The Leftovers

:

Season 1
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Jun 29, 2014
Season #: 3, 2, 1
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 706 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 546 out of 706
  2. Mixed: 58 out of 706
  3. Negative: 102 out of 706
Watch Now

Where To Watch

Stream On
Buy on
Stream On

Review this tv show

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling

User Reviews

view
per page
  1. Lisa24
    Jul 8, 2014
    3
    Huge disappointment. I loved Perotta as an author. So depressing and tedious. All the characters can get "raptured" and who would care? Also, can Amy Brenneman ever play a likeable character? She is like nails on a blackboard in every scene.
  2. jlplatten
    Jul 25, 2014
    3
    That's it! After four episodes of nothing happening, I'm about to give up on this. One more episode to do something with this non-story. I'm not THAT curious about what happened to the missing people to put up this boredom. One more episode is all I'm giving it.
  3. EludiumQ36
    Jun 29, 2014
    3
    So Damon hasn't learned a thing from his controversial LOST experience. It's still going to "about the characters", not neatly tying up the major mystery, which by the way will be rife with deceptive rabbit holes and impotent subplots that just end up wasting everyone's time in the end. #foolmeonce
  4. TheWaffle
    Jul 7, 2014
    3
    Having watched episode 1, the show is bland and uninspiring. Novels have tackled loss and sudden death for centuries, it is a well tread path. And while The Leftovers seems to want to be about a society in crisis, it falls into every cliche of loss. Quite simply, this is Ordinary People on steroids.

    The show's featured gimmick is a shallow one, considering that humanity has lost far    Having watched episode 1, the show is bland and uninspiring. Novels have tackled loss and sudden death for centuries, it is a well tread path. And while The Leftovers seems to want to be about a society in crisis, it falls into every cliche of loss. Quite simply, this is Ordinary People on steroids.

    The show's featured gimmick is a shallow one, considering that humanity has lost far more people dozens of times in human history. I expected the show to tackle a society in upheaval, with roles changing, new priorities, new cultural norms...but unfortunately this society has barely changed in three years since 2% of the population disappears. Everyone is glum and depressed. Kids are experimenting with drugs and sex. But otherwise, nothing has really changed. There is no new social order, just a few more creepy cults and apparently animal control has lost all its funding.

    Despite a constant and overbearing attempt to strive for mystery and meaning, The Leftovers doesn't garner much interest or emotional investment.    … Expand
  5. ozymandias79
    Jul 23, 2014
    3
    This show isn't worth writing an extensive review. Lets just say, it's not good. The best way to describe The Leftovers is "incoherent". And what's with the quiet cult? It must have been a hard sell to the actors, mainly because its stupid and boring. I'll look into my crystal ball...this shows gets progressively worse........and has a terrible ending.
  6. JTG90046
    Jul 3, 2014
    3
    As I watched the premiere of The Leftovers, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had gone back in time to ABC's 2009/2010 season of large blockbuster flops like; Flash Forward, V and Happy Town. Shows with an interesting premise but couldn't deliver for more than a season.

    This appears to be the case with The Leftovers. I feel that the show is more about the ego of it's creator with a    As I watched the premiere of The Leftovers, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had gone back in time to ABC's 2009/2010 season of large blockbuster flops like; Flash Forward, V and Happy Town. Shows with an interesting premise but couldn't deliver for more than a season.

    This appears to be the case with The Leftovers. I feel that the show is more about the ego of it's creator with a bunch of sulking, beautiful actors. Justin Theroux's performance is so brewing that you immediately hate him. Not to mention he looks more like a cop stripper on his way to a bachelorette party, than the small town police chief.
    This show may be OK for ABC but is far beneath the caliber of HBO.    … Expand
  7. shoulderoforion
    May 2, 2017
    3
    Started watching this show when it first showed on HBO, only made it 4 episodes before I had to quit as it was so depressing it made me want to jump off a building. Saw the scores on the seasons started getting progressively higher, 70's to start, then 80's then this current season 3 98??? I never want to miss a good thing, so I just watched the remainder of season 1, and let me tell youStarted watching this show when it first showed on HBO, only made it 4 episodes before I had to quit as it was so depressing it made me want to jump off a building. Saw the scores on the seasons started getting progressively higher, 70's to start, then 80's then this current season 3 98??? I never want to miss a good thing, so I just watched the remainder of season 1, and let me tell you it was like pulling teeth. But I want to get the backstory so when I watch these NEWER BETTER? seasons, I'll know what's happening? This show is terrible bad, but it seems as if through some sort of mass psychosis people are thoroughly digging it. We'll see. On to season 2.… Expand
  8. lightningbarer
    Sep 26, 2014
    2
    I'll preface this by saying I'm an Atheist.
    With that out of the way you can guess what my opinion of this is.
    Well you're right. This is utter hogwash, Atheists the world over would dream for the Rapture to happen, so that all the insane and crazy people could disappear and we can live in a world that would quickly start forming unity. I've seen the pilot and I don't plan to see    I'll preface this by saying I'm an Atheist.
    With that out of the way you can guess what my opinion of this is.

