While HBO's The Leftovers took some huge risks in season 2, fans should not expect this to become the new normal.

What 'The Leftovers' Can't 'Do Again' With The Garveys In Season 3

The Leftovers co-creator and showrunner Damon Lindelof spoke with The Living Reminders podcast recently about the plan for season 3, which was just announced this month by HBO.

Lindelof is acutely aware that trying to have the show outdo itself with risks upon risks will not result in a truly satisfying product.

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"The sky's the limit. The thing I don't want to do is be gimmicky," Lindelof said, when asked about his plan for season 3. "The minute that the audience is like, 'Oh, this show has to surprise me. It takes huge risks.' At a certain point taking huge risks, isn't risky anymore because the audience expects you to take them and then they're not really risks anymore. So I feel like we want to build a story that is mentally satisfying and watchable, but it has the same basic ingredients that any episode or successful episode of 'The Leftovers' to demonstrate which is that you get inside the heads of these characters, and you really care about them and invest in them."

Lindelof said that getting the audience to get invested in the characters is ultimately what he is "striving for" in the end.

The Leftovers is coming off some huge buzz among TV critics for season 2. The series was nominated for six Critics' Choice Awards this month, including Best Drama Series and acting nominations for Justin Theroux (who plays Kevin), Carrie Coon (Nora), Christopher Eccleston (Matt), Ann Dowd (Patti) and Regina King (Erika). It remains to be seen if the mystery series will continue its awards buzz when the Emmys announce their nominations next summer.

The Leftovers season 3 does not yet have an official premiere date on HBO.

Tags: The Leftovers television hbo