
The Leftovers (2014)
TV series · Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama
Stream itif you want a deeply emotional, surreal journey through collective grief and existential mystery.
A profound and often punishing exploration of grief and faith that refuses to provide easy answers. It is an emotionally exhausting three-season commitment that is widely regarded as one of the most masterful dramas ever made.
What it is about
When 2% of the world's population abruptly disappears without explanation, the world struggles to understand just what they're supposed to do about it. This is the story of the people who didn't make the cut.
Trailer
What The Leftovers is like, and who it is for
What it is like to watch
Watching this series is an intense, visceral experience that shifts from grounded domestic realism to high-concept surrealism. The pace is deliberate, often lingering on moments of profound silence or explosive emotional outbursts. It maintains a constant undercurrent of unease, punctuated by a haunting score that heightens the sense of spiritual and psychological weight throughout every episode.
Who it is for, and who should skip it
This is essential viewing for those who appreciate character-driven drama and are comfortable with ambiguity. It is not for anyone seeking a procedural sci-fi explanation for the central mystery; the cause of the disappearance is secondary to the messy human aftermath. One honest caveat is that the first season is exceptionally grim and may feel like an endurance test before the narrative expands.
The right evening for it
It suits a quiet evening where you can give the screen your full attention. This is a programme for deep contemplation and introspection rather than casual background viewing.
Written by our AI from the facts on this page. It has opinions; it has not watched it.
Teaser
Teaser · The Leftovers Season 1: Loss (HBO)
How The Leftovers leaves you
One line on the mood it ends on, with no plot. Some people count that as a spoiler, so it stays hidden until you ask.
Expect to feel emotionally wrung out but spiritually provoked. It leaves a lingering sense of melancholy mixed with a strange, hard-won hope regarding the stories we tell ourselves to survive.
Stills
Images from TMDB.
If you like this, try
Station Eleven (2021)
the same focus on art and human connection following a global cataclysm
The Returned (2012)
a similarly quiet, mournful atmosphere surrounding unexplained disappearances and returns
Suggested by our AI for what they share with this one. Linked titles have a page here; the rest are worth a search on the browse page.
The Leftovers soundtrack
Music by Max Richter
The Leftovers: Season 2 (Music from the HBO Series)
Max Richter · 2016 · 18 tracks
Listen on Apple Music- 1Entropy for Meg
- 2The Departure (Diary)
- 3Crossings
- 4Storybook
- 5A Bird in a Box
- 6Tenebrae
- 7Dark Cloud for Nora
- 8The Departure (Phone Call)
- 9A Crowd of People Turned Away
- 10Bright Cloud for Jill
Album and songs from Apple Music.
Awards
Awards and nominationsShow
- Nominated: Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series · Justin Theroux · 2016
From Wikidata, which can miss some.
Questions people ask
- Is The Leftovers an authentic series?
- Yes. On Watchlist Boosted it is tagged Authentic, with a tearjerker streak. A profound and often punishing exploration of grief and faith that refuses to provide easy answers. It is an emotionally exhausting three-season commitment that is widely regarded as one of the most masterful dramas ever made.
- How many seasons of The Leftovers are there?
- 3 seasons and 28 episodes. It has finished, so you can watch the whole thing.
- Where can I watch The Leftovers in Canada?
- In Canada, The Leftovers is included with Crave, Crave Amazon Channel.
- Where can I watch The Leftovers in Germany?
- In Germany, The Leftovers is included with HBO Max, HBO Max Amazon Channel.
- Who composed the music for The Leftovers?
- The music for The Leftovers is by Max Richter. The soundtrack album, The Leftovers: Season 2 (Music from the HBO Series), has 18 tracks.
- What songs are on the The Leftovers soundtrack?
- The Leftovers: Season 2 (Music from the HBO Series) has 18 tracks, including “Entropy for Meg”, “The Departure (Diary)”, “Crossings”, “Storybook” and “A Bird in a Box”, and more. It is on Apple Music.
- Is The Leftovers worth watching?
- Stream it: if you want a deeply emotional, surreal journey through collective grief and existential mystery. IMDb users rate it 8.3 out of 10 from 134,944 votes and TMDB users 7.7.
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