Today Is the Perfect Day to Revisit Twin Peaks

The pilot of Twin Peaks opens with local fisherman Pete Martell finding the wrapped body of Laura Palmer on a beach, a discovery that pulls FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper into a small Washington town on Feb. 24. Now streaming on Paramount+, the series mixes murder mystery, neo-noir and surrealist comedy in a way that set it apart from anything on television.

Creators David Lynch and Mark Frost brought together Lynch’s prior work on films like Eraserhead, The Elephant Man and Blue Velvet with Frost’s television experience to premiere Twin Peaks on April 8, 1990. Angelo Badalamenti’s haunting score and the show’s eerie visuals drew viewers in while its increasingly strange plot and richly drawn ensemble turned a familiar whodunit into something much more otherworldly.

The series’ path wasn’t smooth: an ABC executive pushed for the reveal of Laura’s killer in the middle of Season 2, a decision that undercut the central mystery and contributed to the show’s cancellation.

United States, Washington

twin peaks, laura palmer, dale cooper, david lynch, mark frost, paramount+, angelo badalamenti, neo-noir, blue velvet, eraserhead