small-town mentality

Twin Peaks is back and David Lynch requires your full attention

Cult favourite Twin Peaks makes its highly anticipated return. This is everything you need to know.

Created by David Lynch and Mark Frost and premiering in 1990, Twin Peaks was a television supernova. It burned bright and fast, rallying a devoted fan following in just eight episodes. But its appeal faded after a wayward second season, with the cancellation blamed on the fact that network executives pushed Lynch and Frost to solve the series’ central mystery – who killed homecoming queen Laura Palmer? – just a third of the way into season two. Despite being axed, the show would go on to gain cult status. Now, the question “Have you seen Twin

Peaks?” is as much an enquiry as it is a challenge to the person answering to prove they’re hip enough to understand this is not just any old TV show; this is art. Like collecting vinyl or reading Miranda July, watching Twin Peaks is a universal signifier of cool. Twenty-six years after its cliffhanging conclusion, and following the May 22 premiere of the much-anticipated new season, we’ve reached peak Twin Peaks.

At Lynch’s behest, the current season is airing in weekly, one-hour increments, in a call back to the way we used to watch TV. Technically, we’ll be streaming it, but not being able to bingewatch it over a weekend means Twin Peaks will be the subject of intense scrutiny at your home or office for the next few months. Open your social-media feed right now and we guarantee you’ll see an image, article or status update pointing to the fact that you should stop wasting time with @daquan memes and turn your full attention towards the pop-culture moment unfurling in front of your eyes. Consider this, if nothing else, a heads up.

Twin Peaks is airing now on Stan