Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks
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Twin Peaks

"It is happening again."

8.4
Yr 1990
Status Ended
Drama Mystery
Your Verdict

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Series Brief

Overview

The body of Laura Palmer is washed up on a beach near the small Washington state town of Twin Peaks. FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper is called in to investigate her strange demise only to uncover a web of mystery that ultimately leads him deep into the heart of the surrounding woodland and his very own soul.

Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 85 /100

Twin Peaks is widely regarded as a revolutionary milestone in television history. Upon its 1990 debut, critics hailed the series as a hauntingly original work that shattered the conventions of the medium by blending quirky humor, horror, and a surreal atmosphere in ways prime-time television had never seen before.

While the first season is frequently cited as a flawless example of masterful storytelling, critical consensus notes that the series underwent a decline in quality during its second season. The premature resolution of the central mystery regarding Laura Palmer’s death caused the narrative momentum to falter, though many reviewers maintain that its aesthetic influence and status as an iconic cultural touchstone remain undisputed.

“It may be the most hauntingly original work ever done for American TV.”

“Despite its fast fade, the series proved surprisingly influential.”

“The dizzyingly satisfying hour was typically thought-provoking, quirky, sexy, intricately plotted and violent.”

“Well, after a killer first season, Twin Peaks collapsed. The murderer was prematurely uncovered in season two and the storyline faltered.”

Why fans love it

Twin Peaks arrived in 1990 as a sharp departure from network norms. By placing a bleak homicide investigation within the borders of a quiet town in Washington, the series dismantled the safety of suburban life. The narrative reaches past the standard procedural, pulling in elements of psychological horror and a persistent, unsettling sense of an encroaching alternate dimension.

Kyle MacLachlan anchors this descent as an investigator navigating local rumors, teenage secrets, and the underlying rot of domestic abuse. The show balances a sharp focus on the death of a school girl with increasingly surreal detours. It avoids easy moral clarity, choosing instead to linger on the strange, wooded shadows and the hidden cracks in a community built on 1960s idealism.

