Twin Peaks, also known as Twin Peaks: The Return, is an American mystery horror drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It is a continuation of the 1990-91 ABC series of the same name. The limited series consists of 18 episodes and premiered on Showtime on May 21, 2017, following a world premiere on May 19, 2017, at The Theatre at Ace Hotel. The series was developed and written by Lynch and Frost over several years and directed by Lynch. An ensemble of returning and new cast members appear, led by original star Kyle MacLachlan.
Set 25 years after the original Twin Peaks, the series focuses on a number of storylines, many of which are connected through association with FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (MacLachlan). It takes place in a variety of locations in addition to the fictional Washington town of Twin Peaks, including Las Vegas and South Dakota. Showtime president David Nevins stated that "the core of [the series] is Agent Cooper's odyssey back to Twin Peaks". It has garnered praise from most critics for its performances, unconventional narrative, and visual inventiveness. Showtime reported that the series led to a record number of subscriptions to their streaming service.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
Production
Background and development
The first series of Twin Peaks, an American serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch, premiered on April 8, 1990, on ABC. It was one of the top-rated series of 1990, but declining ratings led to its cancellation in 1991 after its second season. In subsequent years, Twin Peaks has often been listed among the greatest television dramas of all time. A prequel film directed by Lynch, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, was released in 1992. Lynch planned two more films that would have concluded the series' narrative, but in 2001 stated that Twin Peaks was as "dead as a doornail."
In 2007, artist Matt Haley began work on a graphic novel continuation, which he hoped would be included in the "Complete Mystery" DVD box set. Twin Peaks producer Robert Engels agreed to help write it on the condition that Lynch and Frost approved the project; Haley said: "[Engels] and I had a number of discussions about what the story would be. I was keen to use whatever notes they had for the proposed third season. I really wanted this to be a literal 'third season' of the show." Paramount Home Entertainment agreed to package it with the box set, also on the condition that Lynch and Frost approved. Though Frost approved the project, Lynch vetoed it, stating that he respected the effort but did not want to continue the story of Twin Peaks.
In 2013, rumors that Twin Peaks would return were dismissed by Lynch's daughter Jennifer Lynch (author of The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer) as well as by Frost. Cast member Ray Wise recounted what Lynch had said to him about a possible continuation: "Well, Ray, you know, the town is still there. And I suppose it's possible that we could revisit it. Of course, [your character is] already dead... but we could maybe work around that."
In January 2014, a casting call for a "Twin Peaks promo", directed by Lynch, was revealed to be the filming of a featurette for the Twin Peaks: The Complete Mystery Blu-ray set. In September 2014, Lynch answered a question about Twin Peaks at the Lucca Film Festival by saying it was a "tricky question", and that "there's always a possibility... and you just have to wait and see."
Announcement
On October 6, 2014, Showtime announced that it would air a nine-episode miniseries written by Lynch and Frost and directed by Lynch. Frost emphasized that the new episodes were not a remake or reboot but a continuation of the series. The episodes are set in the present day, and the passage of 25 years is an important element in the plot. As to whether the miniseries would become an ongoing series, Frost said: "If we have a great time doing it and everybody loves it and they decide there's room for more, I could see it going that way."
In March 2015, Lynch expressed doubts about the production due to "complications". Showtime confirmed the series was moving forward, stating: "Nothing is going on that's any more than any preproduction process with David Lynch. Everything is moving forward and everybody is crazy thrilled and excited." In April 2015, Lynch said he would not direct the nine episodes due to budget constraints. He and Showtime came to an agreement, with Lynch confirming on May 15, 2015, that he would direct, and that there would be more episodes than the originally announced nine. At a Twin Peaks panel in Seattle, cast members Sherilyn Fenn and Sheryl Lee said that the new series would consist of 18 episodes and Angelo Badalamenti would return as composer.
Casting
On January 12, 2015, Kyle MacLachlan was confirmed to return to the series. In October 2015, it was confirmed that Michael Ontkean, who portrayed Sheriff Harry S. Truman and has since retired from acting, would not return for the revival. In October 2015, it was reported that the role of town sheriff would be filled by Robert Forster, later confirmed as playing Frank Truman, brother of Harry. Forster had been cast as Harry in the 1990 pilot, but was replaced by Ontkean due to scheduling issues. Also in October, David Duchovny teased his return as Agent Denise Bryson. In November 2015, it was reported that Miguel Ferrer would reprise his role as Albert Rosenfield and that Richard Beymer and David Patrick Kelly would return as Benjamin Horne and Jerry Horne respectively. In December 2015, Alicia Witt confirmed she would reprise her role as Gersten Hayward. Michael J. Anderson was asked to reprise his role as The Man from Another Place, but declined.
