‘The Leftovers’ Creator Damon Lindelof Said the Ending of the Series Felt ‘Really Delicious’

The best TV shows never fail to keep us all invested until the very end, but they nearly always miss the mark when it comes to how we all envision the series to end. This is probably the case because fans hate to see their favorite shows end, and everyone has a different ending in mind for themselves. 

This is particularly the case with Damon Lindelof and his famous work The Leftovers. Not only do viewers get a ‘really delicious’ ending that keeps fans guessing, but a similar ending once scarred Lindelof in the past with another big series. 

The premise of ‘The Leftovers’

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Coming back to the TV industry with a point to prove and redemption in mind, Lindelof introduced supernatural fans to a new series called The Leftovers in 2014. Just three years earlier, an event called the ‘Sudden Departure’ wiped out 2% of the population.

Upon its third anniversary, the main characters (police chief Kevin Garvey, his family, Nora Durst, her brother, and Reverend Matt Jamison) struggle to come to terms with what happened and adjust their lives after the event.

The ending of ‘The Leftovers’ keeps the audience guessing

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[SPOILER] In the series finale that hit the screens in 2017, Kevin Garvey and Nora reunite more than a decade later find the two lovers’ connection stronger than ever. Nora claims she was successfully transported to an alternate reality, and Kevin admits he never stopped searching for her since her disappearance — he also refuses ever to leave her again.

According to DigitalSpy, Justin Theroux (plays Kevin Garvey) revealed his own theory. “My theory is she’s lying to me, and she didn’t go to this other place, and she’s using that to try and get me to leave.”

According to Vulture, Lindelof couldn’t help but leave the series with a bit of mystery and ambiguity again. “That all felt really delicious,” they report Lindelof saying, “but I also kind of realized I was going to get crucified [for once again leaving the audience guessing].” 

They add that he decided it was much better to be memorable than cautious when it came to his work. “Twenty years from now, if people are still talking about The Leftovers in any context, even as a cautionary tale, that’s a huge accomplishment.” 

This isn’t the first time Lindelof set people off with a series ending

Damon Lindelof | Charley Gallay/Getty Images for WGAW

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If you’re familiar with Lindelof and his most famous work, then you already know about a similar hit series that captivated hundreds of thousands of viewers since the beginning, only to end with too many unanswered questions — LOST.

Since the Oceanic flight 815 plane crashed in the first episode, dozens of our favorite characters fight (and overcome, for some) their own personal struggles while navigating an island full of its own demons and secrets.

[SPOILER] The ending, however, saw Walt, Sawyer, Kate, and Claire flying off the Island. Rose and Hurley remaining on the island (nearly 15 others presumably alive but unconfirmed), and Jack closing his eyes to die with Vincent beside him. Even more, they’re all also together in a church (the ones presumably alive and not), hugging and laughing — and finally, they sit down and maybe go into the light together?

What does this mean for the whole series? Fans only have a collection of theories without any real answers. And it looks like that’s creator Damon Lindelof’s favorite way to end his shows — everyone guessing but no one really knowing what the heck happened. It’s not a bad idea, really. After all, aren’t most of us still talking about the LOST ending more than a decade later?