5 Reasons to Give The Leftovers Another Go (Even if You Quit It the First Time)

HBO's The Leftovers aired for three seasons from 2014 to 2017 and made quite a splash on social media and in the press at the time, garnering a sizable fan base. However, there are still many people who weren't able to get into the story and watch more than a few episodes.

Was the show overhyped? Despite its ups and downs, The Leftovers remains one of the best projects in modern pop culture and should be appreciated as a whole. So if you are willing to sit through the first few episodes (which get much better on rewatch), the series is definitely worth your time. Here's why.

The Writing

The Leftovers is a unique take on humanity after the supernatural event called the Sudden Departure, where 2% of the population (140 million people) suddenly disappeared without a trace. The story is a good mix of sci-fi, character drama, and multi-layered mystery — and if you feel that the angle you're most interested in is fading, rest assured that it will return with renewed vigor in later episodes.

The Acting

Though intentionally unlikable, all of The Leftovers' characters hit close to home. The entire cast has done an amazing job, and there isn't a single cheesy scene in the show. But many fans say that if the series only had one character, Carrie Coon's Nora Durst, it would still be worth watching.

Nora is one of the best female characters in television history, and Coon just kills it with her. Many discovered the actress on The Leftovers and went on to watch all of her projects.

The Emotion

What fans praise most about The Leftovers is the emotion it elicits from them. Very few shows can resonate with the audience on such a deep level, and The Leftovers, with its themes of acceptance of loss, grief, doubt, and guilt, is definitely one of them.

'By the end of the series, my opinions on belief, faith, and grief were altered — and still stay with me to this day,' one of the show's fans wrote on Reddit. And that says a lot, doesn't it?

The Music

The three pillars of The Leftovers are writing, acting, and music. Max Richter's musical score is absolutely amazing in all three seasons and serves as the best example of how an original soundtrack can enhance the visuals.

International Assassin

This may sound strange, but The Leftovers is worth watching just for one episode. Season 2 of the show is fantastic, but Episode 8 of that season, titled 'International Assassin,' is called a masterpiece in its own right by many in the fandom.

Despite its significant stylistic departure from the rest of the show, the episode managed to deliver such a compelling plot with unexpected twists and turns that you are guaranteed to love every second of it.

Source: Reddit.