<P> Damon Lindelof had reportedly been a fan of Perotta's earlier novels and had first learned of the book from a positive by Stephen King in The New York Times in August 2011 . In June 2012, Lindelof announced he would be developing the series alongside Perrotta . He served as the series' showrunner . </P> <P> In February 2013, HBO ordered a pilot and, in September, ordered a 10 - episode first season . The Leftovers is the first series HBO acquired from an outside studio that it did not produce in - house . </P> <P> The first season covers the entirety of the book; the second and third seasons are completely original material . In April 2015, it was reported that the setting for the second season would shift from Mapleton, New York to a small town in Texas . The series shifted filming locations from New York to Austin, Texas, with nearby Lockhart serving as the mainstreet of fictional Jarden, Texas, when principal photography commenced in late April . For the second season, which features several changes, including cast, location, and storylines; Lindelof cited The Wire and Friday Night Lights as influences . </P> <P> The final season began principal photography in early May 2016, in Austin . In June 2016, the production moved to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, where it filmed the remainder of the series and completed post-production . On the move to Melbourne, Lindelof said, "We're immensely grateful for the opportunity to try something that looks and feels different from the preceding seasons and we absolutely cannot wait to bring our story to its conclusion down under ." It was also confirmed that the season would have a shortened 8 - episode run . </P>

Where was season 2 of the leftovers filmed