HBO’s The Leftovers hasn’t been a ratings giant, but fans and critics alike have enjoyed the drama series over its two seasons. The premium network has decided to renew the series for season 3, but it announced Thursday that the upcoming season would be The Leftovers‘ last.
Interestingly, the decision to wrap up the series seems to have come from co-creator Damon Lindelof. In a press release announcing the renewal, President of HBO Programming Michael Lombardo referenced Lindelof’s “decision to bring the show to its conclusion.” Yet the reasoning behind it makes sense, as much as it may disappoint fans.
Lindelof explained that each season has been formatted like a novel with a beginning, middle, and end, and so too has the series itself. The first two seasons were the beginning and middle, respectively, and now the third season will serve as “a definitive end.” The creative team’s definition of such an ending is a little unusual, though — “by ‘definitive,’ we mean ‘wildly ambiguous but hopefully mega-emotional,’ as all things related to this show are destined to be,” said Lindelof.
The Leftovers is a drama series that takes place in a world where over 100 million people inexplicably disappeared en masse, inspired by the 2011 novel written by co-creator Tom Perrotta. The first season centered on the Garvey family, while the second expanded to focus on the Murphy family as well. Season two starred Justin Theroux, Liv Tyler, Regina King, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, and more.
“This show has proven to be one of the most distinctive HBO series and we are extremely proud of its unrivaled originality, which has resulted in such a passionate following by our HBO viewers,” said Lombardo.
A premiere date for season 3 of The Leftovers has not yet been announced.
