The Leftovers creator begs critics not to binge season 3, they do so anyway: 'It's too good not to'

If you're yet to catch up with HBO's acclaimed drama, now is the time

Ahead of this weekend's return of series The Leftovers, showrunner Damon Lindelof urged critics against bingeing seven of the final season's eight episodes handed to them by HBO - but they all did so anyway arguing “it was too good not to.”

The first look reviews have rolled in and critics are heaping unanimous praise upon the third season in a manner, unlike anything that's been seen in quite some time.

Look no further than Quartz whose writer Adam Epstein who revealed he tried to heed Lindelof's advice - but failed drastically.

So I tried to heed Lindelof’s advice. I really did. But if he didn’t want critics to binge the third (and final) season of But if he didn’t want critics to binge the third (and final) season of The Leftovers, then he shouldn’t have made such a stunning and audacious season of television.

This only skims the service of positivity thrown The Leftovers' way - staggering considering its debut season, which aired in 2014, received mixed reaction.

Below is a roundup of what the critics are saying:

Yahoo - Ben Travers - A+

“More importantly, at least for the devout followers of what I believe is television’s best series, The Leftovers is ready for you. Season 3 is no less than a coup, wrapping up a wild narrative with ambitious new threads and honing in on each character’s fundamental spiritual and psychological beliefs. This final round with the Garvey family is designed to evoke powerful emotional reactions; you’re as likely to startle your dog from cathartic laughter as you are from open sobbing, all within the course of an hour.”

Deadline - Dominic Patten

“Excellent and sometimes gut-retching performances by Justin Theroux, Carrie Coon, Liv Tyler, Regina King, Christopher Eccleston, Jovan Adepo, Amy Brenneman, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Scott Glenn and more superb directing from the likes of Mimi Leder and Craig Zobel seemingly set the third season’s coordinates for the ethos of late-period Stanley Kubrick. The cumulative result for the final season pretty much achieves that destination, a tremendous triumph by any measure on the small or big screen.”

Quartz - Adam Epstein

“If you’ve seen the first two seasons of the show, you know that good performances are a given. What’s more surprising is how The Leftovers subverts the conventions of final seasons and becomes more episodic in its stretch run. Normally, you’d expect a show building toward its conclusion to be extremely plot-heavy at the expense of further developing characters. The Leftovers does the opposite.”

TV Fanatic - Carissa Pavlica

The Leftovers season three is outstanding. It takes season two and masterfully builds upon the characters' emotional backgrounds, giving them more depth and taking their journeys to stunning, unpredictable places with great reward. Without seeing the final episode, it's the best concluding chapter to a television series in recent memory. There's not a stone unturned on the fearless journey to what I expect will be a magnificent ending."

The Leftovers returns in the US this Sunday (16 April). It'll debut in the UK on Sky Atlantic, but a premiere date is yet to be announced