The Leftovers won’t get left behind by HBO: The network has just renewed the Damon Lindelof–Tom Perrotta drama for a second season. The pickup isn’t a surprise, since ratings for the show have been solid throughout its season-one run, and, more important, they’ve been consistent: Most of the people who watched the premiere are sticking with the show. Leftovers, averaging a same-day audience of between 1.6 million and 1.8 million viewers so far, is also doing a better job of holding onto the True Blood audience than Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom did when it aired behind TB last summer. While some critics have been vocal in their displeasure with The Leftovers’ creative direction (or lack thereof, as some have charged), another segment has been impressed with what Lindelof and Perrotta have done. (Our own Matt Zoller Seitz reviewed the show here; we’ve recapped each episode here.) All sides will now get a chance to love or hate some more next year. The first-season finale of The Leftovers debuts September 7.