Russ Tamblyn underwent open-heart surgery in late 2014 and was still recovering in 2015. Lynch and Frost were still hoping Tamblyn would join the cast for the new season, which was later confirmed. On September 28, 2015, Catherine E. Coulson, who reprised her role of the Log Lady in the new series, died of cancer. She filmed her final scene four days before her death.
The series' first teaser trailer, released in December 2015, confirmed the involvement of Michael Horse (Tommy "Hawk" Hill). In January 2016, it was reported that Sherilyn Fenn would reprise her role as Audrey Horne in a "major presence." In February 2016, it was reported that Lynch would reprise his role as Gordon Cole. Frequent Lynch collaborator Laura Dern was cast in a "top-secret pivotal role", which eventually proved to be Diane, the previously unseen character to whom Cooper frequently dictated taped messages during the show's original run. In April 2016, a complete cast list was released, featuring 217 actors, with actors returning from the earlier series marked with asterisks. Mary Reber, who plays Alice Tremond in the finale, is the actual owner of the house used for the Palmer residence.
David Bowie was asked to make a cameo appearance as FBI Agent Phillip Jeffries, his character from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. As Bowie's health was declining, his lawyer told Lynch that he was unavailable. Before his death in January 2016, Bowie gave the production permission to reuse old footage featuring him; however, he was unhappy with the accent he had used in the film, and requested that he be dubbed over by an authentic Louisiana actor, leading to the casting of Nathan Frizzell as the voice of Jeffries. In January and February 2017, respectively, cast members Miguel Ferrer and Warren Frost died, but both appear in the new series. Harry Dean Stanton, who reprised his role as Carl Rodd, died in September 2017, less than two weeks after the last episode of the series aired.
Filming
In July 2015, Frost suggested that the series would premiere in 2017 rather than 2016, as originally planned. The series began filming in September 2015, and Showtime president David Nevins said, "I'm hoping we make 2016. It's not clear. It's ultimately going to be in [series co-creators David Lynch and Mark Frost's] control." Nevins also stated, "I don't know [how many episodes there will be]. They're going to decide, I expect it to be more than nine, but it's open-ended. I know what the shooting schedule is and then we'll have him cut into it however many episodes it feels best at." In January 2016, Nevins confirmed that the series would premiere in the first half of 2017. The series was shot continuously from a single, long shooting script before being edited into episodes. Filming was completed by April 2016.
Peak Season Episodes Video
Cast
- Kyle MacLachlan as:
- Special Agent Dale Cooper
- Cooper's Double
- Douglas "Dougie" Jones
Twin Peaks
Government
Las Vegas
South Dakota
Supernatural
Michael J. Anderson did not reprise his role as The Man from Another Place, who instead appears as a treelike computer-generated effect and is voiced by an uncredited actor. When asked who provided the voice for the CGI character, executive producer Sabrina Sutherland replied, "Unfortunately, I think this question should remain a mystery and not be answered."
Other
Episodes
Music
The show's score contains new and reused compositions by Angelo Badalamenti, dark ambient music and sound design by Dean Hurley and David Lynch (including some from The Air Is on Fire), and unreleased music from Lynch and Badalamenti's 1990s project Thought Gang, two of which previously appeared in Fire Walk with Me. Hurley's contributions were released on the album Anthology Resource Vol. 1: ?? on August 6, 2017, by Sacred Bones Records. Several tracks from Johnny Jewel's album Windswept also appear throughout. Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima by Krzysztof Penderecki appears in key scenes.
Two soundtracks were released on September 8, 2017, by Rhino Records: Twin Peaks: Music from the Limited Event Series and Twin Peaks: Limited Event Series Original Soundtrack.
Additionally, multiple episodes contain musical performances at the Roadhouse. Lynch hand-picked several of the bands, including Nine Inch Nails, Sharon Van Etten, and Eddie Vedder.
Other music, mostly played diegetically includes:
Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and "Last Call" by David Lynch are played slowed down significantly.
Release
Twin Peaks premiered on Showtime on May 21, 2017, with a two-hour episode. After the airing, the premiere and an additional two episodes became available online, and the series aired in weekly increments from that point onwards (at Lynch's insistence). Overall, the series consists of 18 episodes. It concluded on September 3, 2017, with a two-part finale.
