'The Leftovers' finale ratings are like a despondent shrug

The season finale of The Leftovers played as if it thought it was the series finale of The Leftovers. It didn't answer the questions the series was adamant from the beginning that it would not answer: what the Sudden Departure was or why the Departed

The season finale of The Leftovers played as if it thought it was the series finale of The Leftovers. It didn't answer the questions the series was adamant from the beginning that it would not answer: what the Sudden Departure was or why the Departed

The Leftovers ended with its typical modesty—1.5 million viewers (1.7 million for the night), which is on par with its slumpy first-season average (despite having True Blood powering most of its run as a lead-in). HBO points out the drama was up

One HBO drama concluded its first season, the other started its last: Sunday ratings are in for HBO's The Leftovers finale and the final season premiere for Boardwalk Empire. Boardwalk matched last season's opener with 2.

I know it's unfashionable to be following The Leftovers as closely as I have been, but the truth is, like it or not, I'm hooked. And with the season finale due this weekend, I figured it was time to honestly ask: Is this show better than the critics