Return of Twin Peaks is 'pure David Lynch'

Special Agent Dale Cooper himself, Kyle Maclachlan, says the scripts for season three are “compelling, unexpected, thrilling, exciting and difficult”.

After a 26-year hiatus, the show returns on Sky Atlantic.

You might need a “damn fine cup of coffee” if you want to watch it. The first two-hour special is being simulcast at the same time around the world which means in the UK it will begin on Monday at 2am.

There have been few clues about what we can we can expect. What we do know is it’s set 25 years after the original and that filmmaker David Lynch has directed all 18 episodes.

“We’re going to dip into a world that’s changed,” Maclachlan explains. “This is not a nostalgic trip back down memory lane by any means, these are new stories and a new direction so that’s part of the excitement I think.”

Twin Peaks wasn’t on air for long – it began in 1990 and was axed in 1991 – but it was the TV drama that broke the mould.

Created by Lynch and Hill Street Blues writer Mark Frost, its sweeping cinematic style was unheard of on the small screen. It was also one of the first shows to really use the long format to tease out storylines, including the mystery of who killed Laura Palmer.

Sheryl Lee, who plays the homecoming queen, says there was nothing else like it on TV.

“Something artistically happened to coincide with something that the culture was longing for.

“It can [happen] with a painting a song, a film, a book – this was a TV show that just happened to hit right when it was needed.”

Over the years its cult appeal has been kept alive through boxset sales and streaming sites. There have been academic essays about its cultural significance, podcasts meticulously dissecting each storyline and even a yearly UK festival for fans.

Organiser Lindsey Bowden says the new episodes have a lot to live up to.

“I’ll be really honest with you, I was one of the people that thought this shouldn’t come back,” she admits.

“How do you recreate something so ground-breaking, so special? But I don’t think David Lynch and Mark Frost would do it if they thought they couldn’t. I don’t think they would touch something that was so perfect unless they thought they could make it better.”