Though it took five seasons for HBO’s “Game of Thrones” to more or less catch up to its still-unfinished source material – George R. R. Martin is currently writing the penultimate novel of his “A Song of Ice and Fire” series – the TV adaptation of Tom Perrotta’s “The Leftovers” has completely exhausted its source material in only one season. As such, showrunner Damon Lindelof made the bold decision to relocate the setting of the show from upstate New York to Texas. Now more details are being shared about the Texas-set second season, including a full synopsis and the premiere date.
READ MORE: Watch The First Trailer For ‘The Leftovers’ Season Two
“The Leftovers” will be returning this fall on October 4th, and with the change of scenery, a large portion of first season’s cast won’t be making the move, leaving Justin Theroux, Carrie Coon, Margaret Qualley, Christopher Eccleston, Janel Moloney, Amy Brenneman, Chris Zylka and Liv Tyler as the links between the first and second seasons. The new cast members include Regina King, Kevin Carroll, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Jovan Adepo as a family in Jarden, the small eastern Texas town where the show will take place. The season’s full synopsis has been revealed (via Collider):
After last season’s elaborate Memorial Day initiative by the Guilty Remnant plunged Mapleton into chaos, season two of THE LEFTOVERS finds many searching for a fresh start. Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) has retired from his post as chief of police of Mapleton and is moving his new family to Texas. With him is Nora Durst (Carrie Coon), who’s discovered new purpose in caring for the baby she found on Kevin’s doorstep and welcomes leaving behind Mapleton and the incredible tragedy she suffered there. Equally eager to leave the town she grew up in and the friends she made there is Kevin’s daughter, Jill (Margaret Qualley). Upon their arrival in Jarden, Texas, the newly formed Garvey family meet their neighbors, the Murphys: John (Kevin Carroll) and Erika (Regina King) and their teenage twins, Evie (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Michael (Jovan Adepo). Attracted to this special town and hoping for miracles for his whole family, Matt Jamison (Christopher Eccleston) has moved with his wife, Mary (Janel Moloney), who still suffers from consequences of the terrible car accident on October 14. Meanwhile, Kevin’s ex-wife, Laurie Garvey (Amy Brenneman), has left the Guilty Remnant and reunited with her son, Tom (Chris Zylka), who may have finally discovered a cause to help replace the pain in his heart. And while Meg (Liv Tyler) remains in the Guilty Remnant, it may not be the same cult she originally joined.
Earlier this year when he explained his decision to shake things up for the second season, Lindelof referenced the famed second season of “The Wire” as an inspiration. We’ll have to wait until this fall to find out whether the second season of “The Leftovers” will do for it what the second season did for David Simon’s iconic show: widen the scope.
Catch “The Leftovers” when it returns October 4th on HBO. In the meantime, check out some images from the upcoming season below.
