NEW DRAMA SERIES "THE LEFTOVERS," CREATED BY DAMON LINDELOF AND TOM PERROTTA, DEBUTS JUNE 29, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

Damon Lindelof, Tom Perrotta, Peter Berg And Sarah Aubrey Executive Produce; Lindelof Serves As Showrunner

When 2% of the world's population abruptly disappears without explanation, the world struggles to come to terms with what happened. Three years later, THE LEFTOVERS is the story of the people who didn't make the cut.

Created by Damon Lindelof (Emmy(R) winner for "Lost") and acclaimed novelist Tom Perrotta (Academy Award(R) nominee for "Little Children"; "Election"), the new HBO drama series THE LEFTOVERS kicks off its ten-episode season SUNDAY, JUNE 29 (10:00-11:15 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. Lindelof and Perrotta executive produce the series along with Peter Berg and Sarah Aubrey; Ron Yerxa and Albert Berger co-executive produce; Lindelof serves as showrunner. The series is produced for HBO by White Rabbit in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Based on Perrotta's bestselling novel of the same name, THE LEFTOVERS is an original look at The Rapture...or was it The Rapture at all? Set in a small New York suburb, the intimate family drama focuses on the residents of the fictional town of Mapleton, whose preconceptions are shattered in the wake of a global event dubbed "The Sudden Departure." Three years after the fateful day when 140 million people disappeared without a trace, the series focuses on the ways ordinary people react to inexplicable events that can unite or divide families and communities, examining how their untold grief and the strain of an unprecedented calamity can turn faith into cynicism, paranoia, madness or cult-like fanaticism.

At the heart of THE LEFTOVERS is the Garvey family. Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux), the town's beleaguered chief of police and father of two, is trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy when the notion no longer applies. While Kevin and his rebellious daughter, Jill (Margaret Qualley), try to go back to the way things used to be, Kevin's son, Tom (Chris Zylka), sees the event as a wakeup call to take action. At the same time, Kevin is faced with the conflict between the townspeople of Mapleton and the Guilty Remnant, a mysterious cult-like group that seems to offer an escape for traumatized residents.

In addition to Theroux ("Mulholland Drive"; HBO's "John Adams" and "Six Feet Under"), series regulars include: Amy Brenneman ("Private Practice") as Laurie, a mother with a successful career who felt all she could do after the Departure was surrender; Christopher Eccleston ("28 Days Later") as Reverend Matt Jamison, who thinks he knows exactly what the Departure was and wasn't, and is committed to renewing the town's faith; Liv Tyler ("The Lord of the Rings") as Meg, who has serious doubts about her impending wedding; Chris Zylka ("The Amazing Spider-Man") as Tom Garvey; Margaret Qualley as Jill Garvey; Carrie Coon ("Gone Girl") as Nora Durst, who lost her entire family in the Departure; Emily Meade (HBO's "Boardwalk Empire") as Aimee, Jill's friend and the big sister she never had; Amanda Warren ("The Adjustment Bureau") as Mayor Lucy Warburton; Ann Dowd (HBO's "True Detective") as Patti, a Guilty Remnant leader; Michael Gaston ("The Mentalist") as Dean, a stranger who could be Kevin's greatest ally, or a force to be reckoned with; Max and Charlie Carver ("Teen Wolf") as Adam and Scott Frost, twins who forge a friendship with Jill and Aimee; and Annie Q ("The Rewrite") as Christine, a follower of Holy Wayne and object of Tom's interest.

Upcoming episodes:

Episode #1: "Pilot"

Debut: SUNDAY, JUNE 29 (10:00-11:15 p.m. ET/PT)

Other HBO playdates: June 29 (12:45 a.m., 3:30 a.m.) and 30 (12:10 a.m.), and July 1 (7:45 p.m., 11:00 p.m.), 3 (10:00 p.m., midnight), 4 (8:30 p.m., 1:00 a.m.), 5 (5:00 p.m., 10:15 p.m.), 11 (7:45 p.m.) and 18 (6:45 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: June 30 (10:00 p.m.) and July 4 (1:35 a.m.) and 5 (10:45 a.m., 7:45 p.m.)

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 (Justin Theroux) faces additional challenges at home with his daughter, Jill (Margaret Qualley), who's lost in a cloud of apathy with her friend Aimee (Emily Meade), and son, Tom (Chris Zylka), who has gravitated to a cult led by the charismatic Holy Wayne (Paterson Joseph). 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 (Amy Brenneman), an unexpected member of the Guilty Remnant, and Meg (Liv Tyler), a recently engaged young woman, converge.

Written by Damon Lindelof & Tom Perrotta; directed by Peter Berg.

Episode #2: "Penguin One, Us Zero"

Debut: SUNDAY, JULY 6 (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Other HBO playdates: July 6 (12:30 a.m., 3:00 a.m.), 7 (12:30 a.m.), 8 (8:00 p.m., 11:15 p.m.), 10 (10:00 p.m., midnight), 11 (9:00 p.m.), 12 (9:30 p.m.) and 18 (8:00 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: July 7 (10:00 p.m.), 11 (1:00 a.m.) and 12 (11:30 a.m., 8:00 p.m.)

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 (Annie Q), a favorite of Wayne's. A frustrated Meg is asked to part with pieces of her past. Jill and Aimee tail Nora Durst (Carrie Coon), who became a local celebrity when her entire family disappeared in the Departure.

Written by Damon Lindelof & Kath Lingenfelter; directed by Peter Berg.

Episode #3: "Two Boats and a Helicopter"

Debut: SUNDAY, JULY 13 (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Other HBO playdates: July 13 (12:30 a.m., 3:00 a.m.), 14 (12:15 a.m.), 15 (8:00 p.m., 11:15 p.m.), 17 (10:00 p.m., midnight), 18 (9:00 p.m.), 19 (10:00 p.m.) and 25 (8:00 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: July 14 (10:00 p.m.), 18 (2:15 a.m.) and 19 (9:50 a.m., 8:00 p.m.)

In the face of dwindling church attendance and threats on his life, Reverend Matt Jamison (Christopher Eccleston) 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.

Written by Damon Lindelof & Jacqueline Hoyt; directed by Keith Gordon.

Episode #4: "B.J. and the A.C."

Debut: SUNDAY, JULY 20 (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Other HBO playdates: July 20 (12:30 a.m., 3:00 a.m.), 21 (11:30 p.m.), 22 (9:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m.), 24 (10:00 p.m., midnight), 25 (9:00 p.m.) and 26 (1:00 a.m.), and Aug. 1 (8:00 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: July 21 (10:00 p.m.), 25 (2:30 a.m.) and 26 (11:15 a.m., 8:00 p.m.)

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.

Written by Damon Lindelof & Elizabeth Peterson; directed by Lesli Linka Glatter.

Episode #5: "Gladys"

Debut: SUNDAY, JULY 27 (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Other HBO playdates: July 27 (12:30 a.m., 3:00 a.m.), 28 (12:50 a.m.), 29 (8:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m.) and 31 (10:00 p.m., midnight), and Aug. 1 (9:00 p.m.), 2 (12:30 a.m.) and 8 (8:00 p.m.)

HBO2 playdate: July 28 (10:00 p.m.)

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.

Written by Damon Lindelof & Tom Perrotta; directed by Mimi Leder.