In the United Kingdom, Sky Atlantic simulcast the first two episodes beginning at 2:00 am British Summer Time on May 22, 2017, and the next two episodes were released on Sky UK's on-demand service after the premiere. In the Nordic countries, the series is broadcast on HBO Nordic, with the two-hour premiere airing on May 22, and subsequent episodes being made available the day after its U.S. airing. In Canada, the series is available on CraveTV and The Movie Network, and debuted simultaneously with the U.S. broadcast. In Australia, episodes of the series are available to stream on Stan the same day as the original U.S. broadcast. Two episodes were screened at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. In Japan, the series airs on the satellite television network Wowow, which also aired the original series.
Reception
Critical reception
The first two episodes garnered positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, Twin Peaks has a score of 74 out of 100 based on 26 reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 94% rating with an average score of 7.75 out of 10 based on 71 reviews. The site's critical consensus is, "Surreal, suspenseful, and visually stunning, this new Twin Peaks is an auteurist triumph for David Lynch."
Sonia Saraiya of Variety wrote "Twin Peaks: The Return is weird and creepy and slow. But it is interesting. The show is very stubbornly itself--not quite film and not quite TV, rejecting both standard storytelling and standard forms. It's not especially fun to watch and it can be quite disturbing. But there is never a sense that you are watching something devoid of vision or intention. Lynch's vision is so total and absolute that he can get away with what wouldn't be otherwise acceptable."
The Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg commented that "The thing that struck me most immediately about the premiere is how relatively cogent it was, with a clear emphasis on 'relatively'. What premiered on Sunday was as accessibly scary, disturbing and audaciously funny as many of the best parts of the original Twin Peaks, and nowhere near as hallucinatory and subtextually distilled as the prequel film Fire Walk With Me." Fienberg also wrote about the series' format: "It's obvious this Twin Peaks is going to be an 18-hour unit. There was no discernible separation between hours and if credits hadn't rolled, the second hour could probably just as easily have flowed into the third. This isn't episodic TV. It's another thing."
In her "A" grade review, Emily L. Stephens of The A.V. Club wrote regarding its possible reception from critics and viewers: "This two-part premiere is going to be wildly difficult for any two people to agree upon, in part because a viewer's assessment of the revival will depend upon what they hoped for. If you were looking forward to a return of the sometimes campy, sometimes cozy humor of the original two seasons of Twin Peaks, this premiere could come as a shock. If you were anticipating that once jolting, now familiar blend of genres, this is... not that." She called the two-part premiere "pure Lynchian horror".
At the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, Lynch screened the two-hour premiere of the series and received a five-minute standing ovation from the crowd.
Sean T. Collins of Rolling Stone called the series "one of the most groundbreaking TV series ever", praising its original, complex story lines and the performances of its cast, particularly Kyle MacLachlan. Matt Zoller Seitz of Vulture wrote that the show was "the most original and disturbing to hit TV drama since The Sopranos". In his season review for IGN, Matt Fowler noted that Twin Peaks "came back as a true artistic force that challenged just about every storytelling convention we know" and scored it an 8.8 out of 10. Additionally, Sight & Sound and Cahiers du cinéma magazines named Twin Peaks: The Return respectively as the second-best and the best "film" of the year, with Sight & Sound placing it behind only the psychological horror film Get Out. Metacritic ranked Twin Peaks as the second-best TV series of 2017; 20 major publications ranked it as the best show of the year.
Critics' top ten lists
Ratings
The two-hour premiere on May 21, 2017, received 506,000 viewers on Showtime, which Deadline.com called "soft for such a strongly promoted prestige project". Ratings increased to 626,000 after the encore broadcasts that night and the premiere also had over 450,000 viewers via streaming and on-demand.
Viewership for the premiere increased to 804,000 in Live+3 ratings, and it had a viewership of 1.7 million across streaming and on-demand platforms. Showtime announced that the weekend of the Twin Peaks premiere had the most signups to their streaming service ever. Prior to the finale, the series was averaging 2 million weekly viewers, when including time-shifting, encores and streaming. Showtime president David Nevins said that Twin Peaks "has exceeded expectations" from a financial perspective.
Accolades
Home media
The series was released on Blu-ray and DVD on December 5, 2017, and includes more than six hours of behind-the-scenes content.
Future
Both David Lynch and Mark Frost have expressed interest in making another season of Twin Peaks, but Lynch has noted that such a project will not immediately follow The Return, given that it took them four and a half years to write and film the third season.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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