Twin Peaks, the cult television series that perhaps defines the very meaning of a cult series, is set to return to our screens after a 25-year absence.
Director David Lynch fuelled speculation about a return with a series of tweets over the weekend. Showtime finally revealed what fans were hoping for.
Dear Twitter Friends: That gum you like is going to come back in style! #damngoodcoffee
— David Lynch (@DAVID_LYNCH) October 3, 2014
“The groundbreaking television phenomenon, Golden Globe and Peabody Award-winner Twin Peaks will return as a new limited series on Showtime in 2016,” the network statement said.
“Series creators and executive producers David Lynch and Mark Frost will write and produce all nine episodes of the limited series, and Lynch will direct every episode.”
Lynch and Frost released a joint statement shortly after.
“The mysterious and special world of Twin Peaks is pulling us back,” they said. “We’re very excited. May the forest be with you.”
Actor Kyle McLachlan, who played coffee-loving FBI agent Dale Cooper in the original series, suggested on Twitter he’d return in the role.
Better fire up that percolator and find my black suit 🙂 #Twinpeaks — Kyle MacLachlan (@Kyle_MacLachlan) October 6, 2014
Brian Moylan, a New York-based culture writer and long-time Twin Peaks fan, told City Journal the show remains an original.
“There was nothing like Twin Peaks before its debut and there has been nothing like it since. What makes it special is that it is perfectly unique and so wonderfully odd that you have to see it to believe it.”
While Moylan is wary that the hype could lead to disappointment, he thinks it’ll be worth the wait.
“I have no doubt in my mind that what Lynch and Frost put on Showtime is going to be nothing short of mind-blowing.
“It might not make any sense and it might not be anything like what we expect, but it’s going to shape dreams and nightmares for the next 25 years, just like Twin Peaks did originally.”
Twin Peaks first screened in 1990 and quickly gained a following as viewers tried to work out who killed Laura Palmer, the small-town beauty queen found wrapped in plastic on a desolate beach.
The show combined Lynch’s signature weirdness with a traditional detective story, and the first series garnered a massive 14 Emmy nominations.
Well before the advent of HBO, Twin Peaks was one of the first television series to be created by a serious Hollywood director.
Moylan believes the show opened the door for ambitious, moody series such as The Sopranos, The Wire, and True Detective.
“TV has gotten a lot smarter and now allows for a variety of voices working in both mainstream ways and more outlandish and experimental ones. Twin Peaks was really the first show to do that,” he said.
The show ran for just two seasons but its strange characters and foreboding tone left an indelible mark on popular culture.
The three-minute long credit sequence – with its haunting music and languorous cinematography – borders on the iconic.
While US viewers will be treated to re-runs of the first two series prior to the premiere, local fans and curious types may want to rent the DVDs and try an old-fashioned Twin Peaks Marathon.
Just watch out for the one-armed man.
