Menu
  • Home
  • News
  • Cancelled or Renewed?
    • Cancelled TV Shows (lists)
    • Cancellations
    • Renewals
    • TV Show Status Pages
    • Vulture Watch
  • TV Ratings
    • Daily Network Ratings
    • Ratings by Season/Channel
    • Weekly Averages
    • Soap Opera Ratings
    • Archive
    • Viewer Votes
      • ABC TV shows
      • CBS TV shows
      • The CW TV shows
      • FOX TV shows
      • NBC TV shows
  • About
  • YouTube
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • RSS
  • Mail

canceled + renewed TV shows - TV Series Finale

   

The Leftovers: Lindelof Contrasts HBO Series with Lost

by Cindy McLennan, December 6, 2015

The Leftovers TV show on HBO: season two (canceled or renewed?)

The season two finale of The Leftovers airs on HBO, tonight at 9:00pm ET/PT. It remains to be seen if this is also The Leftovers‘ TV series finale. In a conversation with Variety‘s Maureen Ryan, co-creator Damon Lindelof discussed some of the differences between The Leftovers, and his Lost TV show, which aired for six seasons on ABC.

Along with Carlton Cuse, Lindelof famously negotiated an end date for Lost. The duo essentially asked for the series to be be cancelled three years ahead of time, for plotting purposes. Both have acknowledged that having an end date freed them creatively.

In his interview with Variety, Lindelof also seems to feel freed by writing a story that is not a mystery series. While no one knows why people disappeared in the “Sudden Departure,” The Leftovers is not about what caused it. It is about living with the effects.

During the conversation, which included mention of Lindelof’s decision to leave Twitter, Ryan observed that by its nature, The Leftovers is not a show about answers and payoffs, in the way Lost was. Lindelof, who agrees, replied:

Right. This is the area that I really want to mine. I do feel like this premise finds a way to talk about loss. To me, it’s not a Sept. 11 metaphor, it’s a death metaphor. When death happens, it’s shocking and it’s sudden and it’s permanent and you have no answers. You’re like, “Why did this happen to this person? Why did this happen to me? What am I supposed to do about it?”

Ryan said that while The Leftovers uses some of Lost‘s “storytelling moves,” it feels more open-ended. She asked Lindelof if that’s the sense he has when writing the series. Here is his answer, from Variety:

You know, “Lost,” by the very nature of what the premise was, you always had to be thinking about the future. Until we got the end date, we were in a very nebulous space in terms of how the show should be paced and how mysteries should be answered and how new characters should and should not be introduced. You had to be kind of talking about the long game, the entire game plan. For “The Leftovers” you can talk about it on a season by season basis the way Vince Gilligan talked about “Breaking Bad.” He would say, “Then we would have the scene where Walt opened up the trunk of his car and there’d be a gun in there and we had no idea what the payoff was going to be.” The audience would say, “Okay, we’re cool with that.”

I would read those interviews and I would be like, “Why aren’t they killing Vince Gilligan? How is he allowed to say that they’re making it up as they go along?” The answer to the question is, because Vince Gilligan’s not writing a mystery show. When you’re writing a mystery show, you have to know the answers to the mysteries that you are presenting to the audience. And if you don’t know the answers, they can smell it. That is the lesson that was learned. If you don’t know the answer to your mystery, the audience can smell it. They’re just way too smart.

As previously reported, book series author and co-creator of The Leftovers TV series, Tom Perrotta, says they’re still waiting to hear from HBO whether The Leftovers will be cancelled after two season, or renewed for season three. According to star, Justin Theroux, while he is hoping for a third season of The Leftovers, season two is a nice “bookend” to the show. There almost wasn’t a second season of The Leftovers. Early on, Lindelof thought of ending it with one season.

Were you a fan of Lost? Have you been watching The Leftovers? Do you expect it to be renewed for a third season, or cancelled after season two? If you’ve watched the season two finale, do you feel like it is enough of a bookend to the series? Please share your thoughts, in the comments.


More about: Lost, Lost: canceled or renewed?, The Leftovers, The Leftovers: canceled or renewed?

