HBO orders Damon Lindelof’s ‘The Leftovers’ to series

At a time when we are losing “Breaking Bad” and “Dexter,” and where we are saying goodbye to both “Mad Men” and very likely “Sons of Anarchy” next year, the following is good news: HBO is going to be strengthening up their schedule soon with some quality programming.

The network has officially ordered ten episodes of “The Leftovers,” an adaptation of the Tom Perrotta book that comes to us via “Lost” co-showrunner David Lindelof. This marks his first full-time series gig since the ABC phenomenon came to an end, though the prolific writer has been busy in between his work on “Prometheus” and “Star Trek Into Darkness.” This series revolves around a Rapture-esque event, and what happens to the people who are left on earth afterward. The comparisons to the “Left Behind” books are inevitable, but do not think of this so much as a work of Christian fiction as those books try to pride themselves on being.

The cast here is a pretty impressive one, with it front-lined by such people as Justin Theroux, Liv Tyler, Amy Brenneman, and for all of the geeks out there (us included), the 9th Doctor in Christopher Ecclestone. Lindelof and Perrotta will lead the charge in writing the series, with the former serving as showrunner. Peter Burg will executive produce, and has also directed the pilot episode.

There is no premiere date just yet for the series, but a reasonable guess would either be the fall of next year (giving “Boardwalk Empire” potentially a worthy companion), or in the early portion of 2015 depending on how long it takes the series to get fully off of the ground. The show airing in the January spot next year, as “True Detective,” is only meant to be a limited event.