HBO premiered its new series The Leftovers to a modest audience of 1.8 million intrigued viewers on Sunday night.

Advertising for The Leftovers was vague at best, painting the picture of a post-apocalyptic world in which a percentage of the population has vanished into the unknown.

Those who remain, "the leftovers," must come to grips with their losses as they search for answers as to why they were not chosen.

The Leftovers premiere answered some initial questions about the setting and the vanishing of 141 million people worldwide, but while the premiere did answer a few inquiries, plenty more were raised.

The Leftovers is the brainchild of Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof, who adapted the teleplay from a Tom Perrotta novel.

Those familiar with the Lost series, which aired on ABC, know full well what it means to get dragged into a Lindelof show.

In true Lindelof style, each episode creates more questions than the previous week, which leads down a rabbit-hole that viewers can't help but follow.

Lindelof has a technical and detailed writing style, which makes it difficult for viewers to just hop onto the plot line at any time. His complex and often conflicted characters are shownpiece by piece as they develop.

The "world calamity" genre is usually cut and dry, often featuring zombie apocalypse or alien invasion-type themes.

Although The Leftovers is a product of catastrophe, the show seems to focus more on the aftermath, rather than the event itself.

A brief two-minute opening scene shows the "rapture" -- whatever that was -- and then immediately jumps to three years later.

Focusing on the characters and the emotional damages still felt gives the show a raw and realistic feel that viewers can relate to. This trait of Lindelof's writing is what made the Lost series so successful.

Viewers were constantly questioning themselves as to what they would do if put into the hypothetical situation. The Leftovers engages this same type of viewer behavior by showing the dark side of the human condition and what unresolved trauma can do to the psyche.

Whether or not The Leftovers will become an HBO hit is yet to be seen. While the content is fresh and creative, HBO tends to hold a tight leash on programs, and if they do not succeed by the end of the first season, they usually get the axe.