    Well you're right. This is utter hogwash, Atheists the world over would dream for the Rapture to happen, so that all the insane and crazy people could disappear and we can live in a world that would quickly start forming unity.

    I've seen the pilot and I don't plan to see anything else on it.
    I'm done    … Expand
  9. MelkorMorgoth
    Jun 30, 2014
    2
    Damon Lindeloff, clearly hasn't learned anything from the disastrous finale of Lost nor the plot hole ridden Prometheus...upon the very first minute of watching the Leftovers the viewer is subjected to second rate actors desperately trying to evoke pathos out of second rate script that belongs no where else other than a thirty minute episode of the twilight zone. The plot according to theDamon Lindeloff, clearly hasn't learned anything from the disastrous finale of Lost nor the plot hole ridden Prometheus...upon the very first minute of watching the Leftovers the viewer is subjected to second rate actors desperately trying to evoke pathos out of second rate script that belongs no where else other than a thirty minute episode of the twilight zone. The plot according to the advertisements centers around the spontaneous disappearance of some 100 Million people which would probably make for a decent Sci-fi mystery; Damon Lindelof on the other hand, immediately retrogresses on pursuing that mystery in turn for centering around a pointlessly dreary, "character" driven show that has no stability to go beyond one season... all in all, this show isn't worth the time… Expand
  10. BogKid
    Jun 30, 2014
    2
    How original? A large cast of disparate characters all involved in some way in some major mysterious, maybe spiritual, happening and now we'll follow all of them to see how this works out. I cannot recall watching a more pointlessly depressing television show than the first episode of "The Leftovers". Is it possible that the title actually refers to some incomplete scripts left over inHow original? A large cast of disparate characters all involved in some way in some major mysterious, maybe spiritual, happening and now we'll follow all of them to see how this works out. I cannot recall watching a more pointlessly depressing television show than the first episode of "The Leftovers". Is it possible that the title actually refers to some incomplete scripts left over in Mr. Lindelof's refrigerator.

