What would happen to the world if two per cent of the population suddenly, mysteriously vanished, Biblical Rapture-style? A blend of fear, uncertainty and some chaos, most likely, which is the story told by HBO’s new drama, which has put its first full trailer online.
Adapted by Lost/Star Trek Into Darkness veteran Damon Lindelof from Tom Perrotta’s book, and co-created for the cable channel by the pair, The Leftovers focuses on various characters that must deal with the aftermath of the event in a suburban New York community called Mapleton. Those left behind (not to be confused with the Left Behind book series, which has a similar premise) react in very different ways, and in the years after the disappearances, no one is quite sure how to move on properly.
The cast is full of stalwart acting types led by Justin Theroux, with Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Ann Dowd, Liv Tyler, Paterson Joseph, Janel Moloney and Carrie Coon also aboard, and promises to be a look at a world forever changed and the people left to pick up the pieces.
The Leftovers starts in the US on June 29, though there has been no announcement about whether Sky Atlantic will pick the show up and when it might air here if it does.