In order to accommodate some appropriately grim weather, production on HBO's Game of Thrones was pushed back which meant that the series wouldn't premiere in its customary March/April slot and would instead debut sometime in late summer or fall. This left a prime slot open in HBO's 2017 schedule and it was announced today, by series creators Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, that the third and final season of The Leftovers would be the series to fill it.
If you're not in the mood for Lindelof's shtick, the eight-episode third season of The Leftovers will debut in April 2017. The Leftovers has never been a huge ratings draw for HBO but I'm grateful that they gave it the chance to go out on its own terms. Rarely have I encountered anyone who has watched the show who didn't have strong feelings about it one way or another; some despise it and others love it, with not a whole lot of gray area in between. Personally, I've been captivated by The Leftovers since day one and the show only got better for me, its second season in particular managed to raise the bar considerably and was one of my favourite seasons of television in 2015. Just as the second season switched locations from New England to Texas, the third season will shake things up once again by leaving America behind and taking place in Australia. Here's hoping that Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta will be able to let The Leftovers go out with a bang.