New HBO series The Leftovers leaves plenty to chew on

THERE'S a buffet of mysteries in The Leftovers and if the intriguing feature-length pilot, which premieres this Sunday on cable, is anything to go by, there is plenty to chew on and the show is set to leave its audience hungry for more.

Created and based on acclaimed novelist Tom Perrotta's (Little Children, Election) novel of the same name and Lost's executive producer Damon Lindelof, the new 10-part HBO Original drama series centres on a Rapture-like incident where two per cent of the world's population vanishes into thin air without any logical explanation.

The opening scene - where a hapless mum who looks like she'll give anything to make her crying baby stop before realising sometimes she has be to careful what she wishes for - is quite possibly the most disturbingly grim thing ever to be shown on TV.