Will "The Leftovers" Season 3 premiere in January or April 2017? This question lingers as fans await an official air date announcement from HBO. The said months are supposedly the safest for the show to avoid a potential head-to-head battle in the ratings with "The Walking Dead" on AMC. But which month is best and will most likely be followed by the cable network?
Production for "The Leftovers" Season 3, which has been announced and confirmed as its final season, has wrapped up in September. Thus, it won't be long before fans should be treated with a new trailer. A January 2017 air date is likely because by then, HBO's "Westworld" is finished with its run. EP Guides reveals that the said sci-fi show will mark its first season finale after 10 episodes on Dec. 4, 2016.
Essentially, what happens then is that with "Westworld" culminating Season 1, HBO's Sunday night block -- usually reserved for its high profile shows -- is free for "The Leftovers" to take over. In fact, over at IMDb, "The Leftovers" Season 3 has an unconfirmed season premiere of January 2017.
In January, "The Walking Dead" will also be on a hiatus until mid-February, thus premiering "The Leftovers" on this month will not only fill up HBO's schedule but also avoid a ratings clash, as suggested by CarterMatt. With only eight episodes to "The Leftovers" Season 3, it will be halfway done by the time "The Walking Dead" returns on air.
October 14th is the day we remember.
— The Leftovers (@TheLeftoversHBO) October 14, 2016
Watch the #TheLeftovers pilot for free: https://t.co/AFHGB2YG6F pic.twitter.com/OxhyhKQYL2
But then again, HBO also has a free block on Sunday nights on April 2017 that's usually reserved for "Game of Thrones" as this show is moving up its return date to the summer. If "The Leftovers" Season 3 premieres on this month, it will completely avoid a ratings clash with "The Walking Dead" as the zombie drama will have finished its run by then.
An April 2017 premiere is also prime for award-giving bodies to take notice of "The Leftovers," as previously reported on Parent Herald. The only drawback is that an April 2017 might seem a longer wait for fans than a January 2017 release.
Regardless, "The Leftovers" Season 3 is coming and though the premiere date will mark the beginning of the end, loyal viewers will surely be eager to find out how it everything will come together. Keep checking back to this site for the updates.
