Changes are afoot for The Leftovers Season 2. The first season of the HBO series was an odd, uneven, and sometimes brilliant stretch of episodes about the aftermath of “The Departure” (ie. The Rapture). Creator Damon Lindelof and executive producer Tom Perotta (who wrote the source material) put together a wonderfully different kind of drama series with standout turns from stars Justin Theroux and Carrie Coon, and while it didn’t necessarily light up the ratings or set the world on fire, I was happy to see the series swing for the fences, and I'm eager to see where things might go in the second season.

We caught wind in December that some major changes were in store for The Leftovers Season 2, including dropping half its cast and possibly changing locations. Now TV Line confirms that the second season will move production to Austin, Texas, shifting the onscreen setting from the fictional Mapleton, NY to an unspecified Texas city.

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Image via HBO

The report also confirms that nearly half the cast won’t be returning, though Theroux, Coon, Amy Brenneman, Chris Zylka, Margaret Qualley, and Christopher Eccleston are expected to reprise their series regular roles. The show will also introduce a new African-American family to expand the ensemble.

The reason for the creative changes is apparently due to Season 1 exhausting all of the source material from Perotta’s book, so Perrota and Lindelof are venturing into new/original territory with the second season. As someone who found the first season transfixing, I’m excited to see what the new location and cast changes bring to The Leftovers in Season 2. Filming is expected to begin this month, with the new episodes likely debuting later this summer.

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Image via HBO