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[TheOddOne]

Thanks for posting the reviews, Cornballer.

I wonder if it is that depressing as the reviewers make it out to be.

 

[Cornballer]

- Poniewozik for Time: The Leftovers Hurts, So Good

Hey, did I mention that this show is gloomy as all hell? It is, even with a few Lindelofian touches like his taste for ironically jaunty music cues. Even the best version of The Leftovers, if it proves a complete creative success, will not be a show for everyone. Yet it believes fervently, messily, heartbreakingly, that even two percent of everyone means more than you can imagine.

 

[dead souls]

I still don't know whether to be hyped for this or not. That Sepinwall review is hilariously over the top. I was rolling my eyes all the way through reading it.

I'll wait until some more sensible people review it.

 

[TheOddOne]

- THR: 'The Leftovers': TV Review

This excellent drama will do best if people just stop worrying about the ending of "Lost" and concentrate on the here and now.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

That Sepinwall review is hilariously over the top. I was rolling my eyes all the way through reading it.

Embarrassingly hyperbolic Sepinwall is best Sepinwall. I never tire of reading his review of the Girls season 2 finale.

 

[Cornballer]

- Onion A|V Club review: The Leftovers is bleak, brutal, brilliant television

The Leftovers is still young enough to have some growing pains. There’s material centered on yet another cult that feels too loosely connected to everything else, and the show can occasionally seem too in love with being grim just for being grim. But on the whole, it’s elegiac, ingenious television, unlike anything else on the air.

 

[Steelyuhas]

- Onion A|V Club review: The Leftovers is bleak, brutal, brilliant television

The reviews are just so overwhelmingly great. I've gone from thinking this is an interesting premise that has potential to be a good show to just flat out hyped to see this thing.

 

[smokeymicpot]

I like Lindelof hopefully this is good. He gets way to much hate.

 

[Cornballer]

The reviews are just so overwhelmingly great. I've gone from thinking this is an interesting premise that has potential to be a good show to just flat out hyped to see this thing.

They haven't been universally positive (see the metacritic list for a little more breadth), but my curiosity is certainly piqued. Sounds like it's not for everyone, but the fact that people are reacting strongly to it (either positively or negatively) is usually an indicator that it's worth seeing what the fuss is all about.

 

[RELIGHT]

So we are in for the usual initial intrigue that never ever pays off right?

Cool,just so long as we all know what this is.

 

[anaron]

Embarrassingly hyperbolic Sepinwall is best Sepinwall. I never tire of reading his review of the Girls season 2 finale.

"At the end of the finale, Adam literally kicks her apartment door down when she won't let him in, and it's the most heroic damn thing I've seen on television in forever"


😐

 

[Vire]

Usually nearly everything HBO puts out is nothing short of fantastic, but the trailers really aren't doing it for me with this one.

Looks pretty corny.

 

[Steelyuhas]

They haven't been universally positive (see the metacritic list for a little more breadth), but my curiosity is certainly piqued. Sounds like it's not for everyone, but the fact that people are reacting strongly to it (either positively or negatively) is usually an indicator that it's worth seeing what the fuss is all about.

Yeah I guess I should specify that based on the reviews of the critics I follow and knowing how their tastes commonly align or don't with mine, I'm very confident that I'm going to really like the series at this point.

So we are in for the usual initial intrigue that never ever pays off right?

Cool,just so long as we all know what this is.

Yeah it seems the mystery is clearly not a part of the show.

 

[Cornballer]

- Sepinwall Interview: 'The Leftovers' creators Damon Lindelof & Tom Perrotta on their dark, mysterious HBO series

 

[RatskyWatsky]

"At the end of the finale, Adam literally kicks her apartment door down when she won't let him in, and it's the most heroic damn thing I've seen on television in forever"

My eyes could not roll harder.

So we are in for the usual initial intrigue that never ever pays off right?

At least they're being upfront about it this time.

 

[Cornballer]

- Maureen Ryan's review: A 'Lost' Producer Goes To The Dark Side

Ultimately, "The Leftovers" depicts a series of personal apocalypses, and it's an open question as to whether it will be able to spin these individual and community crises into a viable ongoing TV series. So far, it's not quite more than the sum of its mournful parts, but it's making a big effort, and it may get there eventually.

 

[dead souls]

"At the end of the finale, Adam literally kicks her apartment door down when she won't let him in, and it's the most heroic damn thing I've seen on television in forever"


😐

Lol

VDW's classic For Our Consideration: How Girls challenges the masculine expectations of "good TV" remains one of the most unintentionally hilarious headlines I've ever seen on the internet.

