If you’ve been scrolling through TikTok or reading the news last week, you’ve probably heard that the Rapture — the theory that God will take worthy souls to Heaven — is supposed to happen today. This is more than likely a hoax, but there actually is a television series that questions, “What would happen if most of the world’s population disappeared?”
Enter The Leftovers. Based on Tom Perrotta‘s novel of the same name, The Leftovers begins with a shocking event: 140 million people suddenly vanish in an event called the “Global Departure”. The survivors have to deal with a radically changed world, resulting in a series that’s both a well-crafted science fiction story and one of the best series in HBO history.
The Greatest Strength of ‘The Leftovers’ Is Its Characters
The effects of the Departure reverberate throughout The Leftovers, and showcase how people deal, or don’t deal, with such a cataclysmic event. A cult named the “Guilty Remnant” forms, convinced that the Departure is proof that nothing matters in life, while another cult is formed by a madman named Holy Wayne (Paterson Joseph). The Leftovers focuses on a select group of people, including Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux), a policeman who struggles to keep his life together after his wife joins the Guilty Remnant; Nora Durst (Carrie Coon), who lost her husband and children in the Departure; and priest Matt Jamison (Christopher Eccleston). What makes The Leftovers so compelling is how it focuses on each character’s unique struggle, whether it’s Nora and Kevin starting entirely new lives or Jamison holding onto his faith despite the rise of multiple cults.
That intrigue is also in the writing work of Damon Lindelof, who served as the series’ showrunner. Lindelof was a major fan of Perrotta’s original novel and also worked closely with Perrotta on the series. The result is a hauntingly good run of television; while comparisons were made to Lindelof’s other TV mega-hit Lost, The Leftovers is a far better viewing experience due to the fact that it lets its characters, and not its mysteries, be the major draw of the series.
Lindelof would even craft original material for the show, as Season 1 covers the entirety of the book’s events, yet he still managed to give his characters new challenges. Season 2 is a great example of this, as it not only moves to a new location in Texas but further shakes up the series by introducing a town of people who weren’t part of the Departure.
‘The Leftovers’ Grew Into One of HBO’s Most Acclaimed Shows
While The Leftovers is often regarded as one of HBO’s best shows, it took time to grow with viewers. Season 1 received criticism for its dour tone, which feels puzzling to this day. This is a series about the end of the world and people losing their loved ones, so a dour approach isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, following the premiere of Season 2, The Leftovers received a critical reappraisal.
One critic would even compare it to other breakout shows like Mad Menand The Wire, and it’s a comparison that’s well deserved. The Leftovers was never aiming to be a run-of-the-mill post-apocalyptic series, but rather a character study on how tragedy, no matter the size or form, affects humanity. The Rapture might not happen, but with The Leftovers, there’s a glimpse into what it could look like.
The Leftovers is streaming on HBO.
- Release Date
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2014 – 2017-00-00
- Showrunner
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Damon Lindelof
- Writers
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Damon Lindelof, Tom Perrotta
