HBO series The Leftovers
 

Two percent of the world's population disappears. Looks intriguing. Starts June 29.

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They were leftover again?

I searched the word "leftovers" and there's nothing back to the beginning of the year...

Sprinkle some cheese on it and throw it in the oven for 15 minutes @ 250.

Book was really good. SUPER excited for the show. Looks fantastic.

For the most part I was joking. I think someone did post a link to it somewhere in one of the threads. Might have been in the GoT thread. Not that I care.

I will be honest, Damon Lindelof scares the hell out of me with this. I love the premise, but I wasted so much time with bullshit he was attached to.

YEP!

And I saw an interview where he was saying he hopes people don't get too wrapped up in the mystery of where the 2% went. The story is about the people left behind.

Heh... I'm out.

Good advice, though. That's the focus of the source material as well.

And I'll defend Lindelof. Even if it doesn't make me any friends. I'm pretty excited to see what he can do with a cable series.

WTF?

People are not going to invest time in a series that the whole premise is people disappeared and you don't tell them why? You learned nothing from Lost? Why would people trust you again?

Yeah, sounds like a winner to me, not.:doh!:

Looks interesting....have no clue wtf is going on.

So this damon dude did lost? I've never watched that show.

What other HBO series are worth checking out that are currently on? I only watch GOT so far.

I know I have old expired shows to catch up on like wire, ebad, sopranos

I'm not familiar with this guy but I thought the same thing after seeing that interview. Seemed like a lazy way of never having to provide a conclusion, but I'm sure I'm not a deep enough thinker to get the most out of the show.

The premise of the show is to explore how people react to an unexplainable phenomenon. It's a great story. The book is really lovely and I highly recommend it.

I think it lends itself really well to a television show. And obviously he did learn something from LOST. He's telling you now, up front, not to focus on an imaginary mystery. He's managing expectations. And it's a good PR move.

The show isn't about the disappearance, it's about the reaction, the aftermath. Should be fascinating, if you're into that kind of thing.

Kind've dumb to not find out where the people went eventually...

Obviously, I respectfully disagree.

No worries.. I'll give it a shot though

It might be dumb as ****. But if it is, I personally don't think it'll be because of not finding out what happened to the "raptured" people. It'll be because the characters are poorly drawn.

We'll see. I'm just rooting for the thing because I really liked the book and I really like Lindelof.

To defend Lindelof, I am pretty sure the source material never really explains it either. This might be right in his wheelhouse. However, my big problem with him is he likes to build up, then have no payoff. He could add more to it and still not have it be satisfying.

How the guy who wrote for Nash Bridges became the go to science fiction writer in Hollywood is beyond me.

Lost was an abortion.

I loved the show.

The ending and last two seasons were...huge letdown...

It's HBO, so I will watch. Hope it's not a turd like John from Cincinnati though ROFL

Same BS as lost. The public will not just accept plot lines that avoid clearing up major events in the story.

How is why these people are gone not important? Okay the series focuses on how people react to the disappearance. Thats an old theatricality maneuver. I've got no problem with that. I just think that even the 2014 HBO audience wants more clarity at some point. After being burned from Lost and other series, the audience won't invest their viewing time without some explanation.

Look to True Detective. Everything wasn't explained at the end but enough that we understood the character's motivations and what the story was trying to say to us.

I'd expect the same from this show.

That's exactly what the book does and what Lindelof & Co want to achieve.

The only thing you're not going to get is a cut and dry, absolute explanation for what the disappearance is. But that's because it's an impossible thing to know. There will be options, opinions, theories, ideas, etc. Just like real life. If the rapture actually happened tomorrow, do you think it would be something that is obvious, or clearly explained? Of course not. Everyone left behind will have different ideas on what actually happened and they will react accordingly.

The show is a show about the various ways people react to an extreme situation. I think if one just goes in knowing that, they should be able to set everything else aside and just enjoy the exploration.

Some people can't do that. And that's fine. But I think it's silly to write it off before it's aired. I also think it's silly to write it off because it's not the show you want it to be. Let it be what it is and judge accordingly.

But don't get mad at The X-Files for not being Cheers. That's all I'm saying.

They pretty much explained everything in True Detective. They just didn't come out and hit you in the face with it.

Yeah, there was nothing mysterious with that show. All the metaphysical stuff in the first half of the season was completely a red herring. It was a straightforward crime drama. As they'd basically said it was from the beginning (they were surprised by the direction the public took it).

I love the idea and I think eventually I'd get over the whole "how did the 2% disappear" if I kept watching.

I'm not going to lie though, with the history of Lost, I don't know if I would make it that long.

True Blood!!

TB hasn't been worth a shit since season 2

agreed. However, I could see how people have it as their guilty pleasure.

So I just read a write up of Leftovers in Rolling Stone. I guess it is depressing as shit. Some humorous parts of which celebrities have disappeared. However, the overall tone sounds miserable.

Bad things happen to babies. Animals much worse.


No thanks.

:hmmm:

The book is pretty dark. So, not surprised. It should be great.

AVClub give entire season an A. Not an easy feat.

http://www.avclub.com/review/leftove...evision-206204

I'll def pass the time with this and Tyrant

Yep.

That was fantastic.

Damn I missed it!

I'll see if they're re-airing soon. I'm sure late tonight maybe????

You didn't miss much.
It's HBO though so if you want to see it they'll air it all week or get it on your device anytime on HBO Go...

Interesting pilot. Curious to see where it goes.

So was this any good?

Yes. Yes it was.

It's very low-key and cerebral, don't go in expecting a lot of action, and don't go in expecting to understand what's going on right away.

How depressing was it? From reviews i gathered you could find yourself slitting your wrists.

I didn't think it was all that depressing. It was only one episode, though. Most of the reviewers watched 3 or 4 in a row.

It was a shitshow. **** this. Not wasting any more time on it.

Question:

How many of you complaining that we'll never find out what happened to the 2 percent watch and enjoy The Walking Dead?

Because I'm 100 percent certain Kirkman is NEVER going to explain the origin of the zombie virus.

Same deal, IMO. It's not about the weird stuff going on as much as it is about how people respond and react to the weird stuff going on.

Who goes savage?

Who starts a cult?

How do normal people get by?

Side note: I thought it was really good. It's not a bucket full of sunshine, but some of the best art is not. Makes me wonder: Who would I be? My personality type would run me towards the Chief... I'd be trying to hold things and people together. (though my practical streak probably makes me more like the bald guy who played Bertram on The Mentalist).

Assuming things are as they are on the show, and I still have internet, I'd probably be living the exact same life that I am now.

In that aspect, it's one of the cheerier post-apocalyptic scenarios I've ever seen. 140-odd million people die, but the grid doesn't go down and (as far as we've seen) society doesn't fall apart.

It was good. This was priceless.

I like it so far, but it wasn't "holy shit" good like True Detective. I'll keep watching for now. I think the unknown is what could drive people a bit crazy, and it's tough to put myself in that place.

Why does anything matter if we could just disappear at any second with no explanation?

Not even in the same galaxy as TD...

I watched the first episode, and I found it quite uninteresting.

Even the

Probably should fix your post. Albeit in minor, it may agitate or annoy some people for one week.

It's already aired. How is that a spoiler? Not sure I understand.

Thats the social etiquette in the media center. If it has aired, its fair game.

I thought the world looked kind of ****ed up. I just don't see a breakdown of society if we really loss 2% without explanation. It's been 3 years. Life goes on. You have no choice.

I'm with most here. It was well done but not True Detective level. At least its better than True Blood.:p

For those who have watched is this something you wish you saw more of before passing judgement, or is it quality right out of the box? I have it recorded, but am mulling whether to watch right away or let a few pile up and binge.

Wouldn't hurt to have 2 or 3 to watch probably to make a call. I have it on DVR the series, but coming off the first ep, the jury is still out whether I stay with it for the long haul.

