Justin Theroux The Leftovers
Justin Theroux plays Kevin in the drama series HBO

The Leftovers ended on a happy note by giving Kevin and Nora their happy ending. The series finale aired on Sunday, 4 June, on HBO. Other than its gripping storytelling and some impeccable acting by its lead cast, the show will also be remembered for the nude scenes featuring Justin Theroux.

The show's executive producer Damon Lindelof agrees that not all scenes were filmed based solely on the demand of the script; some were put in there to make a point about male nudity on television. "There's an incredible disproportion between naked women and naked men on television," Lindelof told TV Line.

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He took advantage of the fact that his show was being aired on HBO, which has fantasy series Game Of Thrones with its male and female nudity and graphic sex scenes, Lindelof said.

"And if you're going to do a show on HBO, which is one of the few places where you can do full frontal nudity, there's no excuse not to show more dongs. I'm passionate about it," he said about deliberately introducing male nude scenes in his show.

However, Theroux had in April said his frequent half-naked shots in the HBO drama were dictated by the demands of the script. "I'm either being rebirthed into a different astral plane — it does make a certain amount of sense that he would be naked. Or I'm waking up with my wife in the morning. It's not 'The Dick Van Dyke Show'. I'm not going to be wearing baby blue pajamas," he told the New York Times.

Apart from Theroux, Christopher Eccleston and Chris Zylka have also exposed their manhood on the show during its last three seasons.

"The audience still has a very odd reaction to seeing male genitalia. Yet when they see female genitalia or naked breasts, they're completely nonchalant about it. [So] I'm just the beginning of the vanguard, but I want to normalise male nudity on television," the show producer said, explaining his stand on normalising nude scenes on television.

Theroux, however, never did the full monty, Lindelof said.

"Justin wants to leave something to the imagination. My vanity plate is FFRNTL... I'd never ask an actor who is uncomfortable doing nudity to do nudity."