What Would a Twin Peaks Spin-Off Look Like?

Fire walk with me! The Twin Peaks Showtime reboot was a roaring success and had viewers drawn back into the kooky and the spooky going on in the little town in Washington that was made famous in the 1990s with the murder of Laura Palmer. The reboot came spilling out of the pen of David Lynch, madcap creator of the original, who also directed the series – and protagonist Detective Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) made a reappearance. But will it be followed by a prequel, or a sequel, or even a midquel, like the original series was? And if so, what could a Twin Peaks sequel possibly look like? Well, we have some theories…

“Will Twin Peaks be followed by a prequel, or a sequel, or even a midquel, like the original series was?”

Twin Peaks meets The Wire

The original Twin Peaks featured the events is a small segment of the community of Twin Peaks, which is documented as being more of a sprawling metropolis than depicted. Given the variable wealth of the business owners and high society we meet in the early seasons, it stands to reason that there are poorer people somewhere in the city. So, a Twin Peaks spin-off could focus on what happens in the rough and ready area of town, where the mysterious happenings are rawer. The other side of the tracks would shed a new light on some of the strange goings on and could even link back to the main plot with the right backstories.  

The Real Housewives of Twin Peaks

Flipping the series completely on its head – which is a speciality of Lynch’s – would be if we saw mockumentary-style footage of the women of the city, the friendships and tangled romances, in the style of The Real Housewives franchise. Imagine the cat-fights, the hair pulling, and the dramatic dinners when the town is investigating another murder. It’d give frenemies a whole new meaning… The most interesting aspect of this idea is how The Real Housewives would play out if Lynch was allowed to helm the Bravo shows. We can definitely imagine Naomi Watts’s Janey-E Jones further developing her Las Vegas housewife character.  

Twin Peaks Goes Gambling Mad

The Mitchum Brothers – played by Robert Knepper (Rodney) and Jim Belushi (Bradley) – were introduced in season three and owned the iconic Silver Mustang Casino. Their activities and pasts could be explored in a sequel that features the day-to-day life of the casino. Knepper and Belushi could easily hold their own show, and if the production budget doesn’t stretch far enough this time, perhaps the casino could keep up with the times and relocate online, where, as evidenced by the number of free spins offers showcased on sites such as Oddschecker, the online casino trade is booming far better than the Silver Mustang ever did!

Detective Dale: The College Years

The Twin Peaks series is denoted by the high tension and atmosphere created by the duplicity of almost everyone in the town. But what if the sequel was a prequel that focused on Detective Dale and his time training to be a police officer? Think of it as a cross between Police Academy and Saved By the Bell: The College Years, infused with the standard macabre vibes of Twin Peaks. The show will be a sitcom, but only in as far as the depths of dark humor, it plumbs in order to mould Dale into the Detective we know and love. It would still star Kyle MacLachlan of course, as a statement on aging in Hollywood.

Live From the Bang Bar (animated)

Think of this spin-off as a cross between The Tonight Show, The Late Show, and Ellen set in the illustrious Bang Bang Bar, and resplendent with live music performances and in-depth interviews with the characters. Through the power of voice and speech, each actor will give us a glimpse into their past, present, or future with a tale woven from the mind of David Lynch. The show will act almost as a confessional for each character’s heinous misdeeds they have committed throughout their lives and how it affected other in Twin Peaks.

While fun to ruminate over, we’re sure David Lynch would have some better ideas than us on how to resurrect the franchise again – if it is ever resurrected, especially considering how difficult it was to drag the 2017 limited series out of development hell. Anything would be good to watch after that ending.