Related Articles

  • The Leftovers TV Show: canceled or renewed?
    The Leftovers: Could There Be a Spin-off for the HBO TV Show?
    April 9, 2017
  • The Leftovers TV show on HBO: season 3 (canceled or renewed?) The Leftovers TV show on HBO: season 3 premiere date (canceled or renewed?)
    The Leftovers: Third & Final Season Premiere Date Revealed (Video)
    January 24, 2017
  • The Leftovers: First Photo of Final Season Released
    December 22, 2016
  • The Leftovers: HBO Announces Premiere Month for Third and Final Season
    December 6, 2016
  • Manhattan TV show on WGN America
    The Leftovers: Season Three to Feature Katja Herbers (Manhattan)
    August 23, 2016
  • The Leftovers TV show on HBO: season 3 ending (canceled or renewed?).
    The Leftovers: Lindelof Says Final HBO Season Won’t Be Lost
    May 18, 2016
  • The Leftovers: Season Three Production of HBO Series Moving to Australia
    May 1, 2016
  • The Leftovers: Liv Tyler Returning for Final Season on HBO
    February 26, 2016
  • The Leftovers: Season Three Plans Hindered by Low Ratings
    December 7, 2015
  • The Leftovers TV show on HBO: season 3 ending (canceled or renewed?).
    The Leftovers: Season Three Not Being Discussed by HBO
    November 30, 2015
  • Lost TV show on ABC: ended, no season 7 (canceled or renewed?)
    Lost: Damon Lindelof Struggled with Depression During Series
    November 12, 2015
  • The Leftovers: Season Three And Beyond Teased; Five Seasons Possible?
    October 21, 2015
  • The Leftovers: Damon Lindelof Almost Cancelled Show Himself
    October 1, 2015
  • The Leftovers: Season Two Renewal for HBO Series
    August 13, 2014
  • The Leftovers: HBO Series Delayed Two Weeks
    April 25, 2014
  • The Leftovers TV show on HBO: season two (canceled or renewed?)
    True Blood, The Leftovers: HBO Show Debuts in June
    April 3, 2014


Canceled and renewed TV show
« Previous Post
Next Post »

5
Leave a Reply

avatar
4 Comment threads
1 Thread replies
3 Followers
 
Most reacted comment
Hottest comment thread
5 Comment authors
AudraJoeIzzyVince humbleSandra Shill Recent comment authors
avatar

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Audra
Reader
Audra

Love this show…Love Justin Theroux. Can’t believe it hasn’t been renewed yet. We need this, do it.

Vote Up1-1Vote Down Reply
December 7, 2015 1:49 pm
Izzy
Reader
Izzy

I’ve wanted to watch this series but the fact that Lindelof is involved (Lost) has held me back. I’ll probably take the plunge and watch but, if he fails again I may be done with his work.

Vote Up1-1Vote Down Reply
December 7, 2015 8:37 am
Joe
Reader
Joe

Ok.

Vote Up00Vote Down Reply
December 7, 2015 10:13 am
Vince humble
Reader
Vince humble

3rd season, PLEASE !!!! Best show on TV. It can’t be over after only 2 seasons. Please renew the leftovers…PLEASE.

Vote Up4-1Vote Down Reply
December 6, 2015 11:21 pm
Sandra Shill
Reader
Sandra Shill

The biggest difference between Lost and The Leftovers, is that Lost didn’t make you feel suicidal at the end of each episode, lol!

