# List of The Leftovers episodes
*The Leftovers* is an American drama television series created by [Damon Lindelof](https://www.edgepedia.org/damon-lindelof) and Tom Perrotta for HBO, set three years after the sudden disappearance of 2 percent of the world's population. The series comprises 28 episodes in three seasons, broadcast from June 29, 2014 to June 4, 2017, plus four specials.[1](https://epguides.com/Leftovers/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2699128)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Network and run | HBO (US), June 29, 2014 to June 4, 2017; status canceled/ended[1](https://epguides.com/Leftovers/) |
| Episode count | 28 episodes: 10 (season 1), 10 (season 2), 8 (season 3), plus 4 specials[1](https://epguides.com/Leftovers/) • [3](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-leftovers) |
| Run time | Listed at 60 minutes; the pilot runs 71 minutes and the finale, "The Book of Nora", 75 minutes[1](https://epguides.com/Leftovers/) |
| Critical scores | Rotten Tomatoes season averages: 82% (season 1), 94% (season 2), 99% (season 3)[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the-leftovers/s03) |
| Finale | "The Book of Nora", aired June 4, 2017, named one of TIME's top 10 television episodes of 2017[1](https://epguides.com/Leftovers/) • [5](https://time.com/5038210/top-10-television-episodes-2017/) |
## Season 1 (2014)
Season 1 is set in Mapleton, New York, three years after the Sudden Departure, and follows police chief Kevin Garvey ([Justin Theroux](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-theroux)) as he tries to hold his family and town together while the Guilty Remnant, a silent, chain-smoking cult, moves through the community.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the-leftovers/s01) The season aired weekly from June 29 to September 7, 2014.[1](https://epguides.com/Leftovers/)
| No. | Title | Original air date | IMDb rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | June 29, 2014 | 7.9 |
| 2 | "Penguin One, Us Zero" | July 6, 2014 | 7.3 |
| 3 | "Two Boats and a Helicopter" | July 13, 2014 | 8.8 |
| 4 | "B.J. and the A.C." | July 20, 2014 | 7.6 |
| 5 | "Gladys" | July 27, 2014 | 8.1 |
| 6 | "Guest" | August 3, 2014 | 8.8 |
| 7 | "Solace for Tired Feet" | August 10, 2014 | 7.9 |
| 8 | "Cairo" | August 17, 2014 | 8.6 |
| 9 | "The Garveys at Their Best" | August 24, 2014 | 9.1 |
| 10 | "The Prodigal Son Returns" | September 7, 2014 | 9.3 |
Air dates and titles per the episode guide; ratings are IMDb user scores.[1](https://epguides.com/Leftovers/) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2699128/episodes/) Two character-centered hours stand out in contemporary reviews: "Two Boats and a Helicopter", which follows Reverend Matt Jamison ([Christopher Eccleston](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher-eccleston)) through a crisis of faith as he fights to save his church from foreclosure, and "Guest", which follows Nora Durst ([Carrie Coon](https://www.edgepedia.org/carrie-coon)) to a Departure-related conference in New York.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2699128/episodes/) • [8](https://time.com/2923387/review-leftovers-hbo-damon-lindelof/) The penultimate episode, "The Garveys at Their Best", is an integral flashback to the days before the Departure.[9](https://clic.research.vub.be/sites/default/files/2024-12/Seriality_8.1_JLIC_final_rev24.pdf)
## Season 2 (2015)
Season 2 moves the setting to Jarden, Texas, renamed "Miracle" after it was discovered that no one departed there, and introduces the Murphy family alongside the returning Garveys.[10](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/138/the-leftovers/seasons) The season premiered October 4, 2015 and concluded December 6, 2015.[1](https://epguides.com/Leftovers/)
| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | "Axis Mundi" | October 4, 2015 |
| 12 | "A Matter of Geography" | October 11, 2015 |
| 13 | "Off Ramp" | October 18, 2015 |
| 14 | "Orange Sticker" | October 25, 2015 |
| 15 | "No Room at the Inn" | November 1, 2015 |
| 16 | "Lens" | November 8, 2015 |
| 17 | "A Most Powerful Adversary" | November 15, 2015 |
| 18 | "International Assassin" | November 22, 2015 |
| 19 | "Ten Thirteen" | November 29, 2015 |
| 20 | "I Live Here Now" | December 6, 2015 |
The season opener opens with a scene set in caveman times before introducing a largely new cast and setting.[11](https://time.com/4058835/justin-theroux-the-leftovers-season-2-zoolander/) "[International Assassin](https://www.edgepedia.org/international-assassin)", in which Kevin Garvey dies and navigates a purgatorial hotel world, became one of the series' signature hours; Kevin's afterlife episodes were reprised in the season 3 penultimate episode.[12](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jun/05/the-leftovers-series-finale-recap)
## Season 3 (2017)
Season 3 is set seven years after the Departure, with the Garveys and Matt Jamison in Australia as believers await a possible apocalypse on the seventh anniversary.[12](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jun/05/the-leftovers-series-finale-recap) The eight episodes aired from April 16 to June 4, 2017.[1](https://epguides.com/Leftovers/) • [13](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-leftovers/season-3/)
| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | "The Book of Kevin" | April 16, 2017 |
| 22 | "Don't Be Ridiculous" | April 23, 2017 |
| 23 | "Crazy Whitefella Thinking" | April 30, 2017 |
| 24 | "G'Day Melbourne" | May 7, 2017 |
| 25 | "It's a Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt World" | May 14, 2017 |
| 26 | "Certified" | May 21, 2017 |
| 27 | "The Most Powerful Man in the World (and His Identical Twin Brother)" | May 28, 2017 |
| 28 | "The Book of Nora" | June 4, 2017 |
The finale centers on Nora Durst, who recounts a journey to a parallel world where her vanished family is said to be alive; TIME ranked it second among the television episodes of 2017.[5](https://time.com/5038210/top-10-television-episodes-2017/) The season earned a 98 Metascore on Metacritic, based on 17 critic reviews.[13](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-leftovers/season-3/)
## Specials
Four specials were cataloged alongside the regular episodes, including the behind-the-scenes feature "Making The Leftovers" (June 23, 2014), "I Remember – A Season One Conversation with Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta" (January 1, 2015), "Beyond the Book – Season Two" (October 6, 2015), and "Living Reminders – The Guilty Remnant" (January 1, 2016), in which Lindelof and Perrotta discuss the origins of the cult and the cast describe playing silent characters.[1](https://epguides.com/Leftovers/) • [14](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-leftovers/allseasons/official)
## Structure and reception across the run
The three seasons differ in geography, tone, and source. Season 1 stays faithful to Perrotta's novel and grounded in Mapleton; season 2, freed from the source material, moves to Texas and into mystery-thriller territory; season 3, set in Australia, grapples with an apparently looming apocalypse before the finale.[15](https://www.gamesradar.com/best-shows-on-hbo-max/) The title music changed with each setting: a somber orchestral piece by [Max Richter](https://www.edgepedia.org/max-richter) for season 1, [Iris DeMent](https://www.edgepedia.org/iris-dement)'s "Let the Mystery Be" for season 2, and new music each episode in season 3, from the [Gravediggaz](https://www.edgepedia.org/gravediggaz)' "1-800-Suicide" to the theme from *Perfect Strangers*.[12](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jun/05/the-leftovers-series-finale-recap)
Critical scores rose over the run. Rotten Tomatoes gives season 1 an 82% Tomatometer, season 2 94%, and season 3 99%, and the series overall holds a 91% Tomatometer.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the-leftovers/s03) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the-leftovers/s01) Metacritic's series-level Metascore is 76, with season 3 at 98.[16](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-leftovers/critic-reviews/) • [13](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-leftovers/season-3/) On October 14, 2014, over a month after season 1 concluded, HBO aired the entire first season all day as a nod to the in-show date of the Departure.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2699128)
## References
1. [The Leftovers (a Titles & Air Dates Guide), epguides.com](https://epguides.com/Leftovers/)
2. [The Leftovers (TV Series 2014–2017), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2699128)
3. [The Leftovers, TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-leftovers)
4. [The Leftovers: Season 3, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the-leftovers/s03)
5. [The Top 10 Television Episodes of 2017, TIME](https://time.com/5038210/top-10-television-episodes-2017/)
6. [The Leftovers: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the-leftovers/s01)
7. [The Leftovers (TV Series 2014–2017) – Episode list, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2699128/episodes/)
8. [Review of HBO's The Leftovers, TIME](https://time.com/2923387/review-leftovers-hbo-damon-lindelof/)
9. [How to End Complex Serial Drama? Mystery and Monologues in The Leftovers, Seriality 8.1 (2023)](https://clic.research.vub.be/sites/default/files/2024-12/Seriality_8.1_JLIC_final_rev24.pdf)
10. [The Leftovers – Seasons, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/138/the-leftovers/seasons)
11. [Justin Theroux on The Leftovers' 'Spiritual' Season 2, TIME](https://time.com/4058835/justin-theroux-the-leftovers-season-2-zoolander/)
12. [How The Leftovers became the most ambitious show of the decade, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jun/05/the-leftovers-series-finale-recap)
13. [The Leftovers season 3 Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-leftovers/season-3/)
14. [The Leftovers – Aired Order – All Seasons, TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-leftovers/allseasons/official)
15. [The 30 best shows on HBO Max to watch right now, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/best-shows-on-hbo-max/)
16. [The Leftovers critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-leftovers/critic-reviews/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Fictional worlds and series reference apparatus › Episode lists, seasons, and broadcast lifecycle › Episode lists for individual series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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