 

[gdt]

Hell yeah I'm in. Had no idea this was happening so soon. Lindelof back on TV gets an insta watch from me. Plus these reviews are great.

 

[zychi]

Gee, Lindelloff writing about a religious thing, but pretending its not.

I wonder when he did this before. I'm totally LOST

Rapture+Lindeloff sounds terrible, but hopefully HBO kept him at bay. I'll check out the pilot, but I'm going in skeptical.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Gee, Lindelloff writing about a religious thing, but pretending its not.

Well, the show is based on a book, and in the book, it's not clear whether it's a religious thing or a paranormal thing or an extraterrestrial thing. It's ambiguous.

All we know is that 2% of the world's population vanished and the point of the book/tv show is to show how the people left behind are coping with that - not to discover the mysteries of the "event".

 

[zychi]

Well, the show is based on a book, and in the book, it's not clear whether it's a religious thing or a paranormal thing or an extraterrestrial thing. It's ambiguous.

All we know is that 2% of the world's population vanished and the point of the book/tv show is to show how the people left behind are coping with that - not to discover the mysteries of the "event".

The trailer sure doesn't show that.

 

[Robot Pants]

WHY HOW How does Lindelof keep getting work?

 

[StuBurns]

Lindelof's a very successful writer/producer. If you don't like his work, that's fine of course, but I don't see why people act like his continued success is somehow surprising.

 

[Steelyuhas]

Lol

VDW's classic For Our Consideration: How Girls challenges the masculine expectations of "good TV" remains one of the most unintentionally hilarious headlines I've ever seen on the internet.

Oh boy, I think read that article again today, good stuff.

Well, the show is based on a book, and in the book, it's not clear whether it's a religious thing or a paranormal thing or an extraterrestrial thing. It's ambiguous.

All we know is that 2% of the world's population vanished and the point of the book/tv show is to show how the people left behind are coping with that - not to discover the mysteries of the "event".

Rename the show "The Event", put it on NBC three years ago imo

The trailer sure doesn't show that.

From what I've read, most critics agree that the promo material so far hasn't done a good job showing what the show is about and what it's like (other than the bleakness).

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Rename the show "The Event", put it on NBC three years ago imo

Sounds like it would've been a big hit.

From what I've read, most critics agree that the promo material so far hasn't done a good job showing what the show is about

 

[Steelyuhas]

Holy shit I'd forgotten about that poster. Still can't tell if it's awful, amazing, or just so bad it's amazing.

 

[Nameless]

The early reviews and impressions ease a lot of my fears about what the show might be. It actually sounds like a TV series made in the spirit of films like 'Children of Men' and 'The Road', where the narrative explores little-to-nothing about the origin of the cataclysmic event, and instead remains tightly fixed on the characters as they try to move on amid the shattered remains of the world they used to know. What life entails in this new existence is an immeasurably more fascinating question than "Zomg what's the grand mystery behind everything?"

Trying and failing to get into shows like Revolution, Resurrection, and The 4400 lately revealed just how low of a tolerance I've developed for the latter.

 

[Sober]

Actually very excited about this. Hopefully it lives up to the hype even the critics have given it.

 

[TheOddOne]

I have erased that poster from my memory and now never existed. NEVER.

- Flavorwire review: The Awe-Inspiring Bleakness of HBO’s ‘The Leftovers’

Based on its first few episodes, The Leftovers is bleak and depressing. It’s a haunting and heartsick show, and one that’s full of frustration and longing. Its debut episodes are also the most promising I’ve seen this year, and I won’t be surprised if it becomes one of the best series of 2014.

It’s a bit reminiscent of the earlier Lost seasons, the ones that we all watched in awe, though this forgoes the lighter moments for nonstop despair.

This is an odd thing to say, but the bleakness is what I like most about The Leftovers. It is unrelenting but necessary. It’s the only way to tell this story.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

Sounds good, but has there been any info on whether the A.C makes an appearance or demons, etc?

Or is it just going to be about the human element? I'm not opposed to it being solely about humans living in a post rapture world, but it'd be disappointing if that's all there was to the show.

 

[Sober]

Sounds good, but has there been any info on whether the A.C makes an appearance or demons, etc?

Or is it just going to be about the human element? I'm not opposed to it being solely about humans living in a post rapture world, but it'd be disappointing if that's all there was to the show.

Nope, that's pretty much it.

