The Leftovers Season Three is up in the Air
By Julie Kelly
Like True Detective, HBO seems content to drag fans along when it comes to a renewal for The Leftovers.
The Leftovers is one of the darkest popular dramas currently on television, and proudly joins HBO’s roster of other bleak shows such as Six Feet Under and True Detective. While it is endlessly compelling (so far) The Leftovers isn’t actually much of an easy watch. And after season two wraps up next week, the question of whether or not there will be anymore is still up in the air.
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In an interview with Indie Wire, show writer and author of the original novel, Tom Perrotta, doesn’t know what the future holds for The Leftovers. With only two episodes left, season two is heading for some sort of reckoning. When asked about season three, Perrotta is as honest as possible:
"“We have some vague ideas, but we don’t even know if there will be a Season 3. That’s the question we’re waiting to get answered.”"
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When pushed to elaborate, Perrotta adds that HBO hasn’t even discussed renewal with them yet, though he contributes this to people going on vacation after post-production wrapped up. HBO very rarely, if ever, renews a show while its latest season is still on the air. Game of Thrones is the one huge exception to this rule.
The ratings for The Leftovers are solid, though not spectacular. Meatacritic ratings for season two are currently sitting at 80, which is a nice improvement over the first season’s 65. That number is bound to change some after the season final airs on December 6th.
Perrotta seems excited to pursue a third season of The Leftovers, and in this case it feels as if the ball is squarely in HBO’s court. It’s somewhat the opposite of the situation that HBO currently has with True Detective — they want to push forward but are waiting on the word from creator Nic Pizzolatto.
Next: HBO welcomes you to Bastards.
The Leftovers is one of those shows that feels as if it easily go on or just stop, and either direction would feel correct at this point.