The Leftovers season 3 trailer and release date: HBO offers ominous first look at its most underrated series

'The end is near'

The third and final season of HBO's standout drama The Leftovers has debuted its first trailer.

Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof's drama focuses on the aftermath of a fictional event which sees 2% of the world’s population disappear. Initially set in Mapleton, New York, Lindelof rejigged the formula for season two, relocating the characters to Jarden - a Texan town renamed 'Miracle' due to being the only town unaffected by the event.

While the first series - based on the Tom Perotta novel - earned middling ratings and small critical chatter, its second was deemed a bona fide sensation.

Thanks to the show's cult fanbase, HBO granted the series a swansong which will relocate the action to Australia.

Speaking about this decision, Lindelof said: “Australia is the end of the world geographically and our show is about the end-of-the-world emotionally. And there’s also something about Australian cinema - it’s primal, ancient and spiritual - that felt like it fit The Leftovers, whether it’s Mad Max movies or Walkabout, or Waking Fright or Peter Weir movies.

So what happens in the trailer?

Well, firstly it seems like doomsday is fast approaching; the clip shows several of the series' main characters - including Justin Theroux's Kevin Garvey - looking up to the sky as an aircraft pens a sign in the sky using contrails: “The end is near.”

The trailer also confirms the reappearance of actors Christopher Eccleston, Carrie Coon, Amy Brenneman, Scott Glenn and season two additions Kevin Carroll and Jasmine Savoy Brown.

It seems the tone is remaining the same: much in the same way the second series' dramatic nature was juxtaposed with a jolly opening theme song (Iris Dement “Let the Mystery Be”) this trailer, showing the worried faces of all characters, plays to the backdrop of Beach Boys track “Don't Worry Baby.”

Lindelof recently revealed that he "welcomes" attempts at rebooting cult series Lost one day in the future despite it drawing to an organic close in 2010.

The Leftovers will return to HBO on 16 April with a Sky Atlantic release date expected to follow soon after.