 

[StuBurns]

I would be very shocked if there weren't 'twists' dotted throughout the show. I imagine we'll never find out what happened, but I also can't imagine it'll be a straight drama throughout.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

Nope, that's pretty much it.

Sigh. Well that's really disappointing. I guess I'll adjust my expectations accordingly then.

I have to wonder why they would decide not to introduce the wider elements of the rapture. I get that focusing on the despair of people left behind would make for a good show, but that doesn't mean they can't drop some other elements of rapture mythos into the mix as well.

I would be very shocked if there weren't 'twists' dotted throughout the show. I imagine we'll never find out what happened, but I also can't imagine it'll be a straight drama throughout.

Lindelof and twists don't mix well, but I do hope you're right about there being some twists. I want some extended rapture goodness. I guess it doesn't help that I watching the rapture episode from American Dad last night...

 

[StuBurns]

Sigh. Well that's really disappointing. I guess I'll adjust my expectations accordingly then.

I have to wonder why they would decide not to introduce the wider elements of the rapture. I get that focusing on the despair of people left behind would make for a good show, but that doesn't mean they can't drop some other elements of rapture mythos into the mix as well.

But we don't know it was the rapture? The ambiguity is the whole point.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

But we don't know it was the rapture? The ambiguity is the whole point.

Huh. I thought the book it's based on was clear about it being a rapture event?

EDIT,

Reading up on the book, it seems you're right, it's never explicitly stated it's a rapture event, but a rapture like event. That's cool, I guess. Disappointing though, I find the whole idea of the rapture fascinating and would love to see a proper show/movie based around those events.

 

[StuBurns]

Huh. I thought the book it's based on was clear about it being a rapture event?

It doesn't, and nor will the show, at least initially.

The half hour making of feature HBO put out seemed to indicate there will be lots of debate within the show as to the nature of the event, and some do indeed believe it was the rapture, but other theories and beliefs exist.

The people who disappeared were not uniformly religious or pious.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

It doesn't, and nor will the show, at least initially.

The half hour making of feature HBO put out seemed to indicate there will be lots of debate within the show as to the nature of the event, and some do indeed believe it was the rapture, but other theories and beliefs exist.

The people who disappeared were not uniformly religious or pious.

Yeah, I edited my post after reading up a little on the book.

Thanks for the info though, I was under the impression it was solely about the rapture. I'm fine with it being entirely about the human element in that case, but I do hope we eventually get a show/movie that explores the rapture in its entirety. It's one of the more fascinating religious /myths/stories out there.

 

[Erigu]

Lindelof and twists don't mix well

It's not like he's better with drama...

 

[Ricker]

Cant be any gloomier or depressing then the Killing or this other show that was set in the suburbs,small town built near those big Hydro pylons...damn forgot what that was called(EDIT: Durham County),it stared the guy that was in Flashpoint as a cop going crazy,the guy in Motive who was a psychopath,and Laurence Leboeuf...I liked those shows.

Anyway hope its good.

 

[Blader]

I don't mind bleak and depressing stories, but I hope this isn't like the sad parents subplot from The Killing stretched out into its own series. Dark can be good, but when it's that overwrought it's just oppressive and annoying.

 

[Cornballer]

Sneak peek clips from the premiere:

- #1
- #2

Please spoiler tag any discussion.

 

[Halo 2]

Excited to check this out. The previews are interesting I just hope the characters are we well.

 

[Cornballer]

- Matt Zoller Seitz: HBO's The Leftovers Is All Bleakness All the Time

The first few episodes don’t showcase enough artistry to justify all the slogging and weeping, the bloodied faces and broken hearts. 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.”

 

[RatskyWatsky]

- Matt Zoller Seitz: HBO's The Leftovers Is All Bleakness All the Time

>__>

 

[hydruxo]

I'll check this out, but I'm not really expecting a whole lot out of it. Especially with Lindelof involved.

 

[Cornballer]

>__>

Whoopsie. I searched for MZS and NY Mag. :/

 

[TheOddOne]

Whoopsie. I searched for MZS and NY Mag. :/

In a way, it's my fault.

Fake edit: beaten by Cornballer.

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

I'm thinking I might skip this one.

First it was cause of Lindelof, but actually watching the trailers... feels too gloomy for me.

 

[TheOddOne]

- Vulture: The Leftovers Author Tom Perrotta Breaks Down How He Went Hollywood
- IGN review of the pilot (9/10)

 

[Gray Matter]

I only saw the first trailer and it looked interesting enough that I went on a media blackout on this. Here's hoping for another great drama.