# The Leftovers (2014)

> After two percent of the world's population vanishes without explanation, a small town police chief and his family struggle to live with unanswered loss.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/48733

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 28
- Episode runtime: 56 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, science fiction, mystery
- Created by: Damon Lindelof, Tom Perrotta
- Network: HBO
- Cast: Justin Theroux, Carrie Coon, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Margaret Qualley, Liv Tyler, Kevin Carroll, Ann Dowd
- TMDB rating: 8.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2699128/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: melancholic, uncanny, bleak, contemplative, darkly funny

## What critics say

Acclaimed as a deeply affecting, formally ambitious drama about grief and faith that grew stronger across its seasons, especially in its second year.

## Synopsis

The Leftovers (2014-2017) is an HBO drama series created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, adapted from Perrotta's novel and set in the fictional town of Mapleton, New York. When two percent of the world's population abruptly vanishes, the town's police chief Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) tries to keep his family and community together while his wife Laurie (Amy Brenneman) joins a white-clad group devoted to the disappearance and his son Tom and daughter Jill (Margaret Qualley) drift through the aftermath. Carrie Coon plays Nora Durst, a woman who lost her husband and children in the event, and Christopher Eccleston plays a rival who becomes the town's uneasy spiritual figure. The engine of the series is the daily effort to keep living when no explanation arrives, with each episode built from small domestic confrontations, religious rumors, cult rituals and quiet attempts at connection. Spanning three seasons and twenty-eight episodes, it is a serialized character drama rather than a case-of-the-week mystery, and its tone is melancholic, uncanny and occasionally darkly funny. Fans of Lost, Twin Peaks and Station Eleven will find resonance in its blend of mystery, grief and small town dread.

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