Featured Players

Cast

Credited 75
Regulars 21
Longest run 66 eps
Kyle MacLachlan
Kyle MacLachlan
as Dale Cooper
66 episodes
Michael Ontkean
Michael Ontkean
as Harry S. Truman
48 episodes
Lara Flynn Boyle
Lara Flynn Boyle
as Donna Hayward
48 episodes
Dana Ashbrook
Dana Ashbrook
as Bobby Briggs
48 episodes
Richard Beymer
Richard Beymer
as Benjamin Horne
48 episodes
Sherilyn Fenn
Sherilyn Fenn
as Audrey Horne
48 episodes
Warren Frost
Warren Frost
as Will Hayward
48 episodes
Peggy Lipton
Peggy Lipton
as Norma Jennings
48 episodes
Show 67 more
James Marshall as James Hurley 48 episodes Everett McGill as Big Ed Hurley 48 episodes Harry Goaz as Andy Brennan 48 episodes Michael Horse as Tommy 'Hawk' Hill 48 episodes Russ Tamblyn as Dr. Jacoby 48 episodes Wendy Robie as Nadine Hurley 27 episodes David Lynch as Gordon Cole 17 episodes Ray Wise as Leland Palmer 49 episodes Joan Chen as Jocelyn Packard 49 episodes Jack Nance as Pete Martell 49 episodes Eric DaRe as Leo Johnson 49 episodes Grace Zabriskie as Sarah Palmer 18 episodes Al Strobel as One-Armed Man 18 episodes Mädchen Amick as Shelly Johnson 55 episodes Kimmy Robertson as Lucy Moran 39 episodes Piper Laurie as Katherine Martell 66 episodes Sheryl Lee as Laura Palmer / Maddy Ferguson 61 episodes Kenneth Welsh as Windom Earle 9 episodes Ian Buchanan as Dick Tremayne 12 episodes Chris Mulkey as Hank Jennings 13 episodes Brenda Strong as Jones 5 episodes James Booth as Ernie Niles 5 episodes Michael Parks as Jean Renault 5 episodes Don Amendolia as Emory Battis 5 episodes Dan O'Herlihy as Andrew Packard 6 episodes Robyn Lively as Lana 6 episodes Heather Graham as Annie Blackburn 6 episodes John Boylan as Dwayne Milford 8 episodes Victoria Catlin as Blackie O'Reilly 6 episodes George Griffith as Ray Monroe 5 episodes Jill Engels as Trudy 7 episodes Lance Davis as Chet 5 episodes Carel Struycken as The Giant 9 episodes Walter Olkewicz as Jacques Renault 6 episodes Charlotte Stewart as Betty Briggs 9 episodes Jan D'Arcy as Sylvia Horne 5 episodes Jane Adams as Constance Talbot 6 episodes Brent Briscoe as Dave Macklay 7 episodes James Morrison as Dwight Murphy 5 episodes Catherine E. Coulson as Margaret Lanterman / The Log Lady 18 episodes Tom Sizemore as Anthony Sinclair 6 episodes Patrick Fischler as Duncan Todd 6 episodes Harry Dean Stanton as Carl Rodd 5 episodes Phoebe Augustine as Ronette Pulaski 6 episodes Jennifer Jason Leigh as Chantal Hutchens 6 episodes Tim Roth as Gary "Hutch" Hutchens 5 episodes David Patrick Kelly as Jerry Horne 12 episodes Eamon Farren as Richard Horne 6 episodes J.R. Starr as MC 5 episodes Miguel Ferrer as Albert Rosenfield 19 episodes Chrystabell as Tammy Preston 11 episodes Robert Forster as Frank Truman 10 episodes John Pirruccello as Deputy Chad Broxford 8 episodes Jim Belushi as Bradley Mitchum 6 episodes Robert Knepper as Rodney Mitchum 6 episodes Don Murray as Bushnell Mullins 8 episodes Amy Shiels as Candie 6 episodes Giselle DaMier as Sandie 6 episodes Andrea Watrouse as Mandie 6 episodes Laura Dern as Diane Evans 9 episodes Pierce Gagnon as Sonny Jim Jones 9 episodes Frank Silva as Bob 15 episodes Naomi Watts as Janey-E Jones 10 episodes Don S. Davis as Garland Briggs 18 episodes Gary Hershberger as Mike 'Snake' Nelson 5 episodes Billy Zane as John Justice Wheeler 5 episodes Annette McCarthy as Evelyn Marsh 5 episodes
Production Board

Crew

Art Department Coordinator
Jula Bell
Director
Diane Keaton Duwayne Dunham Tina Rathborne Jonathan Sanger Mark Frost Tim Hunter Uli Edel Graeme Clifford James Foley
"C" Camera Operator
Scott Andrew Ressler
Hair Department Head
Clare M. Corsick
Stunts
Tait Fletcher
Makeup Artist
Carla Roseto Fabrizi Lizbeth Williamson
Creator
Mark Frost
Costume Design
Sara Markowitz
Hairstylist
Annette E. Fabrizi
Production Design
Patricia Norris Ruth De Jong
Makeup Department Head
Debbie Zoller
Set Dresser
Mike Malone
Costume Supervisor
Laurie Hudson
Still Photographer
Suzanne Tenner
Stunt Coordinator
Mark Norby
Set Decoration
Brian Kasch
In Memory Of
Kevin Young Jr.
Graphic Designer
Jason Perrine
Art Direction
Okowita
Director of Photography
Peter Deming
Signal Match

Similarity

Where Twin Peaks overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

small town deputy sheriff fbi coffee forest possession surrealism domestic abuse serial killer diner teenage girl school another dimension paranormal investigation teenage boy agent doppelgänger washington state comatose supernatural phenomena murder mystery 1990s drug deal soap opera secret psychological horror mysterious villain brothel high school alternate dimension paranormal phenomena psychological thriller death of daughter teen drama 1980s 1960s 1930s father daughter relationship mysterious disappearance supernatural drama forced into prostitution psychological drama surreal psychological drama
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
April 08, 1990
Status
Ended
Origin
US
TMDB Votes
2,538