‘The Leftovers’ season 2 official; HBO renews Justin Theroux drama

For all of you wondering why in the world it was taking so long to HBO to renew “The Leftovers,” there is no longer a reason to wonder. The network confirmed today that their series from Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta will be back for a second season.

At the moment, some other details on the show are still sketchy, including whether or not the renewal will be for another ten episodes. (We’d assume so, given that there was no announcement that this is the final season coming up.) In a statement, network head Michael Lombardo had the following to say:

“We are thrilled to bring back THE LEFTOVERS for a second season with the exceptional talents of Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta … It has been truly exciting to see the overwhelming response to their provocative and original storytelling. We look forward to continuing the journey as the show delves deeper into the lives of those who remain.” 

We were honestly unsure if “The Leftovers” was going to come back. While the ratings are decent for an HBO drama at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, the critical response has been somewhat divided. While there is no doubt that Lindelof can create an unusual world and interesting characters, this show has delved into such dark, depressing territory without some of the trademark hope that we saw from his other great show in “Lost.” This past episode, which featured Justin Theroux’s character of Kevin Garvey struggling to deal with his father after an escape mission gone wrong, was difficult to even watch because it was so dark.

Still, we’re intrigued to see what Damon does with a full year to work on new episodes, especially knowing now how many perceived his first season based on some of the reviews out there.

What do you think about this renewal news for now? Let us know with a comment.