ABSTRACT
One of the founding values of the United States is a legal separation between organized religion and governmental power. This in turn, of course, guarantees freedom of religious expression for citizens. America has, however, been a predominately Judaeo-Christian country, demographically, with depictions of religion in popular culture making broad assumptions of homogeneity. Specifically in television, nuanced depictions of personalized faith are rare. When looking at HBO’s current lineup as examples of the norms, most portrayals of religion are akin to Game of Thrones: one central religion, with an allpowerful being, no room for questions and who is rejected by most inhabitants of the fictional world. When we contrast that approach with The Leftovers, where ambiguity and personalized interpretations are the norm, we see a shift which more accurately reflects the role of faith, spirituality, and religion in American public life. In this chapter, Donnelly explores the tension between assumed obedience and allowed doubt through the lenses of Game of Thrones and The Leftovers. Through this, Donnelly demonstrates that while The Leftovers is one of HBO’s lowerrated shows, it may the one with the most prescient insight into contemporary American society.
