It is happening again. Twenty-five years later, David Lynch’s groundbreaking series Twin Peaks continues. The limited event series airs Sundays at 9pm ET/PT, starting May 21st, only on SHOWTIME. To celebrate, we’re sharing our favorite moments from Twin Peaks; breaking down the show’s cultural impact, from TV to fan art; and building an IRL Tribute to Twin Peaks in Brooklyn. Tune in to see how the mystery evolves; stay for the damn good coffee.
A show is nothing without its fans, and Twin Peaks has attracted a famously devoted following. For 25 years, fans have been keeping the dream of a new series alive, and singing the praises of the two seasons that aired back in the ’90s. There are gatherings all over the world, and after a while, you tend to get a feel for who you’ll run into at such events. So here’s a loving (and firmly tongue-in-cheek) taxonomy of Twin Peaks fans, from the fire walkers to the Norwegians and back again.
’90s nostalgists
The first episode of Twin Peaks aired just four months into the new decade, and few shows have defined their era’s cultural zeitgeist more than this one did. It makes sense, then, that anyone who loves all things ’90s pretty much has to be a Twin Peaks fan.
Fashionistas
For creative types, the show offers all manner of inspiration. Beyond the obvious — and honestly, wrapping yourself in plastic isn’t super practical, especially in the summer time — there’s all sorts of stylistic choices that just scream Twin Peaks to fellow fans. Take, for example, the above Black Lodge outfit, worn by former Flavorwire graphic designer Anna Kovatcheva. Some zig-zag striped fabric, a red cardigan, and you’re good to go!
Fire walkers
Fire walk with them, by all means, but make sure you know what you’re doing.
Giants
Although there are presumably only so many times you can be asked at a party to intone gravely, “It is happening again.”
Lumberjack fetishists
They sleep all night. They work all day.
Lynchian neophytes
Apart from perhaps Mulholland Drive and Blue Velvet, there isn’t really a better place to start with Lynch’s work than Twin Peaks. It embodies — and, in many cases, defines — the tropes that characterize much of his work: the way evil can lurk beneath a veneer of banal normality, the way his work can switch from humor to horror in a flash, and the way his narratives are more dreamlike and impressionistic than they are naturalistic.
Lynchian completists
Own The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer? This is you.
Mark Frost completists
There must be some diehard Hill Street Blues fans who are in it for the Frostiness.
Men who share names with former US Presidents
Bullied at school because your name happens to be George Bush? In Sheriff Harry S. Truman, you’ve got a friend.
Motorcycle enthusiasts
Especially the troubled, sad, and let’s-be-honest-also-kinda-wet variety.
Norwegians
Hopefully they won’t leave this time.
Pie aficionados
Who could fail to love a show whose protagonist devotes so much of his attention to the merits of damn good pie, cherry or otherwise? See also: donut aficionados, coffee aficionados, creepy-creamed-corn aficionados.
Resourceful interior decorators
Behold: our very own editor-in-chief standing in front of the actual wall from the show’s pilot. You don’t have to go all the way to the Pacific Northwest to replicate this style for your own place, though — a stencil, some paint, and you’re sorted. If coastal Salish isn’t quite the look you’re after, there are plenty of other ideas you can work from: Ben Horne’s iconic stone fireplace, the cozy wood panelling of the Great Northern, or the jagged floor pattern and red curtains of the Black Lodge.
Set decorators
Frank Silva, who played the terrifying Twin Peaks antagonist BOB, was famously cast by Lynch after he was accidentally caught on camera, reflected in a mirror. Something lit up in the director’s head, and the character was born. It’s a testament to Lynch’s genius, of course, that he was prepared to make such a fundamental change to his show on the basis of such happenstance. But it’s also an inspiration to set decorators everywhere!
Tibetans
The Tibetan method: big in Tibet!
TV critics
And finally, the biggest fans of all: the writers who’ve spent the last 25 years raving about how good and how influential the show was. Without them, one suspects none of this would be happening.