Despite being critically acclaimed, near-perfect show that was released from 2014-2017.

The Leftovers' memorable ending.

Damon Lindelof Thought Season 3 Was The Right Time To End The Leftovers

This Was Decided In Advance

Prior to the final season, Lindelof explained that season 3 felt like a natural ending point for The Leftovers (via Entertainment Weekly). He emphasized that all television shows should have a clear beginning, middle, and end, and that toward the end of season 2, it felt like the "characters were closer to their end than their beginning," which helped him realize that the show only needed one more season. With the endgame in sight, he felt the best move was to conclude the story with season 3 while the show was still at its best. Check out Lindelof's comments below:

I feel like television shows should have beginnings, middles, and ends. As we were getting to the end of the second season of the show, it started feeling to all of us that these characters were closer to their end than their beginning, and just the simple laws of mathematics said if they’re closer to their end, then we probably only have one more year to go… And I’ve been monogamous with The Leftovers for the past year and a half, and I’ve never been happier or more focused on the work. But I could probably only do that for one more year and then my mind’s going to start to wander. So I need to feel like there’s an end in sight, and we’ve built this entire family together, but I really thought it would energize the team to say "We’re going to do this one last time."

Another reason that the show arguably felt closer to the end than the beginning is because seasons 2 and 3 were not based on The Leftovers book. Season 1 adapted the entirety of Perrotta's source material, which required Lindelof and his creative team to create original material to continue the stories of Kevin, Nora, Matt, and the rest of the characters. Shifting the setting to Jarden, Texas in season 2 proved to be a compelling way to continue the story, but The Leftovers was never meant to be a show that would run for many years to come.

The Leftovers' Perfect Finale Means Ending The Show With Season 3 Was The Right Call

The Series Finale Does The Characters Justice

Lindelof's reasoning for ending The Leftovers with season 3 makes sense, and his rationale is further validated by the show's perfect series finale. The ending prioritizes the complex and emotional journeys that the characters have been on from the beginning and provides satisfying closure, especially where Kevin and Nora are concerned. Seeing them put their faith in each other is a beautiful and moving culmination of their story and of the entire series.

It would have felt frustrating to continue the story after seeing Kevin and Nora reconcile and healing from the trauma they have been wrestling with for three seasons. The ending is a masterclass in prioritizing character-driven storytelling that honors everything that has happened in the previous seasons. As tempting as it would have been to continue the show, the finale proves that Lindelof made the right call to conclude it with season 3.

The Leftovers Is One Of HBO's Best Shows Of All Time Despite Its Short Run

Every Season Is Top-Tier Television

From its consistently high quality to its satisfying ending, The Leftovers is easily one of HBO's best shows. Theroux, Coon, and Eccleston lead one of the all-time greatest casts in television history, with performances that are deeply moving and that make the characters feel like nuanced individuals. Lindelof's creative vision never falters and each of the three seasons are stellar, which makes it easy to stay invested from beginning to end.

Many of HBO's other shows, even those that are considered among the best, dipped in quality at times, had weaker seasons, or an unsatisfying ending. This can sometimes be attributed to certain shows running longer than they should have. In the case of The Leftovers, it benefited from a shorter run, as the show never lost its momentum, and it remained incredible during its beginning, middle, and end.

Source: EW