versatile punch". The Comeback. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  17. ^ Hogan, Mike (September 7, 2014). "The Leftovers: Why It's Cool to Love HBO's Uncool Show". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on July 18, 2017. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  18. ^ Andrew, Jamie (February 16, 2017). "Why The Leftovers Is A Cult Hit". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  19. ^ Plante, Chris (June 5, 2017). "You hated Lost's ending? It's time to watch The Leftovers". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  20. ^ Romain, Lindsey (June 4, 2017). "How The Leftovers' Series Finale Compares to Lost". Vulture. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  21. ^ Joest, Mick (2017). "The Leftovers' Finale Was The Exact Opposite Of Lost's Finale, And It Was Glorious". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  22. ^ Cosores, Philip (April 15, 2017). "THBO's The Leftovers Attempts to Learn from the Failures of Lost". Consequences of Sound. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2019.