The Leftovers is your next binge-watch after Lost

So you’ve finished your big Lost binge-watch, and you’re still feeling the itch to stay in creator Damon Lindelof’s strange, mystical science-fiction universe. Look no further than his big TV follow-up, The Leftovers, which premiered in 2014 and ran for three seasons. Based on the novel by Tom Perrotta, who co-created the show, the HBO series tells the story of a mysterious event called the “Sudden Departure,” in which 2% of the world’s population suddenly disappeared off the face of the planet without a trace. The Leftovers follows police chief Kevin Garvey, played by Justin Theroux, as he struggles to hold his family and his town of Mapleton, New York together in the aftermath.

Set three years after the Sudden Departure, the world is the same in a lot of ways, but also very different. There has been a sharp rise in spirituality and religious belief, including the development of cults like the Guilty Remnant, which Kevin’s wife Laurie, played by Amy Brenneman, has left her family to join. Chris Zylka and a young Margaret Qualley play the Garvey’s kids Tommy and Jill. The cast also includes Liv Tyler, who joins the Guilty Remnant, but takes a more radical approach to their nihilistic philosophy. Carrie Coon plays Nora Durst, whose husband and two kids were all lost in the Sudden Departure. Her brother, Matt, played by former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston is a troubled reverend in the town.

The show may be over, but like Lost, it retains a cult-like following among viewers, who have praised its impactful storytelling and unique mystery. If you haven’t checked into this series yet, here’s why now is the perfect time to check out The Leftovers:

A focus on story, not a puzzle box

Let the mystery be

When Lost was on the air, a lot of the obsession over the show was about learning the answers and explanations for the show’s many mysteries. While most mysteries did ultimately get explained, some people were disappointed by those answers, or were upset by the plot points that were left ambiguous. With The Leftovers, co-creator Damon Lindelof didn’t want to fall into the same trap, instead deliberately leaving the central questions about the Sudden Departure unanswered.

The idea of having a fantasy sci-fi show like The Leftovers keeping its main premise a mystery might put off some viewers, but the reward for going on the journey is the show’s deep exploration of its characters and their own unending search for meaning in the universe. The characters experience real heartbreak, tragedy and more, but many also find peace and understanding in the world around them and their relationships with other people. In a clever bit of instruction to the show’s audience, the second season replaced the first’s heavy, religious-inspired opening theme music with a song by country artist Iris DeMent appropriately titled “Let The Mystery Be”.

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Trippy TV

Things do get weird

It wouldn’t be a Damon Lindelof show without going to some fun, strange places, and The Leftovers outdoes even Lost in that department. The adventurousness was there in the first season, especially with the third episode, “Two Boats and a Helicopter,” which follows Reverend Matt Jamison as he goes through a series of trials reminiscent of Job from the Bible.

A second season episode, “International Assassin,” has Kevin Garvey awaken in the realm of the undead, taking him on a very weird and trippy journey very much inspired by the work of David Lynch, including Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive. The dream-like logic of the episode, in which Kevin discovers that he’s an assassin on a mission to kill a U.S. presidential nominee, talks to his estranged father through a TV screen, and visits a magical ancient water well, is a fan-favourite.

The strangeness kicks up even more in the third season, as several of the characters encounter other dream worlds, and face a prophecy claiming the world is about to end. Fans of Lost episodes like “The Constant” are likely to find a lot to love in The Leftovers’ approach to the more mystical aspects of its story.

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A rewarding journey

There’s light at the end of the tunnel

Photo: HBO

When the first season premiered, I only managed to watch four episodes before giving up. The subject, of people adrift following the loss of so many loved ones and the world being turned upside down felt too dark and too heavy. Some of the violence was also too upsetting for me to take. Many others felt similarly at the time. As the series entered its second season, though, the critical tide started to turn, and I was convinced to give it another go. As it turns out, those first four episodes were merely the set up to a much more heartfelt and optimistic vision of life after loss.

Over the course of the series, the true themes really emerge. Sure, there is darkness and hardship in the world of the show, as there is in real life, but just like in life, there is a lot of hope to be found. Characters reach moments of catharsis and epiphany, they form deep bonds with each other built on the struggles they face together. There is love to be found in the world of The Leftovers, and you’re likely to need a box of tissues next to you as you tear up through many of the show’s most tender moments. Like life, The Leftovers is a sometimes difficult, but ultimately rewarding journey.

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