Watch The Leftovers
- TV-MA
- 2014
- 3 Seasons
-
8.3 (117,297)
The Leftovers is a drama television series that aired on HBO from 2014 to 2017. Created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, the show explores the aftermath of a global event known as the Sudden Departure, in which 2% of the world's population vanished without any explanation.
The show primarily focuses on the lives of the Garvey family, who reside in the fictional town of Mapleton, New York. Justin Theroux stars as Kevin Garvey, the town's police chief, who struggles with reconciling his responsibilities to his family and his job with his own growing instability in the face of the Sudden Departure. Amy Brenneman plays Laurie, his estranged wife, who joins a mysterious cult called the Guilty Remnant in response to the tragedy. Christopher Eccleston is Matt, Kevin's former best friend and a local priest, who becomes consumed with proving his faith in the face of the inexplicable loss of his congregation.
Liv Tyler portrays Meg Abbott, a new convert to the Guilty Remnant who finds herself increasingly disillusioned with the group's practices. Chris Zylka plays Tommy, Laurie and Kevin's son, who abandons his college studies to join the ranks of Wayne (Paterson Joseph), a charismatic cult leader whose powers may or may not be supernatural. Margaret Qualley is Jill, Kevin and Laurie's teenage daughter, whose own disillusionment with the world after the Sudden Departure leads her down a dangerous path of self-destruction.
Carrie Coon joins the cast in the second season as Nora Durst, a woman left devastated by the loss of her family in the Sudden Departure. Emily Meade plays Aimee, Jill's troubled best friend who turns to drugs and alcohol as a means of coping. Ann Dowd is Patti Levin, the leader of the Guilty Remnant in Mapleton who becomes a formidable adversary for Kevin as the show progresses. Michael Gaston plays Dean, a mysterious figure who becomes something of a mentor to Kevin as he tries to navigate the swirling chaos of his life.
Max Carver and Charlie Carver play Adam and Scott Frost, twin brothers whose own experiences with loss after the Sudden Departure lead them on a quest to connect with their departed loved ones. Janel Moloney is Mary Jamison, a woman who awakens from a coma to find that her husband Matt has not only been taking care of her but preaching to her comatose body. Regina King joins the cast in the third and final season as Erika, a physician who finds herself confronting her own inner demons as she tries to help her husband John (Kevin T. Carroll) come to grips with the fallout from the Sudden Departure.
The Leftovers is a show that defies easy categorization, with elements of drama, horror, and even comedy blending together in unexpected ways. The show's central theme is one of loss and grief, and how people cope with unimaginable tragedy in their own unique ways. The show's exploration of faith, particularly in the second season, is particularly poignant and thought-provoking.
While the show's slow pace and often opaque storytelling style may turn off some viewers, those who stick with the show will find it to be a deeply rewarding experience. The Leftovers is a haunting and deeply emotional meditation on the nature of human suffering and the ways in which people try to heal from the wounds it inflicts.
The Leftovers is a series that is currently running and has 3 seasons (28 episodes). The series first aired on June 29, 2014.