HBO announced that it has renewed its critically acclaimed series, "The Leftovers," for a third and finale season on Dec. 10.

In a press release, HBO's president Michael Lombardo made the announcement of the renewal for the series, which is based on the novel of the same name by Tom Perrotta.

"It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome back Damon Lindelof, Tom Perrotta and the extraordinary talent behind 'The Leftovers' for its third and final season," said Lombardo. "This show has proven to be one of the most distinctive HBO series and we are extremely proud of its unrivaled originality, which has resulted in such a passionate following by our HBO viewers. We admire and fully support Damon's artistic vision and respect his decision to bring the show to its conclusion next season." 

The announcement was also made on the series's Twitter account.

Damon Lindelof, the show's creator, also shared his excitement over the news and explained that with the finale of Season 2 it became clear that the series needed one more season to bring the story to a close.

"With our beginning and middle complete, the most exciting thing for us as storytellers would be to bring 'The Lefovers' to a definitive end," he said. "And by 'definitive,' we mean 'wildly ambiguous but hopefully mega-emotional,' as all things related to this show are destined to be."

Rumors about a possible cancellation for the show came after it was revealed that ratings had dropped significantly since Season 1, reported TV Series Finale.

However, the critical reception for the show's weekly episodes were majorly positive and may have contributed to the renewal.

The Season 2 finale's lack of a cliffhanger also fueled the possibility of it being the last season, but according to Lindelof that was on purpose.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, creator Lindelof discussed the fact that the Season 2 finale felt like it could be a series finale.

"I know a lot of showrunners or writers in my position will basically say that we had to design the season as if there weren't going to be anymore," he said. "I want there to be more Leftovers, don't get me wrong -- but I want each season to feel like the seasons of 'The Wire,' which felt complete ... I think that that's the way seasons of 'The Leftovers' are always going to feel. They're never going to end on cliffhangers."