HBO just unveiled a new trailer for its upcoming post-apocalyptic drama series The Leftovers, from the mind of Lost showrunner Damon Lindelof. There’s still a lot about this show that we don’t know (and given Lindelof’s past projects, that shouldn’t surprise anyone), but the new preview, set to a chilling female rendition of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence,” certainly marks The Leftovers as one we’re going to keep an eye on.
The first trailer for this series focused more on individual characters, showing one mother’s panic as her baby disappears from a carseat, but this new preview pulls the camera back a bit to show the impact of the Rapture, an event in which 2% of the world’s population instantaneously disappeared, across America. As an addendum to the Pledge of Allegiance, students pray for the return of their lost ones. Meanwhile, a panel of experts appointed to determine what happened comes up with nothing. And, in an empty household, a heartbroken family man tearfully prays for the return of his missing wife.
However, grief isn’t the only emotion on display. One public speaker angrily claims, “They were no better than us,” dismissing claims that the Rapture is what took the vanished people away. A cult called the Guilty Remnant forms, led by the solemn Patti Levin (Anna Dowd), and holds up a provocative sign reading, “Don’t waste your breath,” intended for those praying for the lost to return. Needless to say, they aren’t embraced by the general population.
The Guilty Remnant is a very intriguing idea, and I’m excited to see where The Leftovers goes with it. The same goes for the show’s premise as a whole – this is a much more character-driven, emotional, apocalyptic series than we’re used to seeing, and the focus on how normal people react to something as inexplicable as the Rapture could make for a refreshing change of pace from usual dystopian offerings.
This show boasts a strong cast, led by Justin Theroux, Liv Tyler, Christopher Eccleston, Amy Brenneman, Carrie Coon and Chris Zylka, and has a very striking appearance, so it will definitely be an exciting watch. We’ll be able to start unravelling its mysteries when The Leftovers premieres on June 29th at 10 p.m. on HBO.
