‘The Leftovers’: Damon Lindelof explains plans for show, Twitter exit, and more

To us, one of the biggest TV events is coming on Sunday, June 29 with the series premiere of “The Leftovers.” As a longtime fan of Damon Lindelof’s, it is easy to be excited about anything that he puts his name on.

However, we do recognize that there are others now who approach him with trepidation, just based on the way in which “Lost” came to a close. We can only imagine what that finale would have been like if Twitter was as popular back in 2010 as it is here in 2014. Even still, Lindelof (who created the show alongside Carlton Cuse) suffered so much abuse from fans that he eventually decided that his self-loathing internet persona, which opened the door for fans to loathe him, as well, had to go. (Part of it is a shame, since we miss the Twitter feuds Damon had with Fancy Feast, and his live-tweeted of random pop-culture events.)

In a lengthy article with the New York Times, Damon discusses the bizarre relationship that he has with fans, and why he still looks back at the “Lost” experience for understanding. He doesn’t regret any creative decisions, but still wonders what can be done differently with this new show on HBO. One thing that looks different with “The Leftovers” right away comes via priorities; he says that this is not meant to be about shocks so much as telling a story:

“‘The Leftovers’ is not constructed as a cliffhangery show,” Lindelof says. “It’s not built to be like, oh, my God, we’ve got to watch the next episode immediately. But at the same time, it is built so that when one episode ends, you want to keep watching the show. So by virtue of that, [we are] finding the spirit of: Well, what will make someone excited to watch ‘The Leftovers’ this Sunday night?”

Are you excited for “The Leftovers,” or are you nervous due to everything in the past? Share your thoughts below.