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How to watch the Twin Peaks TV series and movie in release and chronological order

Grab a chair and a slice of your finest cherry pie, it's time to dig into Twin Peaks with this watch guide

A promotional image of Kyle MacLachlan as Dale Cooper on Twin Peaks — Image credit: ABC

Guides by Jules Chin Greene, Contributing Writer

Published on Mon Nov 18 2024

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The town of Twin Peaks, Washington is a small town like no other, thanks to David Lynch's nightmarish directorial vision. The show is centered on FBI agent Dale Cooper, played by Kyle MacLachlan, as he travels to the town to solve the murder of a teenage girl named Laura Palmer. Like Cooper himself, the residents of Twin Peaks are colorful figures. Their quirkiness is matched only by the dark undercurrent that exists in the town.

As you might be aware, Twin Peaks is one of the most critically-acclaimed television shows of all time. While its original run on ABC was cut short after only 2 seasons, its cult following culminated in a third season, also known as Twin Peaks: The Return, which released 25 years later in 2017. Plenty of shows have imitated Twin Peaks over the years, but there's a certain "je ne sais quoi" about how David Lynch tells a story. Without further ado, let's take a look at the ways you can watch Twin Peaks in its release and chronological order.

How to watch Twin Peaks in release order:

A still of Harry and Cooper on Twin Peaks — Image credit: ABC

Lucky for us, Twin Peaks doesn't have a plethora of spinoffs to get confused by. Watching the show and its movie, Fire Walk With Me, in release order entails watching the first two seasons of the show, then Fire Walk With Me, and then Twin Peaks: The Return. Seems simple enough.

Fire Walk With Me has a neat Blu-ray release thanks to the Criterion Collection. I also feel a responsibility to tell you that Twin Peaks: The Return isn't exactly a sensical follow-up to the events of season 2. It introduces new characters and meanders around quite a bit. If you're expecting a satisfying resolution to the big questions that season 2 leaves us hanging with, you will not find that in The Return.

How to watch Twin Peaks in chronological order:

A still from Twin Peaks with Ed, Cooper, and Hawk — Image credit: ABC

The idea of trying to apply a sense of order, chronological or otherwise, to a David Lynch project is like trying to empty the ocean onto a beach. The director is more invested in a sense of the surreal more than anything else. That said, the Fire Walk With Me film was created as a prequel to the events of the Twin Peaks show. So if you're interested in trying to build a timeline out of Lynch's beautiful and surreal spaghetti, here's how you would do that:

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Twin Peaks - season 1
Twin Peaks - season 2
Twin Peaks: The Return

What is so special about Twin Peaks?

A still of the Black Lodge from Twin Peaks — Image credit: ABC

Twin Peaks pushed the envelope on what network television could be in the early 1990s. The show was not merely episodic, but had storylines that carried across several episodes. This may not seem like much today, but at the time, this was groundbreaking. Twin Peaks also has a group of memorable character actors in the cast, lending the show a distinctive campy atmosphere that balances out the more horrifying elements of the story.

Why did Twin Peaks end so abruptly?

A still of The Arm from Twin Peaks: The Return — Image credit: SHOWTIME

It was a miracle that Twin Peaks even existed in the first place, much less got to have two seasons on ABC. By the second season, the show was showing some of the strain that David Lynch had with the studio over its creative direction. It's no surprise then that the show got canned without a resolution, before it was later revived in 2017.

What makes Twin Peaks weird?

A still from Twin Peaks with Harry, Cooper, Hawk, and Andy — Image credit: ABC

Well, a lot. It's a David Lynch project after all. In some scenes set in the Black Lodge, actors learned their lines backwards, and the footage was reversed in post-production so that they delivered their lines in a bizarre cadence. There's not a strong sense of logic to anything that goes on in Twin Peaks, and the characters are incredibly eccentric. The sheriff in town is named Harry S. Truman, for example. Above all, David Lynch's work embraces the surreal, and Twin Peaks is a testament to that.

Is Twin Peaks a dark show?

A still of Bob and Cooper on Twin Peaks — Image credit: ABC

The premise is based around the murder of a teenage girl, so yes, I would say Twin Peaks is a dark show. Abuse is also a theme within the show, even though the show often has a sunny atmosphere. Just like life, it's a mixed bag, but the dark moments in Twin Peaks are truly an abyss in their own right.

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Jules Chin Greene: Jules Chin Greene is a journalist and Jack Kirby enthusiast. He has written about comics, video games, movies, and television for sites such as Nerdist, AIPT, Multiverse of Color, and Screen Rant.