On May 21, Twin Peaks Revives Itself

The eagerly anticipated reinvention of the ’90s staple returns to the small screen Sunday, May 21.

This limited series is directed by the acclaimed David Lynch, known for his surrealist style. Is there a way to remake one of the greatest television dramas ever created? Who among us is hardy enough to withstand Twin Peaks, Part Deux?  Eighteen hours of Lynchian direction with much of the original cast involved will prove to be an interesting experiment regarding the longevity of cult classics and whether some things are better left untouched. ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ is clearly an aphorism some poor schmuck in Hollywood has never heard before, greenlighting projects left and right. Twin Peaks might join the great and noble tradition of a Hollywood cash grab, with shows like Fuller House and The X-Files to keep it company, or it may ascend even higher than it has already, to the echelons of television majesty.

According to Entertainment Weekly, at the TCAs yesterday, Showtime President David Nevins said the following:

"“The thing about Twin Peaks, and this new version of Twin Peaks, is it rewards close watching…It was original social media discussion show before the tools of fan engagement really existed. That’s one reason why David is so particular about secrecy. It will really reward close watching and putting things together over time.”"

How will Twin Peaks age in 2017 when television watchers have already gotten used to the open, binge watching arms of Netflix? Will avid fans be able to return to the delayed gratification, mysteries gradually unspooling style of television?

Mark Frost’s The Secret History of Twin Peaks casts a welcome shadow over the plot, writing that “twenty-five years [after Dale Cooper’s investigation of the murder of Laura Palmer], the FBI gets hold of a box it won’t divulge the provenance of. In the box, [is] a huge dossier…A female FBI agent is tasked to analyse all the documents inside, and everything related to the strange town of Twin Peaks. She also has to determine the identity of the person who compiled the dossier.

“Along the way, she discovers secrets about the lives of the town’s residents, but also investigative reports from Dale Cooper, who has since vanished, newspaper clippings, an autopsy report, and other classified information.

“What happened since the death of the young woman? And why did an anonymous ‘archivist’ compile such a thorough dossier on Twin Peaks and its origins?”

If David Lynch knows, he’s not telling us. He too showed up at the TCAs in a surprise panel, thrilling the assembled reporters. That despite, as EW reported, not actually saying anything of note except the following:

"I can say it’s the story of Laura Palmer’s last seven days, it’s very much important for this."

Though perhaps the best quote of the evening went to his discussion of the process of writing the new series:

"Well, in the beginning, many years ago, Mark and I were as if lost in the wilderness, as it always is in the beginning. Then we seemed to find a mountain and began to climb, and when we rounded the mountain, we entered a deep forest, and going through the forest for a time the trees began to thin, and then coming out of the forest we discovered a small town of Twin Peaks. We got to know the people of Twin Peaks and got to know this mystery. … We discovered this world. And within this world there are other worlds. That’s how it started."

As Lynch left, reporters were all gifted with log pillows.

Next: 17 Old TV Shows That Deserve A Netflix Reboot Right Now

Twin Peaks arrives on Showtime Sunday, May 21, 2017.