The Leftovers - Svaniti nel nulla

The Leftovers is one of my favorite shows of all-time. Everything about this show is great but the writing and acting is what really makes this show so special. All you have to do is read through the reviews to see how loved this show really is. Every review has one thing in common and that's they almost all mention how underrated this show is. It doesn't get mentioned when people name the best show ever but it absolutely belongs among them. It may be a little slow for some people but it does pick up. This isn't a show where you can just have it on in the background while you do other things. You need to sit and pay attention and if you do that then I promise you'll enjoy it.

I still want to find TV series that will impress me more than Leftovers, but nothing is closer to this show . I envy all of you who haven't watch it yet

When Lost was on, I wanted to like it, but the contrivances used to extend the mystery and conflict well past the point of tolerance were a turn off. In The Leftovers the aspects of Lost I didn't like are put to much better use because there's never any resolution promised for the events that transpire and it's more a character study of how broken people deal with extraordinary circumstances which they have no control over. Each season feels unique in how it gives us a view into a world that is shaken to its foundation. Not every aspect of the show works for me as I was never fond of the Guilty Remnant cult or Liv Tyler's character in relation to it, but given how they're a cult and they're not the focal point I was more forgiving of this plot point than The Others in Lost. At its core The Leftovers is a show about broken people trying to fix themselves in a world that is almost as broken as they are and it exceeds what it sets out to do.

I watched the first episode of The Leftovers when the series debuted and found it intriguing but not that engaging. So I gave up on it until, many years later, I read an article about how the series turned itself into one of the best series ever in season 2. After after finding this is the general consensus, I decided to check it out.

And yes, season 2 of this show about the aftereffects of a day where 2% of the population is riveting. It's this insane, intense, mysterious thing that keeps you off-balance. It was like a whole new series (be warned, you'll need to find a guide to the characters if you start on season 2; there's a lot you'll be wondering about).

Season 3 is also good, although in a different way. The series actually gets nuttier (telegraphed by the strange collection of opening-credits songs). It's a weird shift, since season 2 was pretty emotionally intense throughout, but it generally works.

Much of the power of the series is that it never lets you be sure of anything. There was one supernatural event years before that freaked people out, but the supernatural events in the series itself can be seen as fakes or hallucinations. Much of the series concerns what we believe and how we choose to believe.

There are some things I am not completely sold on. 2% of the population would mean a lot of people wouldn't have been directly effected, and people really do adapt pretty quickly to horrific disasters, but in the series everyone is traumatized for years and everyone's lives is centered around this single event. I don't find this entirely realistic. The third season centers on the belief that something big is coming that seems pretty random. And the ending ... well, it's consistent with the series, but it ultimately feels a little unsatisfying.

But overall well worth watching.

It could be difficult to pinpoint what the show is about; among other things, it is about struggling with grief, faith, and mental disorders.

Don't expect this show to be like Lost. That said, there are some similarities.

The Leftovers is a psychological drama at its finest. It is like reading an exquisite book; the characters are extremely fleshed out, the plot defies expectations. And it only gets better with each season.

Damon Lindelof, the writer for both The Leftovers and Lost, is a genius. He is the best at creating character driven stories. So, if you liked Lost mainly for its characters' stories and not for the convoluted, sci-fi mystery, then you might like The Leftovers as well.