Over the month of May, I finally watched the mystery drama The Leftovers, and I’m convinced HBO hasn’t released a better show in this genre in the decade since it first premiered. HBO has been the captain of prestige TV dramas and comedies for several decades now, and while acclaimed Sunday night HBO shows often prove to have a hold on popular culture, some end up flying relatively under the radar compared to shows with similar praise. One of these TV shows happens to be The Leftovers, which sadly hasn’t enjoyed the same level of sustained widespread popularity in the years since it ended as similar shows like Lost, True Detective, Big Little Lies, and Twin Peaks.

Starring Justin Theroux and Carrie Coon, The Leftovers’ initial setup follows residents of a small New York town three years after the “Sudden Departure,” a mysterious occurrence in which 2% of the world’s population inexplicably vanished. The show explored the lives of the Garvey and Jamison families in the Departure’s aftermath, with season 2 moving them to Texas before season 3 brought them to Australia. Although The Leftovers holds a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the acclaimed HBO show was largely overlooked at the Emmys and only received average viewership ratings between 2014 and 2017. After several months of being told to watch it, I finally gave in – and I’m disappointed I missed The Leftovers during its original run.

The Leftovers Is HBO’s Greatest Mystery Drama From The Last Decade

The Leftovers is even better than its 91% Rotten Tomatoes score suggests

HBO has put out some extremely impressive mystery drama miniseries since 2014, including Mare of Easttown and Sharp Objects. But, when it comes to multi-season mysteries, no other HBO show has come close to rivaling The Leftovers. Not only does The Leftovers get better with each season, but each season could also stand alone as some of the greatest, most thought-provoking stories ever put on the small screen. To top it off, The Leftovers‘ ending sticks the landing, landing among TV’s best series finales. While show co-creator Damon Lindelof may always be best remembered for creating Lost, it’s The Leftovers that I would truly consider to be his magnum opus.

The Leftovers shines in its cast performances and quieter, more subtle moments. From the devastation of Margaret Qualley’s Jill finally “speaking” to her mother to Carrie Coon’s Nora turning around to see her entire family disappear in season 1 or Justin Theroux’s Kevin giving a sobering karaoke rendition of “Homeward Bound” by Simon & Garfunkel in season 2’s “International Assassin,” which is still one of the most perfect TV episodes, The Leftovers has no shortage of gut-wrenching moments that, like it did for me, will bring so many viewers to tears. At its core, The Leftovers is an exploration of the human condition, the daily existential crisis, and how different people respond differently to the horrible realities we face in our lives, and the show did an incredible job of making me empathize with each person’s response.

In The Leftovers season 1, you may hate Laurie for abandoning her family and children. In The Leftovers‘ tranformative season 2, you may hate John for his unwavering suspicion of Kevin. In The Leftovers season 3, you may find issues with Matt’s “book” about Kevin. The beauty of The Leftovers is that it’s a show about flawed, broken people; none of whom respond to situations that will please most viewers – which makes it so much more believable and grounded in reality. Even Kevin and Nora, who may be two of the best-written and portrayed characters I have ever seen on TV, have their intrinsically human moments of being extremely difficult to relate to.

Additionally, The Leftovers’ themes of grief, mortality, and spirituality are incredibly well-constructed. Overall, the show is quite agnostic in being open to the many possibilities of our “purpose” on this Earth, where we go after we die or “depart,” whether there is some larger deity with a plan for each and every one of us, and if there’s a prophetic messiah who could stop a Biblical disaster like a great flood. The Leftovers is never direct about which ideological interpretation it supports, because it’s so open to any possibility – even if its characters aren’t. This is exactly why it’s a show that resonates with people who support different ideologies and creeds; it appeals so brilliantly to human nature’s inherent curiosity, helplessness, and desire for truth – however that manifests.

Although I didn’t watch The Leftovers until seven years after its 2017 finale was released, I find that its themes are still as pertinent today as they were then. It’s also the kind of show that could be revisited with an entirely new lens during different eras in my life, which may completely change how I see each character and their responses to the world around them. The Leftovers isn’t an easy show to digest and rewatch over and over again due to its harsh, emotionally taxing themes, but it deserves to be seen under different lenses as life’s trials and tribulations change perspective over the years.

The Leftovers’ Success Is A Reminder Of A Harsh Reality About True Detective

The Leftovers & True Detective both premiered on HBO in 2014

When I say that The Leftovers is HBO’s best mystery show since 2014, I say so with the knowledge that this also means – overall – its quality is superior to True Detective, which also debuted in 2014. But, as a caveat, I may not say this if True Detective ended after season 1. True Detective season 1 is one of the greatest showcases of writing, acting, suspense, direction, and thematic execution in TV history, and is a chief example of HBO’s prestige drama reputation. But, True Detective becoming an anthology series with varying quality across installments threw a wrench in its overall legacy.

Therein lies a key facet of the argument that The Leftovers is HBO’s best mystery drama since 2014. While True Detective took a sharp decline in quality in season 2, revived its acclaim in season 3, and still had a critically successful yet overall divisive fourth outing, it hasn’t been able to top the story of Matthew McConaughey’s Rust Cohle and Woody Harrelson’s Marty Hart in the decade since season 1. Meanwhile, The Leftovers is not only consistent in quality, but also manages to improve with each season.

The Leftovers’ Cast Has Gone On To Star In Some Of My Favorite Movies & Shows Over The Past Decade

One of the biggest surprises in The Leftovers was its incredible cast

When I first sat down to watch The Leftovers, I was shocked by some of the actors that I had no idea starred in the show. While its mystery and character building may be enough to keep viewers around each season, HBO’s mystery drama is massively elevated by the talent that pervades The Leftovers‘ cast. I knew that Justin Theroux and Carrie Coon gave some career-best performances in this series, but was surprised to see actors like Regina King, Margaret Qualley, and Jasmin Savoy Brown among the cast, whose recent works have been some of my favorite movies and shows to come out of Hollywood.

After The Leftovers, Margaret Qualley had extremely memorable, acclaimed outings in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Netflix’s Maid. While she only had a recurring role in seasons 2 and 3 of The Leftovers, Jasmin Savoy Brown would later have standout performances in Scream (2022), Scream 6, and Showtime’s mystery thriller show Yellowjackets. Of course, Justin Theroux’s upcoming Beetlejuice 2 role is among my most anticipated movie performances of 2024, I find myself eagerly awaiting Regina King’s next directorial feature, and after The Gilded Age and the Ghostbusters reboot movies, I can’t wait to see Carrie Coon star in The White Lotus season 3. Hats off to Kimberly Hope and The Leftovers‘ casting department – they found an incredible ensemble at the exact right time.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes