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[TheOddOne]

 

[charsace]

Like the ground work, but with Lindelof playing a huge role in it I can see this being a train wreck.

 

[Fatalah]

Let's roll.

 

[Cornballer]

Really don't know what to expect with this one, but I'll watch the pilot.

Thanks for putting the thread together.

 

[FTF]

I hope it's good and I'll def give it a shot, especially since it's taking GOT time slot and I need something to fill that void now.

Also, just an fyi, it says July 29th in OP, instead of June.

 

[Squalor]

Tom Perrotta is a good contemporary writer.

The Leftovers was his weakest novel, though, so, while I am intrigued (it's HBO, after all), I am not getting my hopes up.

 

[hamchan]

I'll try it out. Lindelof has been stinking up movie writing since Lost ended but his return to TV might still be good. Plus HBO and all that.

 

[dead souls]

I'll watch the pilot, but this looks so awful.

 

[TheOddOne]

I hope it's good and I'll def give it a shot, especially since it's taking GOT time slot and I need something to fill that void now.

Also, just an fyi, it says July 29th in OP, instead of June.

Oh man, what a stupid mistake :|

Will fix!

Edit: fixed.

 

[Fallout-NL]

Justin Theroux is pretty awesome. So that's something at least.

 

[angular graphics]

Lindelof and Theroux? I'm in for the pilot!

 

[Tucah]

I will certainly give at least a few episodes a shot but I don't have super high expectations. The trailers I've seen every week before GoT don't inspire much confidence.

 

[Mononoke]

I've seen the first 4 episodes (screener) and the pacing is really slow. I'm not sure if people will dig it.

 

[TheOddOne]

I've seen the first 4 episodes (screener) and the pacing is really slow. I'm not sure if people will dig it.

Yeah, a critic also noted that.

Washington Post - ‘The Leftovers’: A biblical event leaves a sorrowful mystery

There’s nothing warm or welcoming about it, nor is there meant to be. Where the network’s “True Detective” occasionally broke its dolefulness with the slyest, philosophically artful wink at an audience riveted by its mystery, “The Leftovers” grafts more unhappiness onto unhappiness. Where “Game of Thrones” revels in even its most gruesome developments, it exists safely within the bounds of fantasy, so slay away. “The Leftovers” mainly acts as a means to deliver the worst news about human nature.

Yet, despite the downer language of this review, the show delivers on an exceedingly intriguing premise, with some of the most beguilingly morose performances delivered this year. It’s a strange but good wallow.

 

[J-Roderton]

I plan on watching the pilot. Looks alright.

 

[Kadayi]

Really don't know what to expect with this one, but I'll watch the pilot.

Thanks for putting the thread together.

Same. Lindelof isn't exactly a draw after Dat finale & Prometheus (though to be fair the script was shit before he even got it). But will give the pilot a look and see if it's worth a shot.

 

[Mononoke]

Yeah, a critic also noted that.

Yeah. I showed a couple folks the episodes while they were at my place. And none of them liked it (because of the pacing). So it will be interesting to see if people are willing to stick with it week after week (with the breaks).

 

[firehawk12]

I guess tonight is this and the Michael Bay produced schlock. Man, Sundays suddenly went downhill.

 

[TheOddOne]

I guess tonight is this and the Michael Bay produced schlock. Man, Sundays suddenly went downhill.

Next sunday

 

[StuBurns]

I love Lost, I'm certainly going to try it.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

In what can only be described as a very, very stupid move, Sky Atlantic (UK) have now moved this show to the Autumn line up instead.

This is coming off the back of them showing trailers for almost a month. Bloody idiots.

 

[Jarmel]

So I wonder how ham they're going to go on the religion. Also are we going to get the Anti-Christ and stuff?

 

[Miles Quaritch]

So I wonder how ham they're going to go on the religion. Also are we going to get the Anti-Christ and stuff?

I'd certainly hope that's where the show will end up going by seasons end. Would be pretty disappointing if that isn't addressed at all and instead they focus entirely on the 'drama' of those left behind.

 

[firehawk12]

Next sunday

Ah, gotta get out of the way of Michael Bay! lol

 

[Steelyuhas]

Lol dat op

/dead

 

[WarrenMax007]

I've seen the first 4 episodes (screener) and the pacing is really slow. I'm not sure if people will dig it.

How's the show? Can you elaborate? What is it like?

 

[anaron]

God I love justin Theroux

Man I hate Lindelof

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Cautiously looking forward to this. I would be a lot more interested if Lindelof wasn't involved.

I've seen the first 4 episodes (screener) and the pacing is really slow. I'm not sure if people will dig it.

Pacing aside, how was it? Any good/memorable performances? Is the character drama compelling? Is there any sort of overarching mythology (god help us)? Is there a lot of nudity?

I guess tonight is this and the Michael Bay produced schlock. Man, Sundays suddenly went downhill.

We still got Penny Dreadful mang

So I wonder how ham they're going to go on the religion. Also are we going to get the Anti-Christ and stuff?

From what I understand, "the event" isn't necessarily or explicitly caused by the Biblical Rapture. It might be aliens or time travel or something else.

 

[Mononoke]

I'm going to re-watch them all tonight and I'll post tomorrow with some more info. I'll try to stay away from spoilers, but I saw these all last week. I just remember the pacing was really slow, and the people I showed them to were bored out of their minds. I also have 4 episodes of True Blood's final season to watch (lol).

But I'll make a post with more overall thoughts (like the pacing/acting/ strengths and weaknesses).

 

[TheOddOne]

Lol dat op

/dead

 

[RELIGHT]

So is this gonna get cancelled?

 

[Exis]

I thought this was his weakest novel, but can see where this could make an awesome show. I may wait til they are all in the can though.

 

[Steelyuhas]

So is this gonna get cancelled?

How would we know, it hasn't started airing yet?


HBO is pretty careful with their drama development. They are typically pretty confident in a show once it reaches the air. The last HBO drama to only run a single season that I can recall was Luck and that was in production for season 2, but they had a situation with a few horses dying in filming, so they decided to shut it down.

 

[TheOddOne]

- HBO: Sermon Promo *Spoilers*

 

[TheOddOne]

Two respected critics have their say on the show via twitter.





Bleak seems the like the recurring word used to describe the show.

 

[hamchan]

Welp, hype building now. I really respect Sepinwall's opinions.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Weird that Sepinwall likes this given how he's always going on and on about various shows being too bleak.

 

[dead souls]

Sepinwall and VDW love this?

Fuck, I'm going to hate it.

 

[TheOddOne]

- Vulture Review: HBO's The Leftovers Is All Bleakness All the Time

Based on Tom Perrotta’s novel of the same name, and co-created by him and Damon Lindelof, The Leftovers is all bleakness all the time. Parts of it feel as though the show is emotionally blackmailing you into watching: What, don’t you care about these poor, miserable people? Well, go ahead and change the channel then, you monster. The characters wander around in an emotional fog, with good reason:

Spoiler

The event was 9/11 multiplied by a couple million. Everyone knew someone who vanished. Many have turned to drugs or alcohol or self-mutilation.

Nobody’s giving anybody any breaks because they’re all in pain. Postapocalypse is no time for an ouch contest.

But I’d be lying if I said The Leftovers didn’t fascinate me. The totality of the suffering feels new. The scale of it overwhelms, so much so that nitpicking the dialogue, the performances, or the filmmaking seems petty. This is what I meant by “emotional blackmail,” a certain amount of which is baked right into the show’s premise. The Leftovers practically dares you to keep watching, and feeling. At the bottom of the first page of my notes, “sloppy handheld camerawork” is crossed out. Beneath it is “overwhelming pain.”

 

[TheOddOne]

- Daily Beast: From ‘Lost’ to The Rapture: Creators Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta on HBO’s ‘The Leftovers’

The Leftovers isn’t a series of books like Game of Thrones, so do you envision the series going on for multiple seasons, or is it a one-off?

Perrotta: We don’t even know if there will be a second season, so I don’t have a plan.

Lindelof: This is an instance where I do feel comfortable saying what our truth is, which is our job was to generate 10 episodes of The Leftovers and make them as good as we possibly could and tell the story that we wanted to tell, and we didn’t think about those stories in the framework of setting up the series beyond it. It’s not about cliffhangers or dropping more mysteries. Lost had a mystery engine to it, so the show had to continue to drop mysteries in order to keep viewers involved and engaging in the mysteries, and we had to introduce new characters, too. The collective weight and size of that story was driving towards an entirely different ambition. For this, our goal was: If the show connects and people want more of it, there are more stories to tell in this world, but if it doesn’t, and these 10 episodes are the only 10 episodes of The Leftovers that will ever exist, I hope it will be more like The Prisoner than other series that were canceled after one season. But we didn’t want to think about the future, and were very committed to being in present time. Because the book embraces this idea of, “I’m not going to tell you about The Departure; I’m not going to tell you how or why these people went, because that’s not what the story is about. The story is about these characters living under the condition of felling like they’ll never know. If that’s the show that you want to watch, that’s the show that we want to write. But that might not be the show that people want to watch.

Why do you say that?

Lindelof: Well, to me, the thing that made True Detective such riveting television—as opposed to just good television—was that the thing that I cared about the least was who was responsible for these murders, and the thing that I cared about the most was Rust and Marty’s relationship, but their relationship existed as a result of these murders and was contextualized by these murders. But if you had presented me a final episode of True Detective where the murders were not resolved, I would have been frustrated, but at the same time, I felt that once that issue did get resolved, the more engaged part of me felt, “Well, what of Rust and Marty?” We feel the same way about The Departure in that the audience has to sign up knowing that it’s highly unlikely that they’re ever going to get that answer. And that’s frustrating.

 

[HowardRoark]

I am super hesitant, given the final season of Lost, but I think I am in for the pilot.

 

[TheOddOne]

- Vaniety Fair (hahhahah...yes!) review: The Leftovers Is Dark and Intriguing, For Now

Though, all that dark philosophizing makes for punishingly grim, and at times tedious television. After a artful, captivating premiere episode, the series starts wandering. It’s a bit aimless at times, as if Lindelof and Perrotta aren’t entirely sure how to wrangle the book’s scattered storylines into cohesive television. It’s early yet, so I’m still holding out hope for The Leftovers, but there’s a tonal uncertainty that’s worrisome—zig-zagging in scope and theme is fine in moderation, but too much and it’s easy to disengage.

There is much here to like, though. It’s a smartly assembled cast, which also includes a whispery but forceful Liv Tyler as a newbie cultist, a menacing Ann Dowd as a higher up in the G.R.s, and relative newcomer Carrie Coon

Spoiler

as a woman who’s become something of a celebrity after losing her entire family in the event. (Or they lost her, as the case may be.)

Coon has a ghostly, withholding presence, and I find myself most invested in her character’s quietly eerie plotline. The show is nicely shot, with a matte-finish stateliness and lyrical camera work, and is gorgeously scored. A lot of the music is Max Richter, and his mournful piano elipses give the series a grandeur and depth of feeling that it’s perhaps otherwise lacking. This is a show about longing to be chosen, ordained, blessed, counted, seen. And though its flaws keep it mostly rooted down here on Earth with us, its brief moments of near transcendence definitely make it worth a watch.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

- Daily Beast: From ‘Lost’ to The Rapture: Creators Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta on HBO’s ‘The Leftovers’

we didn’t think about those stories in the framework of setting up the series beyond it.

At least he's being honest about it this time.

It’s not about cliffhangers or dropping more mysteries.

This is good.

Lost had a mystery engine to it, so the show had to continue to drop mysteries in order to keep viewers involved and engaging in the mysteries

I thought Lost was always all about the characters and anyone that was watching for the mysteries was watching for the wrong reasons? ;]

If the show connects and people want more of it, there are more stories to tell in this world, but if it doesn’t, and these 10 episodes are the only 10 episodes of The Leftovers that will ever exist, I hope it will be more like The Prisoner than other series that were canceled after one season.

So it's being written as a sort of open ended miniseries? That's cool. I wish more shows were written that way (especially shows on Starz).

Because the book embraces this idea of, “I’m not going to tell you about The Departure; I’m not going to tell you how or why these people went, because that’s not what the story is about. The story is about these characters living under the condition of felling like they’ll never know.

Okay. It's good that they're being upfront about this. If they don't intend to tell people what the answer to the mystery is, it's better to let everyone know before the series starts so none gets too wrapped up in trying to figure out what's going on. (not that this will necessarily stop people from speculating, but it should, at least, prevent people from developing a sense of answer-entitlement)

 

[Dan]

- Vaniety Fair (hahhahah...yes!) review: The Leftovers Is Dark and Intriguing, For Now

A lot of the music is Max Richter, and his mournful piano elipses give the series a grandeur and depth of feeling that it’s perhaps otherwise lacking.

Damn, well I really like Max Richter...

This is a show about longing to be chosen, ordained, blessed, counted, seen.

That sounds like something I may find massively grating.

Eh, I'll give this a shot. Maybe it'll surprise me. The Lindelof and Rapture of it all gives me great doubts.

 

[see5harp]

With Max Richter doing the music? Well...I may hop in early. Most shows, even the action packed require around 4 eps to introduce all of the pieces and get things moving.

 

[Cornballer]

- Sepinwall's review: HBO's 'The Leftovers' a tour de force of devastation and grief

This show's broken world is a hard one to shake off, and for me a hard one simply to step away from. In the age of second and third screens, social media and push alerts, it becomes difficult to sit through an episode of even the best shows on television without feeling the siren call of my inbox or my Facebook wall, yet I wanted to do nothing while watching each episode of "The Leftovers" (HBO made four of the first five available to critics) than to finish it — not to hasten the end of an unpleasant experience, but to keep from breaking the show's emotional spell.

 

[Cornballer]

- Andy Greenwald for Grantland: Damon Lindelof returns to TV with HBO's deeply dark 'The Leftovers.'

But The Leftovers isn’t much interested in my wants or needs; Lindelof has seen to that. There’s most assuredly not something here for everyone; it simply isn’t that kind of show. What it is, I came to realize after sitting and squirming through four grim hours, is rather unique. Though he’s still a little too fond of dream sequences and wise, watchful animals, Lindelof has successfully cast aside the whiz-bang nerd totems of his previous work and managed to tap into something deeper and more human — which is precisely what makes The Leftovers so unnerving.

 

[Sirpopopop]

The reviews seem to be stellar so far.

 

[Edwardo]

I kept seeing the trailer for this before Game of Thrones every week. I feel like this show would be way too stressful to watch lol.

 

[TheOMan]

Lindelof is involved with this? That's unfortunate.

Preorder cancelled.