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The Best Episodes of The Leftovers Season 1

Every episode of The Leftovers Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Leftovers Season 1!

Binge this in 9h 25m•Peaking at 9.3/10

When 2% of the world's population abruptly disappears without explanation, the world struggles to understand just what they're supposed to do about it. This is the story of the people who didn't make the cut.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    The Leftovers Season 1 Episode 10 - The Prodigal Son Returns
    9.3/10(9199 votes)

    S1:E10

    An unexpected ally helps Kevin get out of a jam near the town of Cairo. Meanwhile, an elaborate Memorial Day initiative by the Guilty Remnant plunges the town of Mapleton into chaos. Holy Wayne grants a final wish, Tom copes with his new reality. Nora makes a life-changing decision.

    Director:Mimi Leder
    Writers:Tom Perrotta, Damon Lindelof

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  2. The Leftovers Season 1 Episode 9 - The Garveys at Their Best
    9.1/10(8349 votes)

    S1:E9

    Kevin tries to suppress his bad habits while tracking down a marauding deer in Mapleton. Laurie receives not-unexpected news amidst a rising sense of foreboding. Tom connects with his past, against his better judgment. Nora has a job interview; Kevin Senior receives an honor.

    Director:Daniel Sackheim
    Writers:Damon Lindelof, Kath Lingenfelter

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  3. The Leftovers Season 1 Episode 3 - Two Boats and a Helicopter
    8.8/10(9074 votes)

    S1:E3

    In the face of dwindling church attendance and threats on his life, Reverend Matt Jamison continues to preach his gospel: that many who disappeared in the Departure were sinners and not saints. Matt’s campaign is detoured when he learns he may lose the church to foreclosure, forcing him to launch a desperate, last-minute plan to come up with the cash to keep it.

    Director:Keith Gordon
    Writers:Damon Lindelof, Jacqueline Hoyt

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  4. The Leftovers Season 1 Episode 6 - Guest
    8.8/10(7579 votes)

    S1:E6

    Nora goes to New York for the second annual Departure Related Occupations and Practices (DROP) conference, but discovers that someone else has her ID badge, so she searches the convention as a "Guest," and has encounters with a salesman, an author and a rogue attendee.

    Director:Carl Franklin
    Writers:Damon Lindelof, Kath Lingenfelter

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  5. The Leftovers Season 1 Episode 8 - Cairo
    8.6/10(7026 votes)

    S1:E8

    Kevin fears he’s losing touch with reality after inexplicably finding himself in a difficult situation involving Patti Levin, a leader of the Guilty Remnant. Meg loses control during another encounter with Matt; Jill confronts Aimee about her relationship with Kevin; Nora stands up to Laurie, and finds her privacy invaded.

    Director:Michelle MacLaren
    Writers:Curtis Gwinn, Carlito Rodriguez

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  6. The Leftovers Season 1 Episode 5 - Gladys
    8.1/10(6681 votes)

    S1:E5

    Laurie’s resolve is put to the test in the wake of a brutal hate crime. After his latest initiatives to maintain the peace in Mapleton fall short, Kevin turns down an outside offer to rid the town of its problems. Matt brings his pulpit to the street. Meg takes on a new role.

    Director:Mimi Leder
    Writers:Tom Perrotta, Damon Lindelof

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    The 20 BEST Episodes of The Leftovers

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  7. The Leftovers Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
    7.9/10(9143 votes)

    S1:E1

    Three years after millions of people – some 2% of the world’s population – vanished into thin air, residents of Mapleton, NY weigh the pros and cons of a “Heroes Day” tribute to the local “Departed.” Attempting to maintain a sense of normalcy in his strained community, police chief Kevin Garvey faces additional challenges at home with his daughter, Jill, who’s lost in a cloud of apathy with her friend Aimee, and son, Tom, who has gravitated to a cult led by the charismatic Holy Wayne. Also of concern is a silent, white-clad group of chain-smoking men and women called the Guilty Remnant, who team up in pairs to stake out people and places around town. As tension in Mapleton escalates, the lives of Laurie, an unexpected member of the Guilty Remnant, and Meg, a recently engaged young woman, converge.

    Director:Peter Berg
    Writers:Tom Perrotta, Damon Lindelof

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  8. The Leftovers Season 1 Episode 7 - Solace for Tired Feet
    7.9/10(6359 votes)

    S1:E7

    After learning his father has escaped the psychiatric hospital, Kevin orders an APB to track him down. Jill attempts to break an endurance record. Holed up in Indiana, a disillusioned Tom makes an unsettling discovery.

    Director:Mimi Leder
    Writers:Damon Lindelof, Jacqueline Hoyt

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  9. The Leftovers Season 1 Episode 4 - B.J. and the A.C.
    7.5/10(6731 votes)

    S1:E4

    A holiday display goes wanting, sending Kevin scurrying to find out who is responsible. Tom and Christine run into trouble at a hospital and on the road. Kevin retrieves a surprise detainee from a neighboring police station, and receives unexpected visitors at home. The Guilty Remnant put its stamp on the holiday season.

    Directors:Carl Franklin, Lesli Linka Glatter
    Writers:Damon Lindelof, Elizabeth Peterson

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  10. The Leftovers Season 1 Episode 2 - Penguin One, Us Zero
    7.3/10(7448 votes)

    S1:E2

    In the wake of a series of disturbing encounters, Kevin pays a visit to a therapist. Tom finds himself in a precarious situation with Christine, a favorite of Wayne’s. A frustrated Meg is asked to part with pieces of her past. Jill and Aimee tail Nora Durst, who became a local celebrity when her entire family disappeared in the Departure.

    Director:Peter Berg
    Writers:Damon Lindelof, Kath Lingenfelter

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"The Prodigal Son Returns" is the best rated episode of "The Leftovers" season 1. It scored 9.3/10 based on 9199 votes. Directed by Mimi Leder and written by Tom Perrotta, Damon Lindelof, it aired on 9/7/2014. This episode is rated 0.2 points higher than the second-best, "The Garveys at Their Best".