Vote Up4-2Vote Down Reply
December 6, 2015 8:43 pm
wpdiscuz   wpDiscuz
Cancelled TV Show Lists Ratings (by TV Channel) Status Lists of 800+ Shows
  • TV Ratings
  • Quick Questions
  • ABC 2019-20 Season Ratings (updated 12/12/19)
  • CBS 2019-20 Season Ratings (updated 12/12/19)
  • The CW TV show ratings (cancel or renew?) CW 2019-20 Season Ratings (updated 12/12/19)
  • FOX 2019-20 Season Ratings (updated 12/12/19)
  • NBC TV shows (canceled or renewed?) NBC 2019-20 Season Ratings (updated 12/12/19)
  • More...
  • Salvation TV show on CBS: season 3 (canceled or renewed?) Salvation: Season Three? Should the CBS Summer Series Be Renewed? September 18, 2018
  • Take Two TV show on ABC: canceled or renewed for season 2? Take Two: Season Two; Should the ABC TV Show Be Renewed? September 13, 2018
  • Shooter TV show on USA Network: canceled, no season 4 Shooter: Season Four? Would You Watch the Cancelled Show on Another Channel? September 13, 2018
  • Shades of Blue TV show on NBC: no season four Shades of Blue: Season Four? Would You Have Kept Watching the NBC Series? August 20, 2018
  • Quantico TV show on ABC: canceled, no season 4 Quantico: Season Four; Would You Have Watched More of the Cancelled ABC Series? August 4, 2018
  • More...
  • Cancellations
  • Renewals
  • Mystery Science Theater 3000 TV show on Netflix cancelled; no season three Mystery Science Theater 3000: Netflix Revival Cancelled, No Season Three
  • Strange Angel TV show on CBS All Access: cancelled, no season 3 Strange Angel: Cancelled; No Season Three for CBS All Access Series
  • Anne with an E: Cancelled; No Season Four for CBC and Netflix Series But..
  • 2019-20 canceled TV shows 56 Ending or Cancelled TV Shows for the 2019-20 Season
  • Marvel's Runaways TV show on Hulu: canceled, no season 4 Marvel's Runaways: Hulu TV Series Ending; No Season Four
  • 2018-19 canceled tv shows 151 Ending or Cancelled TV Shows for the 2018-19 Season
  • More...
  • Ghost Nation: Season Two Renewal Announced for Travel Channel Series December 12, 2019
  • Buddy Vs. Duff: Season Two Production Begins for Food Network Series December 12, 2019
  • Good Talk with Anthony Jeselnik TV show on Comedy Central: (canceled or renewed?) Good Talk with Anthony Jeselnik: Season Two Renewal Announced by Comedy Central December 11, 2019
  • Watch What Happens Live: Bravo Renews Andy Cohen Series Through 2021 December 11, 2019
  • Reno 911: Season Seven; Quibi Reviving Cancelled Comedy Central Series December 9, 2019
  • Extreme Love: Season Two; WE tv Series Returns in January December 5, 2019
  • More...

The Latest

  • Ghost Nation: Season Two Renewal Announced for Travel Channel Series
  • Reclaimed: Hidden Treasure Series Coming to Discovery Channel
  • Buddy Vs. Duff: Season Two Production Begins for Food Network Series
  • Miz & Mrs: Season Two Coming to USA Network in January
  • Good Talk with Anthony Jeselnik: Season Two Renewal Announced by Comedy Central
  • Antiques Roadshow: Season 24; PBS TV Show Returns in January
  • Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 10 Premiere Date, Poster and Trailer Released
  • Murdered by Morning: New True Crime Series Coming to Oxygen
  • Kavalier and Clay: Showtime Picks Up Series Based on Michael Chabon Novel
  • The Purge: Season Two; Ethan Hawke Reprising Movie Role for USA Series
  • Watch What Happens Live: Bravo Renews Andy Cohen Series Through 2021
  • Steve on Watch: Steve Harvey Moves to Facebook for New Talk Show
  • Grace and Frankie: Season Six Photos and Premiere Date Released by Netflix
  • Disenchantment: Part Three; 2020 Premiere Date Announced by Netflix
  • New Amsterdam: NBC Releasing Day 1 Origin Story Series
  • Avenue 5: HBO Previews Hugh Laurie Space Comedy Series
  • It's Pony: Nickelodeon Announces Premiere for New Animated Series
  • The Ranch: Part Eight; Netflix Sets Premiere for Final Episodes
  • Miracle Workers: Season Two; TBS Previews Daniel Radcliffe & Steve Buscemi in the Dark Ages
More...

Popular

  • CBS TV Shows: 2019-20 Viewer Votes
  • FOX TV Shows: 2019-20 Viewer Votes
  • Viewer Votes Ranking for the 2019-20 Network TV Shows
  • The CW TV Shows: 2019-20 Viewer Votes
  • NBC TV Shows: 2019-20 Viewer Votes
  • ABC TV Shows: 2019-20 Viewer Votes
  • ABC 2019-20 Season Ratings (updated 12/12/19)
  • CBS 2019-20 Season Ratings (updated 12/12/19)
  • CW 2019-20 Season Ratings (updated 12/12/19)
  • FOX 2019-20 Season Ratings (updated 12/12/19)
  • NBC 2019-20 Season Ratings (updated 12/12/19)
  • History TV Show Ratings (updated 12/12/19)
  • USA Network TV Show Ratings (updated 12/11/19)
  • OWN TV Show Ratings (updated 12/11/19)
  • Soap Opera Ratings for the 2019-20 Season (updated 12/11/19)
  • 2019-20 Season Ratings for New TV Shows (week 10)
  • 2019-20 TV Show Season Ratings (week 11)
  • HBO TV Show Ratings (updated 12/10/19)
  • Starz TV Show Ratings (updated 12/10/19)

No infringement of previously copyrighted material is intended on this site. DMCA.

Copyright © TV Series Finale. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.

wpDiscuz