Pilot Review: The Leftovers

The Leftovers (HBO)
Premiered June 29 at 10pm

The apocalypse is here on a few shows this year – like “The Last Ship” and “The After” – but in this case it’s more of a specific instance of the rapture. The concept has a religious context but the show as a whole doesn’t fall too much into that, instead internalizing a new kind of penance and zealotry in this universe. It’s interesting to see that this show frames itself much in the same way that other series do, with one lone law enforcement official tasked with keeping the peace in a redefined society where he is the only noble element left. The kicker here is that cop Kevin Garvey’s wife is revealed not to have disappeared during the rapture but instead to have joined a creepy cult whose members dress in white, don’t talk, and smoke incessantly. This show has a good balance of disturbing drama and productively defined human interactions. They’re much more sophisticated and disturbing than those in other imagined dystopian futures, featuring violent tendencies from Kevin’s daughter Jill and some messed-up spin the bottle games. Fusing present-day technology like smartphones with utterly unrecognizable facets of society works well, and this show is a stirring, unsettling portrait of what the world could look like if something completely unexplained happen. It’s good to see a strong and diverse roster of TV players, including Justin Theroux (“Six Feet Under”), Amy Brenneman (“Judging Amy”), Charlie and Max Carver (“Desperate Housewives”), and Michael Gaston (“Mad Men,” “Turn,” “Jericho,” and much more), as well as Liv Tyler and the dependable Ann Dowd from “Compliance.” I’m definitely intrigued for more – this should prove to be a fitting companion for the final season of “True Blood.”

How will it work as a series? This pilot didn’t include too much in the way of supernatural developments aside from that one notable incident at the beginning, and that could be a smart choice since this show is thrilling and involving enough without that. Not providing enough answers could prove challenging as time goes on, but it will also help keep the mystery alive.
How long will it last? I would have said a while, but it’s not looking so optimistic at the moment. The show’s ratings were not too great, and HBO usually hits home runs right out of the gate. I wouldn’t give up just yet, but this show doesn’t have the buzz or viewership to certify it fresh just yet.

Pilot grade: B+