A Letter to The Leftovers on HBO: Petition for Renewal

Written By:Missy Ortiz

There have been rumors going around here and there on social media about our favorite series being cancelled. There isn't any official evidence proving this, however, there can be something done to prevent this slander from becoming a reality.

HBO has created a phenomenal unity of people who have come together from different backgrounds, and different cultures by allowing The Leftovers to exist. We are the family of The Leftovers. We may not live in the vicinity of each other, but we gather together on social media and praise this series. We, the fans of The Leftovers would like to say thank you to HBO for granting us these two amazing seasons of bliss. While currently being in the middle of season two, we have recognized a higher rate in viewers. We hope that HBO will allow for this wondrous series to be renewed for many more seasons to come. Here is our petition and why:

Dear HBO:

Last year, many of us witnessed "Baby Sam's" mom reacting to "The Sudden Departure" with your enticing trailer you presented. Sometimes, previews before films or shows get fast forwarded or skipped entirely, or channel-changed, but not this one. This teaser was remarkably fascinating and captured thousands of watchers across the globe. Then when season one's pilot premiered, it proved that this series was going to be an experience to embrace.
Yes, many people do not watch The Leftovers. Yes, many people do not understand this show. Yes, it is complicated and intricate in every way, but that is what keeps a copious number of us partisans following The Leftovers. Sunday nights are usually a nightmare for those who have to return to work on Monday, realizing it's an end to an amazing weekend. However, the fans of The Leftovers look forward to Sundays. Not only do we anticipate the new episode to brace us with its presence, we prepare for it. Sundays are OUR church days.

Social Media is Hard Evidence.
Fans on Facebook and Twitter claim their territory by hash-tagging The Leftovers every single day. If you search for #TheLeftovers and anything or anyone relating to the show, you'll find that it is trending daily, not just on Sundays. The Leftovers Group Chat on Facebook has thousands of avid members. This massive group is led by administrators, Amber Lerma and Melanie Lynn, who welcome several new members daily. The feed is always growing, the topics are high into focus and the unity is so vast. Here you'll gain perspective as to exactly how The Leftovers makes this huge community feel. As you know, not everyone is able to sit and watch on airing night, and many watch throughout the week to catch up. This is great because for those who HAVE watched it and are waiting for the following episode to premiere, we scour the feed. We look for our brothers and sisters' reactions and comments and usually start up new discussions. Don't you enjoy the significant amount of internet PDA we express for The Leftovers?

Sponsorship at its Finest.
The Leftovers' has several podcasts and blogs available for fans to enjoy. These podcasters and bloggers take time out of their daily lives just to share their passion about The Leftovers. The podcasters who are widely known for following episode after episode, such as The Living Reminders, The Guilty Remnant, Film Schlubs, and Daley Review have ordinary lives. Some are full-time parents, have regular jobs, and have other hobbies to tend to. The fact that they stop what they are doing just to reach out to the world and talk about The Leftovers really expresses so much. Most of these warriors don't even get compensated and yet they spend their quality time planning, scheduling, organizing, scripting and bringing forward many more viewers to watch! As fans of the series, we constantly get a continuous flow from these amazing people who help us get through each day as the season moves on. Their podcasts and blogs are outstanding even with cast and crew interviews and complete fan interaction.
Some of them are known to belong to your network "The Watchers" and receive wonderful gifts as an sign of appreciation for public relations. Sure this is a wonderful act of generosity and by displaying this mindful thought of gratitude, the fans see it and they react. What would WE as fans like in return? Just go ahead and sign that release for renewal for more seasons to come. That would be more than a sufficient reward for us. How about a round of applause for these podcasters, bloggers, YouTubers and other supporters of The Leftovers who were not mentioned here? Their work is underrated and should be recognized more frequently. Trophies all around.

Fun Fact: The Walking Dead and Quantico fans put their shows on hold to watch The Leftovers FIRST.
Yes, you heard right. Several aficionados of The Walking Dead who share equal feelings about The Leftovers, postpone watching TWD until after they've watched The Leftovers. (No offense to the fans of Quantico on CBS. I was only kidding about that one. I didn't research that specific channel.)

"Was that Hard Enough, or Do I Need Another Oar?"
Now, do you count the hits from HBO NOW, HBO GO, and DVR recordings or are you only tally marking the ones who watch live? Be sure to double check that just in case there are any glitches or errors that may be occurring with technical difficulty. The number of viewers could be more than you realize. We patiently wait all week long. Throughout this time, we rant and rave about it to our friends and fellow patrons. We blog about it. We podcast about it. Then, when Sunday arrives, we plan out our day as to how we will receive this new segment of this astounding, respected work of art. Finally, we fervently watch and re-watch the episodes, plus encounter ourselves being media enthusiasts online finding ways to alleviate and recover from the breathtaking excitement we just experienced. We just so happened to be using HBO GO or watching our DVR recording of "No Room at the Inn" on Monday, only to find out our vote isn't valid? We won't be having that. Please recount wisely.

Saving the Best for Last, The Leftovers' Family of Fans
Everyone knows that the fans make the show. If it wasn't for the fans of The Leftovers, we wouldn't be fortunate enough to continue watching season two. We know about the fans that podcast and blog about the show like we discussed earlier, but what about the fans who review the episodes on YouTube? For example, Chris Hartwell and Franziska Beck are both fans of The Leftovers and they have their own channel on YouTube proclaiming their faith to all. They review the episodes in front of a camera and ask YouTube to broadcast it worldwide. If these aren't fans, I don't know what is.

Cos-players. Then, there are the awesome extremists who have been found guilty cos-playing The Guilty Remnant on Departure Day and on Halloween. Some even partake in random and religious representations dressed in white just to show their spirit. Yes, we've all seen Star Wars, Harry Potter and The Walking Dead diehards who pour out their hearts and show their devotion. What about The Lefties though? Could there be some probable gift merchandise in your lovely HBO online store coming soon this Christmas? You know we'll dish out for it. All you have to do, is put it out there for us. You are bound to make a sale, believe me, you've earned it. Not to mention, we'd love to have a coffee mug, key chain or fleece throw sponsoring The Leftovers in addition to our deer ornaments and empty picture frames we've sufficed with in our living rooms.
Because you allowed Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta to broadcast their brilliant creation, we the fans of The Leftovers have something to look forward to every single time. Even though there are millions of watchers out there, these selected, creative souls shown below signify their true dedication for The Leftovers. Please, let the mystery be only only the beginning. Don't let us down. We're still here.

There are plenty of more reasons as to why we would like to continue this venture, but go ahead and simply take a look around. There are infinite "Lefties" surrounding this breaking ground of The Leftovers. We believe this is only the beginning of a beautiful ensemble. We are locked in. Our hope is what keeps us going. We would love to witness more of its excellence for years to come. Our passion, pride and dedication manifest how we honor this masterpiece. Again, we thank you for presenting us with The Leftovers series and we hope that you will allow us to continue to be a part of your family.

Sincerely,
Your Greatest Fans...THE LEFTIES

Join me and send HBO your thanks and requests for more seasons of The Leftovers below:

Do you want more chat about The Leftovers? Get your fix by listening to The Living Reminders Podcast with detailed show discussion and amazing interviews with cast, crew, writers and directors of The Leftovers on HBO.