    2% of the world's population has mysteriously disappeared. If that was a spoiler, you must be living on Mars. In our little target town, three years have passed and no one seems to have been able to get beyond this event or to get on with their lives, raising their children, stop being pointlessly rude to each other, etc., etc. The entire 75 minutes of the initial episode wallowed in depression and mystery. OK -- I don't necessarily want to watch "America's Got Talent", but I sure don't need to get down and wallow in misery with this show. I have instructed my DVR, "ENOUGH"!    … Expand
  11. blade01
    Jul 20, 2014
    2
    What the heck is this?Ive tried the pilot.I wont watch more of this **** kinda dumb?Some terrible actors in this too, great.And like many other people wrote here:Where are all te funny guys?It seems only depressed and bored people walk the earth in this show.Sorry, i try 3 EPs per show and then comes my conclusion.Will i watch 3 EPs of this show??The pilot was so boring and depressing illWhat the heck is this?Ive tried the pilot.I wont watch more of this **** kinda dumb?Some terrible actors in this too, great.And like many other people wrote here:Where are all te funny guys?It seems only depressed and bored people walk the earth in this show.Sorry, i try 3 EPs per show and then comes my conclusion.Will i watch 3 EPs of this show??The pilot was so boring and depressing ill quite right after it!This suckz!… Expand
  12. eagleeyeviking
    Sep 28, 2014
    2
    The Leftovers is boring, dull and mundane. Not even the talented cast shines in this show which offers viewers nothing but the dourness. Nevertheless, great background music!
  13. mac5
    Jul 15, 2014
    2
    I really wanted like this show as it has all the elements of a great and meaningful journey. I simply do not know what is going on nor do I want to know. To grab a person and keep their interest in caring for the story to unfold you have to provide something likable about either the characters or an intrigue to the storyline. I felt it failed on both counts. Am sure there would be lots ofI really wanted like this show as it has all the elements of a great and meaningful journey. I simply do not know what is going on nor do I want to know. To grab a person and keep their interest in caring for the story to unfold you have to provide something likable about either the characters or an intrigue to the storyline. I felt it failed on both counts. Am sure there would be lots of folks that love this TV Series but it’s too frustrating for me to even care. It could have been something special but it’s overly pretentious without the credence of twin peaks style intrigue. It’s simply disjointed to the point where the viewer has to try too hard to invest in its development thus appealing to a niche market.… Expand
  14. Caliesque
    Jul 20, 2014
    2
    Pretty bad. First episode totally did not keep my interest. I'll give it 4 episodes in, because that's how long True Blood got to get me hooked. I was hoping for better.
  15. vikesh2206
    Nov 10, 2014
    2
    The Leftovers is boring, dull and mundane. Not even the talented cast shines in this show which offers viewers nothing but the dourness. Nevertheless, great background music!
  16. musser57
    Aug 14, 2014
    2
    I think I gave this series a chance, I watched the first four episodes and found it very frustrating. Episode 3 was alright but I just couldn't tolerate any longer how coy the producers were about shedding any light on what was happening. Example: the Guilty Remnant. The leftovers who didn't join the GRs must have known something about this cult yet none of that is shared with theI think I gave this series a chance, I watched the first four episodes and found it very frustrating. Episode 3 was alright but I just couldn't tolerate any longer how coy the producers were about shedding any light on what was happening. Example: the Guilty Remnant. The leftovers who didn't join the GRs must have known something about this cult yet none of that is shared with the viewer. After four hours all I knew was that the GRs don't speak, wear only white and smoke too much. The GRs also make the leftovers angry; well The Leftovers made ME angry. With each passing episode I felt increasingly like a schmuck for watching.… Expand
  17. santiagodraco
    Jul 28, 2014
    1
    "The Leftovers" is an aptly named show. Much of the show feels like just that, leftovers. The acting is on average sub par, the story as well, and neither make effective use of the underpinnings of the theme. I've watched two episodes so far hoping to see something compelling but so far I'm wishing I had watched something fresh. Pun intended.
  18. shadow47
    Jul 26, 2014
    1
    Let me preface this review by emphasizing that I have not seen a single episode of ''Lost" or any other work attributed to Mr. Lindelof, and thus hold no bias against him or his work.

    Having disclosed that fact, I must say that "The Leftovers" is absolutely dreary without any redeeming qualities. It is quite dark and brooding, but not at all engaging (for a great alternative, consider    Let me preface this review by emphasizing that I have not seen a single episode of ''Lost" or any other work attributed to Mr. Lindelof, and thus hold no bias against him or his work.

    Having disclosed that fact, I must say that "The Leftovers" is absolutely dreary without any redeeming qualities. It is quite dark and brooding, but not at all engaging (for a great alternative, consider "True Detective", which is dark and incredibly engaging). .The acting on this show is often quite lackluster, too. The actress portraying Jill Garvey, for one example,is awful...reminds me of Kristen Stewart in the "Twilight" movie series. As for the main theme, the disappearance of 2% of world's population, it has been very much sensationalized--yes, 140 million people disappeared but there are still 6.7+ billion people left...it is not the end of the world, so stop feeling sorry for yourselves! Instead of exploring the mystery of the disappearance and leading toward some meaningful answers, "The Leftovers" seems content in showing viewers random shots of how miserable all the main characters are.

