The already iconic series that changed television has seen an enormous boost in popularity as of late, and it’s the perfect time for new fans to jump on the bandwagon. Twin Peaks, co-created by David Lynch and Mark Frost, has been considered one of the best TV shows of all time for years and years, and has steadily gained new fans since it first aired back in 1990. Due to the the recent passing of Lynch, a lot of folks who have been putting it off are finally taking the dive and watching the entire Twin Peaks saga unfold.
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For those new to Twin Peaks, it may be a tiny bit confusing when you first jump into it. Not the show itself, mind you, but the media franchise that the show created. There are two seasons of a series, a standalone movie, a full film of deleted scenes, and a limited series with the same name to sort through. It can be overwhelming, but Twin Peaks isn’t nearly as intimidating to watch through as it may seem on the surface.
If you’re curious about jumping into Twin Peaks, the way to experience it all is in the order it was released. That means starting with the original Twin Peaks series, which aired in 1990 and 1991, with a total of 29 episodes to watch through. That doesn’t include the “International Pilot” episode, which is essentially a longer edition of the Twin Peaks pilot that solves one of its biggest mysteries at the end of the episode. You don’t want this episode to spoil you on the rest of the show, but fortunately it’s not included most places you’ll watch Twin Peaks. You only need to worry about this if you are watching one of the older DVD sets or pirating the series online.
After the original Twin Peaks, move on to Lynch’s 1992 feature film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. This movie is a prequel to the series and is set in the days leading up to Laura Palmer’s death, aka the catalyst for the events of the show. While it takes place before the series, it’s best to watch after finishing Season 2. If you’re really curious, there’s also Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces, which is essentially a second prequel movie that’s made entirely out of Fire Walk With Me deleted scenes. It’s certainly not a must if you’re watching through Twin Peaks, but it’s still worth checking out.
Lastly you’ll move on to the Twin Peaks limited series that aired on Showtime in 2017. The 18-episode series is basically a third season of the series that takes place decades later, with many of the original cast members returning to join Lynch and Frost in continuing the story. This is usually referred to as Twin Peaks: The Return.
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If you’re looking to stream all of Twin Peaks, you may need a couple of different services to get it done. Both seasons of Twin Peaks and the entirety of Twin Peaks: The Return can be found on Paramount+. The original series is also available for free on Pluto TV. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is available on both Max and The Criterion Channel, while Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces is just on The Criterion Channel.
If you’d rather not fuss with all the services, or you just know that physical media is the way to go, you need to check out Twin Peaks: From Z to A. This is a box set that contains everything we just talked about above, in addition to a bunch of special features and bonuses. All three seasons of the show are available in the set, in addition to both movies. A couple episodes of the series also have 4K upgrades in the collection.
