Thrown for a loss.

• Author: Shackford, Scott
• Position: Briefly Noted - The Leftovers - Television program review

The Leftovers, whose first season recently ended on HBO, takes a dark look at a world where 2 percent of the global population disappears suddenly with no explanation. If the first season is an indication, no explanation will come. The show, based on a novel by Tom Perrotta, is about emotionally devastating drama, not its framing supernatural mystery.

The program follows the Garvey family, led by Kevin Qustin Theroux), a police chief of a small New York town who is not sure if he's...