I thought it was quality right out of the box. I would say that part of the reason, aside obviously from the leads, that people are saying "it's not true detective" is because it's not something as simple (in a genre sense) as a police procedural. It's going to be a more challenging show to watch, in every sense of the word. It would not surprise me a bit if by the end of the season I end up liking it as much or more than TD, and I think it's something I'm likely more prone to re-watch in the short term, because I get the sense that (unlike the ultimately straight-forward TD) there are layers that I might not catch on first viewing.

It's not a show that's going to fall right away into anybody's comfort zone, though. And while I enjoyed it, it was a very slow burn.

I think in retrospect that he was saying not to spoil people who are on the fence about watching it this week, which makes some sense. I got no problem tagging it, I just wasn't sure what the logic was.

I'll give it a few more, but that pilot had waaay too much piano going on for me.

I like it. I'm not totally sure what I'm watching yet, but it is summer and there isn't much else on, so it gets a longer chance to make me love it!

The three years is interesting, as I think there should be more reactionary response to that many people disappearing, but I guess that gets into the place where people just can't fathom the actual numbers, like in this episode, and after a bit of time, it starts to become fun facts more than actual impact (the entire cast of a long dead tv show all disappearing for instance.)

Looking forward to more. I like Justin Theroux and Scott Glenn, but I hate Amy Brenneman so I will have to like it alot to stay with a show that has her as a central character.

They just added a lot more mystery and WTF is going on here moments. Consider the dude's track record with Lost, I'm not in on this yet.

I watched the first episode last night... interesting, dark...but one question, and you can message me with the answer.

I always do that with a new show anyway. Not really fair to judge anything off just one epp. I try to go at least 3 eps in before throwing in the towel...

Yeah, this show has about 1 more episode to start explaining the weirdness, or it's pretty much done for me. I felt like I have been watching one continuous pilot between two episodes.

Tried to watch first 2 episodes, couldn't get all the way through either one. Done. Wonder what the ratings are?

So far this show is well below HBO's normal standards. Honestly, the whole premise seems flawed to me.

Agreed on both points. After such a stellar run I guess even HBO was due for a dud.

Weekend TV Preview: Will HBO’s ‘The Leftovers’ Get Better This Week?
By Dustin Rowles | 7/11/2014

Leftovers (HBO, Sunday 10 p.m.) — Everyone among the critics says this episode is the one to watch, that the third episode will CHANGE OUR LIVES. I haven’t watched it yet, but then again, I liked the first two episodes just fine. However, I wouldn’t object to a remarkably strong third episode, if only so viewers will stick around and continue to watch it with me. It’s not like the old days, before Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, when people would give a new drama a half season or so to find its feet … oh wait, didn’t both of those shows start off slow, too (especially The Walking Dead)?
http://uproxx.com/tv/2014/07/weekend...ter-this-week/

John from Cincinatti II

The Walking Dead actually started off very strong, didn't lose me until season 3.

I love Dustin and the warming glow, but every once and a while he just makes shit up to fit his theories. Walking Dead had one of the strongest pilots ever, and I would never classify GOT as "needing to find its feet."

We are now in a TV landscape where it is easier than ever to just marathon a TV Show after the fact. No need to stress on "is this worth my time?"

Yeah. GoT kicked ass from jump as well. Not sure what that guy is talking about...

Walking Dead was lucky to survive the first half of season 2. Show just ground to a halt on the farm. Not much wrong with season 1 though.

I liked season 2... :shrug:

I did as well. A lot of other people complained, however.

Decent show. Will keep watching...a lot better than the other new show I just started.

Penny Dreadful is just that.

to each their own. quick question, did you watch it week to week? I have a theory that season 2 is much better when binged.

yourmoviesucks pretty much sums up every reason why I think the Walking Dead is a mediocre shell of what it could have been.

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TL;DR: AMC handicapped the show to be as profitable as possible, while uncreative as possible.

That third episode was some great TV