The Leftovers is not a show that is universally appreciated – nor should it be. In terms of accessibility, it’s a far cry from Game of Thrones, Girls, or even the dwindling star of Boardwalk Empire. On HBO’s high-caliber lineup, The Leftovers is something of an oddity, more comparable to experimental shows that lasted only a season or two – Carnivale and John from Cincinnati spring to mind. Yet it does speak – and speak loudly to a niche group of growing viewers who have found the life-examining, self-reflective, oft-depressing series the perfect fit for their coveted Sunday night slot.
For those unacquainted with The Leftovers, Justin Theroux leads the cast as Kevin Garvey, a small town police chief who is struggling to keep his drifting family together in the wake of the Sudden Departure, an event that caused 2% of the world’s population to vanish without a trace. In the following years, society experiences epidemics of anxiety and depression, psychotic breaks, and a rise in the number of cults (of the secular/nonsecular, smoking/non-smoking variety). When shrunk down to the more manageable, fun-sized Mapleton, NY, the effects of the Sudden Departure are felt more keenly, as the town becomes a microcosm for the global ramifications of the event. Wild dogs roam the night and the local teens play deadly pranks. The neighborhood cult is the Guily Remnant, led by the haughty Patti Levin (Ann Dowd), who seek to ensure that October the 14th (the established date of the Sudden Departure) is a day that no one will ever forget.
The premise is compelling and strange for certain, and the occasional solo-character or flashback episode keeps the show fresh and non formulaic. However, the same things that make the show great also prevent it from reaching broader viewership. As the show struggles to find its audience, one must first ask who its intended audience might be?
First let me say that by “struggles to find an audience,” I do mean an appreciative audience. The Hollywood Reporter – erm – reported that the first two episodes of the series had climbed to 8 million viewers as of July 22nd. Those are impressive numbers, considering the hit True Detective was averaging 11 million by the end of its first season. The show was even renewed for a second season on August 13th, well ahead of its finale. So where is the big parade? Where are The Leftovers lunch boxes and Magic Wayne action figures? As the Black-Eyed Peas one asked, “Where is the love (the love), where is the love (the love), where is the love, the love, the love?”
Perhaps the apprehension in openly praising the series begins with its creator, Damon Lindelof, whose other show, Lost, left its fan base feeling exactly that. People are afraid to commit to a show that may never (and very likely never will) give them a definitive, satisfactory answer to the question posed in its central conceit: where did the departed go?
The other detractor has been the critics, whose opinions on the show range from worship to outright condemnation, leaving the greater viewing public with the muddled opinion that the show simply isn’t worth their time.
Let’s be clear: the show has its issues, but it’s quite brilliant. Have we reached such a golden age of television where a show like The Leftovers can be dismissed as pretentious depression porn but to see The Big Bang Theory is to see the face of God? With some of the greatest performances on television and writing that is consistently excellent, there is very little to be disappointed in.
The barometer test for whether or not The Leftovers might be a show for you is proportionally relative to your reaction to the series finale of The Sopranos. Yes, we were all startled when the screen famously went black and the credits rolled. We all had the same conversation with those sitting with us at the time or at work/school/juvenile refuge the next day. “Was Tony Soprano murdered by the man in the Member’s Only jacket?” “Was the sudden blackness a reference to the words uttered by Bobby Bacala in the rowboat?” “Did, in fact, nothing happen and life just went on and on and on and on?”
Seven years later, many Sopranos viewers still haven’t made their peace with David Chase and the finale’s ambiguity. These are the folks for whom The Leftovers will never be appropriate. It is a show that ultimately asks far more questions than it is capable of answering.
But if Tony’s untimely end (?) and the blank void of your television screen intrigued you, and in fact meant more to you than a concrete answer might have, then you have passed the test. Unvexed by a constant search for meaning, and willing to examine a program for its questions and not its answers, you are an ideal viewer for The Leftovers. It is a show that is worthy of your time and intellectual attention – and season one is now available in its entirety. Not giving the show a chance will deprive you of a terrific and fulfilling experience.
And worse, if you ignore it, it may disappear for good.
Jeremy
Loved the piece Huey. I am crazy about this show. I need it the way I imagine a masochist needs the whip. This show is vicious and heart rending and everything Lindeloff wanted Lost to be. I have seen and read several interviews with him concerning his finale. He considered Lost, albeit naively, a show about his characters. What he didn’t understand was that no one watched to see if Kate would choose Jake or Sawyer. Who cared? WHY ARE THERE POLAR BEARS!? Leftovers has given him a chance to really delve into the questions of LOST and the answer he has always been dying to give. IT DOESN’T MATTER! We are in a different era for TV and long form story telling. I NEVER want to know what caused the disappearance, but I do want Nora and Kevin to find happiness. I wanted Kevin to save Jill even if she is a bitchy little teenager. I realized the show had really got me when I started this episode thinking to myself “there is nothing I hate more in any form of television the way I hate the godamn guilty remnant.” and at the end of the episode, mourning their devastation. I think Lindeloff has found his voice, but I don’t think we’ll get more then three seasons. And I will watch every episode. One week at a time. So I don’t fall into total despair.
Huey
Jeremy,
Clearly I am responding to you so late because I was still reeling from the season finale!
I totally agree with you – it doesn’t matter why these people are gone or where they are now. What matters are the themes we are able to explore through the journey of the various characters on the show.
I would also estimate a three-season run… It’s too depressing to go far past that, especially with no intention for an endgame.