Ranking Every HBO Drama Series From Worst To Best
5. The Leftovers
If you like your TV bleak, deep, and amazingly acted, The Leftovers is the show for you. Created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta and based on a novel by the latter, The Leftovers is high concept TV imbued with immense heart and a staggering sense of loss.
The narrative picks up three years after the biblical rapture. 2% of the Earth’s population is vanished without a trace, ascended to another plain. And the rest of humanity is tasked with picking up the pieces and carrying on with their lives.
Our focal characters are a police officer (Justin Theroux), a reverend (Christopher Eccleston), and his sister, a bereft widow played with astonishing grace and humanity by Carrie Coon. Indeed the show is worth watching for Coon’s performance alone; she’s one of the most restrained and naturalistic actresses on TV, anchoring this mystical show with her quietly devastating turn.
The Leftovers’ three seasons unfold like great literature, and the series only gets better as it goes on. By virtue of the concept it’s clear you’re not in for a gentle time with this show, but it’s absolutely worth the investment.