Can a show about what happens when 140 million people vanish overnight be uplifting? It can when it’s The Leftovers, a show I had been avoiding until recently, and now it’s one of my favorites.
Why I Skipped The Leftovers
When I’m looking for a new series to start, I always consider the yuck factor. What’s the yuck factor, you ask? It’s when I look at a promo for a new TV show and am immediately turned off by either the premise or, in some cases, who stars in it. Picking and choosing which new series to watch based on this unscientific finger-in-the-wind strategy usually works for me, until it doesn’t, of course.
In the case of The Leftovers, which aired on HBO over four seasons from 2014 to 2017, I was proven wrong. It took me nearly ten years to figure this out, but I eventually discovered the answer nonetheless.
The Leftovers revolves around a global event called the “Sudden Departure,” which occurred three years before the series’ events. This event saw 2% of the world’s population vanish into thin air. The story shows how those who remain are trying to pick up the pieces and get on with their lives.
A premise like the one presented here would typically be more than enough to pique my interest in a new show. Some of my favorite shows, both before and after The Leftovers originally aired, also featured unexplained disappearances or mysterious global events. These include shows like Lost, The OA, Yellowjackets, and even Severance.
So, what turned me off? One of the first trailers for the series featured a woman smiling at her baby in the car, only to have the infant vanish moments later, which freaked me out as a dad of a then-six-year-old. It also didn’t help that the same trailer continued and simply showed these poor people missing their loved ones. It was all too depressing.
The actors portraying these poor souls also didn’t do much for me. At the time, I only knew series star Justin Theroux as Jennifer Aniston’s then-husband. And, although I knew and liked Liv Tyler because of her time in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, it wasn’t enough for me to watch. This was years before Ann Dowd played the complex and often contradictory character of Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid’s Tale, a show I liked from day one.
Finally, early reviews for The Leftovers were mixed, which gave me another reason to bypass it.
Finally Taking the Plunge
Honestly, I can’t remember with certainty what led me to give The Leftovers a try. It was likely a combination of reasons. I do know it happened after The Handmaid’s Tale began, and Dowd was being universally praised for her portrayal of Aunt Lydia, for which she soon won an Emmy.
This was also about the time I started watching and mostly liking The Mosquito Coast, which starred Theroux. Perhaps more importantly, I heard from more than a few friends that The Leftovers, despite its many doom-laden elements, was a very uplifting series to watch.
After watching the first episode of The Leftovers, the initial yuck reaction I had from the trailer resurfaced. I kept going, however, and after a few more episodes, I finally got hooked.
Why The Leftovers Was Worth the Wait
Ultimately, the stories presented in The Leftovers moved beyond grief and loss. Yes, throughout the show’s four years, those two themes continued to play a central role in the storytelling. However, although they weren’t always necessarily positive, other themes emerged, and these were uplifting and layered, prompting you to think.
It also didn’t hurt that the characters in The Leftovers were each complex and flawed, as we all are in real life. In particular, I was quickly drawn to Coon’s Nora Durst character, who, when the series began, had lost everyone in her family. Ultimately, she found what can be best described as closure, albeit not happiness, and that journey was a powerful one.
Theroux’s Kevin Garvey was never one that I enjoyed. However, I did learn to appreciate what he was going through, even though many of his choices weren’t what I’d call sound.
The Leftovers also did a masterful job of presenting each character’s story, both as it developed and how their past influenced it. The series features numerous flashbacks, making it easier to relate to characters who are initially viewed in a decidedly negative light. In turn, you can’t help but wonder what you would do in similar situations.
One of the ways those behind The Leftovers were able to present captivating stories was by often focusing episodes on a single character. Much like Lost did years before, this technique gives the writers of the episode more time to flesh out a character.
In turn, we gain a better understanding of what drives them and why their flaws are as they are. These episodes don’t necessarily make you like the character more, which is also a slick storytelling device that I liked.
The Leftovers, like other HBO series, aired weekly. As such, I can see how these character-driven episodes might have caused some frustration, as they, in some instances, abruptly paused a storyline from the previous episode. Severance fans in 2025 are familiar with this feeling of annoyance as stories are paused.
However, because I binged The Leftovers, I didn’t have to wait, which probably allowed me to appreciate the series more than I would have had I watched the series as it originally aired.
Beyond the strong development of the characters, the stories in The Leftovers are elevated by the use of symbolism and metaphor. The continued use of water and the sighting of an occasional dove take the story to new levels that, as a viewer, one can appreciate.
And finally, the storytelling in The Leftovers is elevated by the ambiguity it leaves in place. Though many unanswered questions are resolved by the end of the series, many are not, including the biggest question of all: why did the 2% vanish? One of the show’s creators, Damon Lindelof, was also behind Lost, so the many non-resolutions shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
Ambiguity at the end doesn’t always work for TV series because many of us naturally seek closure. However, this isn’t The Sopranos, where a fade to black forever taints an otherwise brilliant piece of television entertainment. The unanswered questions The Leftovers leaves don’t take away from the series. Instead, I’d suggest not knowing all the answers makes you, as the viewer, question things in the real world, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Another reason The Leftovers is successful as a whole is the atmosphere it presents. Each episode combines elements of surrealism and melancholy, creating a sense of unease and tension, along with moments of levity and much more.
The Regret and the Recommendation
In many respects, I regret not watching The Leftovers when it aired. Through research, I have come to understand that, despite having a small audience throughout all four of its seasons, the show had a loyal and dedicated following that enjoyed discussing each episode online, as The Fandomentals noted at the time.
And there’s an element of excitement for any show that makes you wait at least a week between episodes. Binging, which Netflix began unleashing on us nearly two decades ago, has its appeal, but there’s nothing like the building excitement of waiting for a new episode of a favorite series to drop.
And yet, there are also ways I benefited from waiting to watch The Leftovers. There’s that binging aspect, of course. There’s also knowing when the story will end. I also appreciate many of the actors in the show much more than I probably would have years ago because I know more about them now.
Finally, the internet is a more diverse place today than it was a decade ago. As new people discover The Leftovers, more YouTube videos about it emerge, which leads to more questions, keeping the show fresh even though it ended eight years ago.
I strongly recommend The Leftovers for anyone looking to begin a TV series that will make you think. Expect the occasional tear, however, especially if you’re a parent, and understand that some episodes are much better than others. Otherwise, enjoy; you can thank me later.
All 28 episodes of The Leftovers are available to stream on HBO Max with a subscription. It’s also a great reason to subscribe to HBO Max if you’ve never done so before!
