User reviews

I started this show because of the interesting premise (and partly because of Damon Lindelof). I love to watch movies and series with complicated storylines. The plot synopsis made me think it's a similar kind of show. A story about the sudden departure of 2% of the world's population; a mystery drama. But I soon realized that it's not about The Departed, it's about The Leftovers, as the name suggests. It isn't about getting answers to the "why"s or "how"s, it's about the lives of the people who have to survive without knowing what happened to the people they love, losing their loved ones, but not getting any closure.

And I'm so glad that this is what the show is about. I have never been so emotionally invested in a show and it's characters like this, ever before. It's the compelling storytelling, and the great acting, that makes it so good. Yes, we do not get satisfactory answers to all the questions raised, a lot of things don't seem logical; but it's not the kind of show to logically nitpicked. It's a show whose magic needs to be experienced to be fully appreciated.

This show has made me immensely sad. But I've never felt so happy to experience grief. This show is a genuine masterpiece. Not perfect, but it's the imperfection that makes it one of the best things ever put in television.

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.

The Leftovers is not only one of the most underrated TV shows of all-time but it's one of the best tv shows of all-time! It takes place three years after the disappearance of 2% of the world population and follows the lives of people in a small town near New York and how they cope with fall out of the event and try to figure out what happen to their loved ones. I have to admit that it's not for everyone, if your looking for a fast pace show with a lot of action the this isn't for you. This is one of the best written & acted shows of all-time. All you have to do is read through the reviews to see how loved this show really is. If you haven't seen this amazing show yet then do yourself a favor and go watch this as soon as possible!

I watched the first two seasons and liked it, but I didn't really get it. I was intrigued, but very confused. And then my 35 year old husband dropped dead suddenly when I was pregnant with our 2nd daughter. I saw the 3rd season after that massive loss and suddenly it all made so much sense.

Profound grief is what you need to understand and appreciate this show. Those of us on this side will get it, but if you don't know what we do, if you've never lost someone suddenly long before you expect them to go, it probably won't make much sense to you.

I rarely watch a show again, but now I plan to watch it all again.

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

The Leftovers has gotten so many one star and nine or ten star votes, but it really isn't such a great flop nor a great success either. It is mediocre, but still interesting and entertaining enough to watch, if you are into this sort of thing, and have some spare time. That said, it's not a great loss if you don't watch it either. We've seen all this before. Just like Lost, this series leaves the viewer unsatisfied, as her questions are answered only with more questions. After introducing an absurd sci-fi mystery, it turns out to be more of a bland psychological drama instead, and the pace is quite slow, yet without the tension needed to fully maintain interest.

I wonder why people write reviews after seeing just the first episode? I sat through both the first and the second season before reading any reviews here, and I must say that most reviews based on only one or two episodes are utterly useless for people who are trying to decide if they should start watching the show or not.

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.

If you're ok with not ever knowing:

• what motives drives the character's actions.
• why their sudden change of minds and even radical change of personalities sometimes between seasons or before/after the departure.
• anything at all about "the departure".
• what does anybody want to achieve.
• anything about the crazy people (and boy there are lots of different crazy people!).
• how everything or anything makes sense or connects with the main story.

...then you'd enjoy this technically well done show. Maybe the good acting will make you oversee the plot holes and the nonsense. Maybe the pretty cinematography will make you swallow gladly the whole 25 hours of mostly empty content leading nowhere.

But if you started this, got hooked and stayed waiting for answers, just ditch it away because it's not really worth it.

I am so disappointed to see the negative reviews on here. Damn it! I hope HBO isn't reading them, because I'm already hoping for season 2.

I have watched 5 episodes so far, and I am captivated by it all. The writing, the acting, the lack of easy answers.

The writers are screwing with our heads, making us squirm at every turn. Pushing us way past our comfort level. We have two choices when that happens, we can turn away or look. It is horribly confronting and painful to watch at times.

It is the saddest town in The world. No one catches a break in Mapleton. Nothing is working right. The question most of them do not want to ask is "Why". There are no heroes here. Or rather , there are no heroes that aren't complete villains as well. There is no black and white. Endless shades of grey and no easy answers. it's messy and complex and just like real life.

And just when I think I can't watch another second, it is so sad and painful, the writers give us a moment so beautiful and loving, so full of grace, I think I will cry.

The show isn't about where they went. The show is about our breaking point. We all have one, and this show makes us squirm and takes our breath away and confronts us with magic and nihilism and ask ourselves "what is MY breaking point"?

It's perfectly done.

Love everything about The Leftovers the writing, soundtrack, acting, and the goosebumps vibe I get from it is sensational! Justin Theroux and Ann Dowd are riveting throughout, it's mind boggling Emmys weren't received more. The Leftovers will always remain in my top favorite shows and the creators really did something special. I really like the guilty remnants, everything with the Garvey family, and anyone else the story plays out so well!

The show's writers set out to do the audience what they did with the characters--to cause confusion and pile on questions.