    I have watched the first five episodes; I really do not know if I will tune in for episode 6. .    … Expand
  19. CygnusX1Bk2
    Jul 21, 2014
    1
    After 3 episodes of mediocre exposition I'm done with this thing. Get it off the air ASAP. Nothing happens and it seems to go nowhere. The latest episode title says it best.... Why are we still here?
  20. necrom33
    Sep 1, 2017
    1
    Utter claptrap and sentimentalism. This show could not decide what it wanted to be. Was it sci-fi? A thriller? A mystery? Who knows. Horrible writing which seemed more interested in extending the series, more than moving the story forward. Pass on this turkey.
  21. Mike_M
    Jul 4, 2014
    1
    Unbearable, hamfisted stupidity. Terrible, terrible, terrible writing.
    I'm shocked this has a green score. Don't waste an hour of your life checking out the pilot.
  22. vandana
    Jul 4, 2014
    1
    This must be the most pretentious show that I have ever seen. I did not know whether to cry or laugh when I saw the "people in white smoking cigarettes and writing notes to each other rather than talking" secretly knowing that it will not have a slightest impact on the plot and the whole mystery is just for the sake of mystery. Prepare for 1000 meaningless subplots and main plot that makesThis must be the most pretentious show that I have ever seen. I did not know whether to cry or laugh when I saw the "people in white smoking cigarettes and writing notes to each other rather than talking" secretly knowing that it will not have a slightest impact on the plot and the whole mystery is just for the sake of mystery. Prepare for 1000 meaningless subplots and main plot that makes no sense.

    Might I add that the writing is uninspiring, acting unconvincing and the whole thing dull to the point I fell asleep on two occasions before I tortured myself to watch this thing to the end?

    1 for music.

