The Leftovers 

Three years after the disappearance of two percent of the global population, a group of people in a small New York community try to continue their lives while coping with the tragedy of the unexplained nature of the event.

Creators:

Damon Lindelof, Tom Perrotta

Stars:

Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 10 wins & 64 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Justin Theroux	...	Kevin Garvey 28 episodes, 2014-2017
Amy Brenneman	...	Laurie Garvey 28 episodes, 2014-2017
Christopher Eccleston	...	Matt Jamison 28 episodes, 2014-2017
Chris Zylka	...	Tom Garvey 28 episodes, 2014-2017
Carrie Coon	...	Nora Durst / ... 28 episodes, 2014-2017
Liv Tyler	...	Meg Abbott 22 episodes, 2014-2017
Margaret Qualley	...	Jill Garvey 22 episodes, 2014-2017
Ann Dowd	...	Patti Levin 21 episodes, 2014-2017
Kevin Carroll	...	John Murphy 18 episodes, 2015-2017
Jovan Adepo	...	Michael Murphy 18 episodes, 2015-2017
Janel Moloney	...	Mary Jamison 16 episodes, 2014-2017
Michael Gaston	...	Dean 12 episodes, 2014-2017

Storyline

Three years after the disappearance of two percent of the global population, a group of people in a small New York community try to continue their lives while coping with the tragedy of the unexplained nature of the event.

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Plot Keywords:

dog | disappearance | reference to the rapture | rapture | small town | 

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Taglines:

Grace period is over.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 June 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Leftovers

Filming Locations:

Westchester County, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film 44, Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Christopher Eccleston plays a priest devoted to disproving the rapture here. In The Second Coming (2003), he plays a man claiming to be the Son of God who threatens to bring about the rapture.

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Goofs

While the series is set in Westchester County,NY, it is clear from the scenery and vegetation that it is not. This especially in long shots when the terrain is clearly that on area not in the Northeastern US.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Shows People Are Always Telling You to Watch (2018)

User Reviews

this is top British style drama straight from the USA

I am from England and I just so happen to be visiting some friends in the USA where this show has just come out and is presently on episode 4.

I have just watched all four episodes and came to IMDb to see what people have to say about it. I am really surprised that the reviews are so negative by so many people!

This show will do really well in Britain (that's England, Scotland and Wales - the UK includes Northern Ireland too) because British drama is often gritty, solemn, and very very dark. And so is this show.

No one in 'The Leftovers' is happy. Everyone is mourning the loss of their loved ones in the aftermath of a a global event in which 2% of the world's population inexplicably disappeared. They are also dealing with the pain caused by the subsequent suffering of people around them, and its consequences.

This show has top notch acting by all concerned and is driven by the development of the characters, and the unfolding of events that now follow the rapture.

Nothing is explained in the beginning and the viewer is supposed to attempt to piece together what is going to unfold as the season goes on and the events slowly start to make sense to us.

It seems to me that here in the US, many people do not like thinking when watching the television. That might sound harsh, but it is truly beyond me how a show like this can get so many poor reviews when a show like 'Teen Wolf' (which I also saw for the first time a few days ago) is praised to the hilt.

The episode of 'Teen Wolf' I watched cut between 4 separate scenes like a Latin American soap opera that consisted of a guy pointing a gun at two Mexicans who were trying to get him to say some words out loud, and a lacrosse game with an angry werewolf and some very shocking acting.

'The Leftovers', on the other hand, is fantastic captivating storytelling; rather than a show whose purpose is to dumb down a nation, it requires people to use their brains and think about the darker side of the reality we actually live in today.

As a side note, the British actor Christopher Eccleston loves this kind of material. Check out the original British version of 'Cracker' or 'The Second Coming' (in which he plays the return of the son of God) to see what I mean. British cinema is no different. Christopher Eccleston stars in both 'Shallow Grave' and 'Jude' - two excellent dark and depressing films that show the depths of human suffering that the values of society perpetuate.

In episode 3 of 'The Leftovers', his character the priest attempts to save his church with an idea that seems to come from supernatural inspiration. The underlying question in the episode is whether or not he is on a path of good or evil in the way he chooses to do so.

'The Leftovers' is intelligent and it is thought-provoking. The writing is excellent, and the quality of this show, to my mind, is indisputable.

Nevertheless, I don't think that the content of this show is for everyone. Episode 3 in particular was so sinister that it was tough viewing. And not everyone wants to deliberately delve into a world of misery once a week. Just don't watch something like 'Teen Wolf' instead!