This show demands you pay attention to the details and to try and sort out the irrelevant; to try and pick up clues that you think may lead to answers as to why 2% of the earth's population has disappeared.

Is the sheriff insane? Has the rest of the world gone mad? Is this divine intervention or something alien at work?

Do you want all the answers handed to you per episode? Go watch 24 or NCIS. If you want to think about what happened in The Leftovers and accept that the clues will come trickling in over time and then please watch this show. The former writer of Lost Damon Lindelof is not going to do his audience any favors except when the payoff comes.

If you enjoyed the mysteriousness of Lost (and who didn't) you will really enjoy The Leftovers. You can immediately recognize Damon Laurence Lindelof's work by viewing the 1st couple of episodes. What this series does so well is to create a different and very strange world that captures you from the start. The connection it creates with the viewer gives a sense of 'What if I was left' and leaves some questions as to how you would react or feel given the strange yet possible situation. I really enjoy the fact that the series takes it's time to reveal certain secrets or elements, which gives it so much more depth and keeps you wanting more. On the one side I'm so excited to see what happens next, but on the other side I don't want the series to reveal too much information early on, so don't mind being kept somewhat in the dark. The acting is suburb and Justin Theroux really does a superb job as lead actor. I definitely give it a 10 star for keeping me at the edge of my seat.

The greatest drama series of all time, and I doubt anything I'm going to see down the line for the rest of my life will ever unseat "The Leftovers."

You go into this show, having read the brief description, thinking it's going to be just another, run-of-the-mill Twilight Zone-ish fantasy/sci-fi thing of which countless many have been churned out before. Then the actual story dawns on you like the apocalyptic thunderbolt it promises to deliver.

2% of the population anywhere on earth have vanished into thin air, and the remaining 98% are left behind to pick up the pieces. It doesn't sound like such a big deal, but the Sudden Departure touches everyone, even those who haven't lost anyone.

Cults, messianic figure leaders, delusional patients, inexplicable event after inexplicable event, absurd concepts - the absurdity sometimes reminds you of a Stephen King story, but here it's actually fun to watch.

The apocalypse. It's riveting.

It's a story about mental illness and suicide. Loss and grief. Pain and suffering. But above all, it's a story of love. Love, compassion, friendship and brotherhood - and faith.

Deeply felt, raw, unsullied faith.

It goes without saying that Justin Theroux (Chief Kevin Garvey) and Carrie Coon (Nora Durst) provided us with an absolutely divine performance, and a romance that was as complicated as it was seismically intense, that will be seared on everyone's mind for eternity. Just watching Justin cry those handsome eyes of his out, his sweet voice breaking with every tear - it's beyond words. I couldn't give him justice.

But my favorite episode was season 2, episode 5. Reverend Matt Jamison, magnificently played by Christopher Eccleston, leaves no stone unturned to protect his paralyzed, locked-in wife Mary, and the lengths he went to, that was just something else. I've never seen a performance so solid, so profoundly heartrending, of a love that is so strong, of a selfless heart that knows no bounds when it comes to sacrifice.

At the end of the day, closure is a luxury we can't afford, not even at the end of the world.

There were about 3 or 4 episodes that were incredibly well done in this series, and a few very powerful scenes.

Unfortunately, those are overshadowed by very lazy writing as a whole. The show basically gets worse as each of the 3 seasons progresses, with the final episode being by far one of the most disappointing I have ever seen in a series.

Next to none of the loose ends are ever even remotely tied up in this series. So many cool concepts and mysteries get introduced but literally get forgotten by the writers. They focus on the wrong characters and end up wasting a lot of time going in circles instead of progressing the story forward.

Overall, I'd say don't waste your time on this one, you'll end up frustrated and disappointed. I have to give credit where credit is due though there are definitely some very well done scenes and a handful of very well done episodes.

The acting is phenomenal, the directing too, the soundtrack maybe the best of all, at times veiled and interesting, but the series is just pointless, almost everyone wants to die, everyone is confused, lost, scared, it's overdone with drama and hallucinations, sometimes you don't even know exactly what's going on , in the end you don't even care anymore.

Just binged all 28 episodes and couldn't tell you what I just watched. This show gives little answers and frustrates the viewer to no end. The rave reviews here are amazing. Clearly, I'm not smart enough to understand that nothing is going on about nothing even though something happened and it goes nowhere into something fast, but slow.

People just want straight answers. They want everything to be explained to them. They want the mystery to have some sense of purpose and meaning.

I am - conveniently - talking about both the protagonists of the story AND the viewers of the Leftovers.

This is by far THE most profound, perplexed, underrated drama I have seen in the last decade.

It was ignored by the average audience and many people hated it because it didn't abide by the rules of the mainstream storytelling.

But for me, I was drawn into that world because it was the first show to reflect with so surgically the human need for answers.

Pure masterpiece.

Hands. Down. The. Best. TV. Series. Ever.

Nothing comes close to a TV series which had the balls to take on such a universal subject and to then go on and do it justice. The acting, the writing. The music. All nothing short of brilliant.