    Fool me once....    … Expand
  23. Existentialman
    Jun 30, 2014
    1
    We trusted Damon Lindelof on Lost and we all know how well that turned out. When Lost ended I wanted my 121 hours back. I won't make the same mistake twice. Once again we're being teased that everything will eventually be explained in the end. You know what? I don't care. Hopefully the all people who disappeared went off to appear in better shows than this one.
  24. Finn471
    Jun 30, 2014
    1
    This show is a leftover from the dystopian trend which is over. How grim must a show be to get good reviews? How slow must it be? This is both. People seem to have a knee jerk response that anything on premium cable is good. It isn't.
  25. ziggy3
    Jul 7, 2014
    1
    The show stinks.After 2 episodes(unlike Lost) I could care less about any of the characters in it-except for the lead cop.So there really is no point in watching it as the show seems to have been made-on purpose- to be painfully annoying.Judge for yourself but all they seem to have accomplished here- is bringing the C word to cable TV-So Thanks and Congratulations on that.
  26. Kimberle
    Jul 8, 2014
    1
    I was looking forward to this one, now that I've seen 2 episodes....no thank you. The show is slow, painful, and depressing. The characters are difficult to relate to, to the point that I really don't care what happens to them.
  27. Jbadiver
    Jul 13, 2014
    1
    This series moves at a glacial pace. This is what happens when you have a story that is 2-3 hours of material and you stretch it to 10 or more hours. I don't fault the actors here as they are doing a good job. The tone and atmosphere are fine it's just that no one wants to spend an hour a week to once again learn that no one cares what happened to their loved ones. I may tune in againThis series moves at a glacial pace. This is what happens when you have a story that is 2-3 hours of material and you stretch it to 10 or more hours. I don't fault the actors here as they are doing a good job. The tone and atmosphere are fine it's just that no one wants to spend an hour a week to once again learn that no one cares what happened to their loved ones. I may tune in again at the end of season to see if they found a direction that the story should go in.… Expand
  28. Mcm76
    Jul 15, 2014
    1
    I have watched 3 episodes and I have to say The Leftovers tv series is how I feel about my wife's leftovers in the fridge "blah". I watched Lost and it didn't end well, but at least it had a ton of redeeming qualities you fell in love with the characters and the mystery of the island. I honestly hate every character in the leftovers and wouldn't mind if they were all killed off. I willI have watched 3 episodes and I have to say The Leftovers tv series is how I feel about my wife's leftovers in the fridge "blah". I watched Lost and it didn't end well, but at least it had a ton of redeeming qualities you fell in love with the characters and the mystery of the island. I honestly hate every character in the leftovers and wouldn't mind if they were all killed off. I will give it a few more episodes just because there aren't currently a ton of TV options. Not all series can be as interesting as True Detective.… Expand
  29. Meliss
    Jul 28, 2014
    1
    Terrible. I was so excited for this show when I saw the trailer, but this show basically IS the trailer; a bunch of emotional scenes were supposed to be provoked by. I have news for you HBO, in order to feel empathy for the characters we have to first have character development, which you should know since you have created so many amazingly written series. I'm not saying I have to likeTerrible. I was so excited for this show when I saw the trailer, but this show basically IS the trailer; a bunch of emotional scenes were supposed to be provoked by. I have news for you HBO, in order to feel empathy for the characters we have to first have character development, which you should know since you have created so many amazingly written series. I'm not saying I have to like the characters, sometimes it's even better when you don't like them, because you don't have to be liked to be interesting. Apart from the priest, whose storyline does evoke emotion, pity, and the desire to want him to be happy; everyone's character has one note. Chief Garvey is completely immature and self righteous (and its almost like he is trying to be bruding at he same time which just feels weird); why does he even want his job as chief anyway? He appears to hate every minute of it, treats everyone around him terribly, litters in his own town (throwing the baby doll out the window? Is that necessary?), and shows no compassion for a town he is supposed to watch out for.
    'The Leftovers' is a victim of each role thinking their character is the deepest, most important, most damaged, etc.. I blame this on the writers, not the actors. Except Justin Theroux. I blame him. Change your facial expression for crying out loud (his daughter seems to have this same problem as well). And this show shouldn't have the excuse of saying "well this is just how people deal with tragedy".. NO! We are still human, and after 3 years you can't expect an entire town to not only have not moved on, but to all essentially feel the same thing. Everything is cynical and depressing, and I'm sorry but it does not go on in perpetuity. Haven't you heard of "time heals all wounds"?
    I've watched the first four episodes, and only when I have nothing else I want to watch and nothing better to do. I keep hoping it will get better, but it disappoints me every time. And I want to clarify that the show doesn't depress me (because that would at least be something), it feels cheap and gimmicky and I'm left feeling annoyed at myself for having wasted my time.. Kind of like how I feel after watching the Real Housewives. I get nothing from either, but at least the latter can make me laugh.
    Please HBO, give us something "six feet under"-worthy. Now THAT was an amazing show.
    No shot this show gets a second season (unless they signed on for 2? I'm not sure how that works)    … Expand
  30. DavidPalmer-dMP
    Jul 28, 2014
    1
    Hey HBO, Stop trying to force this show to be a hit! I feel like every chance you get you force this crap down our throats. The trailers peeked my curiosity enough to watch the first episodes however after forcing myself to get through the pilot episode I was very disappointed. I tuned in because of the disappearance of 2% of the worlds population, which seems to no longer be a big deal orHey HBO, Stop trying to force this show to be a hit! I feel like every chance you get you force this crap down our throats. The trailers peeked my curiosity enough to watch the first episodes however after forcing myself to get through the pilot episode I was very disappointed. I tuned in because of the disappearance of 2% of the worlds population, which seems to no longer be a big deal or concern on the show. Which leads me to believe the question of where they went and if they will come back will never be answered. So the very thing that got me to watch the show is out the window. I almost feel lied to, like I signed up for a lecture on reproduction but got a lecture on abortion instead. This is one show you should abort. Forgetting the fact that what drew people in to watch the pilot has been abandoned almost immediately, the lack of an interesting cast of characters leaves this show hollow and straight up depressing. Luckily we get a pick me up after this crap airs thanks to "Last week tonight with John Oliver" but I can no longer sit through "The leftovers" waiting to get to John's show. Someone please put this show out of its misery!… Expand
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

94
#94 Best TV Season of 2014
4
#4 Most Discussed TV Season of 2014
11
#11 Most Shared TV Season of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
65

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 42
  3. Negative: 2 out of 42
  1. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Emily Nussbaum
    Aug 7, 2014
    70
    The narrative flow is murky and chaotic, and at times it chokes up.... But The Leftovers builds in potency.
    Read full review
  2. Under The Radar
    Reviewed by: Zach Hollwedel
    Jul 3, 2014
    70
    There's enough intrigue driving the premise to set The Leftovers up as a promising series; whether the show can maintain its momentum or succumbs to the weight of the myriad, potentially frustrating mysteries behind it remains to be seen.
    Read full review
  3. Denver Post
    Reviewed by: Joanne Ostrow
    Jun 30, 2014
    40
    The lack of a coherent storyline, even in a piece dedicated to exploring the lack of coherence in the world, makes The Leftovers a frustrating challenge.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »