It's been a long wait for the third and final season of HBO's The Leftovers, but the end is finally near. After a divisive first go-round, the series came back with a strong second season that took the Garvey-Durst clan to a place called Miracle. There, the show performed the nifty little trick of making certain adjustments in terms of tone and format that resulted in Damon Lindelof's story of a Rapture-like event becoming one of the best shows on television that year. And, after a prolonged hiatus, the series is finally set to return this spring, so as to wrap up the story that began in 2014.

Working for a cable network like HBO has certain perks; one of them is not following the usual new-season-every-year format that other networks do. As such, in response to the critical praise being heaped upon The Leftovers season 2 Lindelof and series co-creator (and author of the novel of the same name) Tom Perrotta were given a certain amount of leeway in making sure the finale was every bit as good – if not better – than the season that came before. It's a daunting task to be sure, but one the two writers seem confident will work out in their favor.

And as the April premiere date creeps closer, HBO has released the first teaser trailer for The Leftovers season 3, which features the return of nearly the entire cast of characters as they all pause what they're doing to check out a bit of ominous skywriting. Check it out above, along with some new images of Justin Theroux and the cast.

[vn_gallery name="The Leftovers Season 3 Images" id="886964"]

Little has been said about the new season, but it is known that Kevin Garvey, Nora Durst, and the rest of his now-reunited family will venture down under to join Kevin Sr. (Scott Glenn), who, last anyone saw him, seemed to have tapped into some deeper understanding of the event that robbed the world of so many people. The trailer makes it clear that Kevin Sr. is there, though he looks a little worse for wear, and that Kevin Jr. has resumed his role as a police officer – which can be seen in greater detail in the images.

Curiously missing from the trailer, however, is Regina King's Erika Murphy, as well as Jill and Tom Garvey (Margaret Qualley and Chris Zylka). Liv Tyler's villainous Meg is also noticeably absent from the teaser, but her young protégée, Evie (Jasmin Savoy Brown) is seen taking in the skywriting near the end of the brief clip. With the words "The End is Near" written in the sky, it seems a good bet this is the work of the Guilty Remnant, meaning they may still be a problem until the very end.

On the other hand, it could be the wording made for a nice reminder of the show's final season, and just so happened to fit with the overall attitude of the series. Along with juxtaposing the once devastatingly gloomy tone of the series with the Beach Boys' 'Don't Worry Baby', the teaser's production does seem specifically tailored to be just that, and not be an actual hint at the story that lies ahead. At any rate, the wait won't be too bad, as The Leftovers season 3 is set to premiere on April 16, 2017.

Next: The Leftovers Final Season Image Brings the Cast to Australia

Source: HBO

Photos: Van Redin/Courtesy of HBO