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The Leftovers premiered in the summer of 2014, and viewers and fans of the cryptic television series quickly realized it wasn’t your average, everyday show.

There were many well-thought-out elements that played into the success of the television series. From the talented cast to the show’s literary beginnings, The Leftovers‘ boundary breaking content won over many fans. However, those who may have missed The Leftovers the first time around can enjoy watching the series on HBO Max’s streaming service. Take a look back at The Leftovers and find out just how many seasons there are to binge-watch. 

How many seasons of ‘The Leftovers’ are there to watch? 

The Leftovers was a television show known for its mysterious nature as well as the series’ compelling characters. The show revolved around a small town in New York following a tragic incident that caused two percent of the worldwide population to suddenly disappear. 

The Leftovers told the story of the people who were left struggling to make sense of the bizarre and tragic event that took so many. The television series ran for a total of three seasons before The Leftovers came off the air in 2017. IMDb has documented all of the series’ episodes and the stars who made it all possible. 

The story behind HBO’s television series

Justin Theroux
Justin Theroux | Vincent Sandoval/Getty Images

In June of 2014 HBO premiered The Leftovers, but the characters and their stories had already existed for quite some time. That is because Tom Perrotta, the co-creator of the HBO show, wrote the fictional novel the series is based upon a few years before the TV show debuted. 

In 2011 Perrotta published The Leftovers, and though the series didn’t immediately follow, the author actually signed a deal with HBO that very same year.  About three years later, Perrotta’s fictional universe was brought to life, and viewers couldn’t get enough of it. Perrotta’s interview with IndieWire shed a lot of light on what the beginning stages of The Leftovers looked like. 

The cast & characters of HBO’s ‘The Leftovers’ 

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At the heart of any television series is the cast and their correlating characters. Justin Theroux  was the actor who took on the role of Kevin Garvey. Though Kevin Garvey was the town’s mayor in Perrotta’s novel, Theroux’s character played the part of chief of police in the HBO show. 

Cast to play Theroux’s fictional and estranged wife was Amy Brenneman. Brenneman’s fans and followers may remember her from her time on ABC’s Private Practice. However, Laurie Garvey was far from Doctor Violet Turner. In Perrotta’s interview with IndieWire he spoke about Brenneman’s commitment to both the character and her story and how well the actress was able to pull it off. Anyone who has caught any of the series probably knows just what the author means. 

Margaret Qualley was the actress who was cast as Kevin and Laurie’s daughter, Jill Garvey. The actress who has a strong background in dancing was able to gain a lot of positive attention and momentum while on The Leftovers and has landed numerous roles since. Most recently the actress was cast as Alex in the new Netflix series Maid

Chris Zylka, Carrie Coon, and Liv Tyler are just a few other of the talented individuals who were cast in the hit-series. The show had a lot of fans and viewers, so when the series came to an end after just three seasons it came as a surprise to many. Fortunately, anyone is able to watch the reruns through HBO Max.  The Leftovers is still considered a fan-favorite for so many.