30 years ago today, the idiosyncratic show Twin Peaks premiered on ABC. Three decades later, no one could have expected the impact the series would have on future television series. Let’s drive into some of what made Twin Peaks a profound series that ranks squarely among the most influential pieces of film (TV or movie) in history.
Serial
First and arguably foremost, Twin Peaks took the serial element that’s commonplace in television today and leveled it up to never-before-seen heights back in 1990. While other shows back during the time of Twin Peaks kept continuity between episodes, there was normally a sense of resolution after each episode (or at least after every few episodes of a storyline). For Twin Peaks, it was really the first show that had national audiences enthralled with what would happen next on a weekly basis—in this case, figuring out who killed Laura Palmer.
Twin Peaks dared to extend a storyline over the course of multiple seasons, and it paid off with encapsulation from fascinated fans—which helped lead to the show’s cult following. It’s hard to say hit shows from the golden age of television would not have been what they are without Twin Peaks, but shows where fans love to discuss and theorize between episodes (like Westworld) might have been influenced by one of the original serials in a big way. Twin Peaks was ahead of its time with the way show creators David Lynch and Mark Frost told the story; and ABC essentially handcuffed their creative freedom (including accelerating the end of the Laura Palmer mystery), limiting the natural arc of the series—it would have fit perfectly on a network like HBO if it came 10-20+ years later.
Layered
If you had to point to a genre for Twin Peaks, there could be a number of different answers. It might seem silly for a show to have a mixture of soap opera, mystery, thriller, and comedy elements, but Twin Peaks pulled it off while somehow keeping a surreal and dark feel in almost everything. The eccentric randomness of odd occurrences in the Pacific Northwest was actually realistic, like the Icelandic choir staying in The Great Northern Hotel—interrupting Agent Cooper and forcing him to lose sleep. Like in real life, many events are unpredictable and uncontrollable, and that was a perfect fit for Twin Peaks. Also, there was serious detail, even in the funky parts of the plot.
Atmosphere
Beneath the surface or in the background, there was a sense of eeriness throughout every episode of Twin Peaks. The feeling of suspense and some dread—even when there was none—helped keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. The superb music by composer Angelo Badalamenti is used masterfully, and depending on the score in a scene, you could tell where things were going for the most part. Twin Peaks was not a show that held the hand of its viewers, but the music helped set the tone for how the viewer should feel during key moments—from Audrey Horne scheming or dancing to a climactic romantic scene. The atmosphere was also set by settings throughout the town, including dark streets (and streetlights), empty houses, and the woods. Not many shows have been able to create an atmosphere the way Twin Peaks did starting 30 years ago.
Mood
Similarly, the mood—more focused on the characters—was also a big part of Twin Peaks. From the pilot episode, it’s clear that the story is going to be emotional, with Donna Hayward crying in the classroom when she felt something was wrong and it had to do with Laura. Emotions sway in Twin Peaks, which is often time how things operate with real people in real life. And with a story that has a backbone of a high school student getting murdered, emotion must be an enormous factor—life doesn’t just go back to normal when a devastating event like that hits a community.
Mystery
This section is in line with the serial aspect of things that kept viewers engaged for weeks on end right from the jump after the opening scene of Twin Peaks. There were many mysteries sprinkled throughout the show, but the major mystery of Laura Palmer’s murder held everything together. Mystery shows and movies are fun to follow if they are done well, and Twin Peaks was about as good as it gets. As Agent Cooper and company tried to solve the mystery in the show, viewers would work together to solve the murder themselves—the questions posed each week led to unbreakable engagement from fans. The mystery was a large part of Twin Peaks’ appeal and made it “appointment viewing”.
Characters
In Twin Peaks, every character has their very own distinct style and mannerisms. This certainly isn’t something that was uncommon in television shows, but Twin Peaks did a great job with all of its cast while also working the relationships between characters (which is important for a murder mystery). FBI special agent Dale Cooper was the headliner, but the deep ensemble was all incredibly memorable, from Norma Jennings to Bobby Briggs to the Log Lady. Using Agent Cooper as an example, his love of coffee and cherry pie was both funny and relatable; when shows can give characters something to grasp as part of their character (like food), it’s easier to feel that they are within a real world amidst unusual circumstances like those found in Twin Peaks.
Settings
Finally, the settings in Twin Peaks are simply awesome, and most of the landmarks help create one of the best small-town feels you will find in the history of film. Especially back 30 years ago when television shows weren’t getting movie-like budgets and effects, using a small-town feel could be an excellent foundation piece for a story. Certain places like the Double R Diner, The Great Northern Hotel, and the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Department provided depth and visuals making them very easy to remember—people that didn’t re-watch the series since 1990 might immediately recognize everything if they saw a screenshot of a scene today.
Lasting impact
There might not be many people that would call Twin Peaks the best television show in history, there are few that have been as impactful. Like The Twilight Zone years before (in broaching societal issues and observations with a number of different genres) and Game of Thrones years after (with its expansive, ambitious story-telling utilizing near-unlimited resources to take television to another level), Twin Peaksstands as one of the most influential television series of all-time. Twin Peaks helped open things up for television to become a bigger venue for future show creators to tell their own stories, and you can still ponder the possibilities within the show’s puzzle years after it first aired and Agent Cooper first drove into Twin Peaks to solve his most intriguing case. Just look at many shows that have aired in the 30 years since Twin Peaks premiered (Riverdale, The Leftovers, Stranger Things, Lost, and even True Detective), and you will see its lasting impact.
One of the greats..
Don’t forget the camera work. So much different than the norm back then. Good piece.
That pilot was nuts. 2 hours.