The new version of “Twin Peaks” will be addictive – or so says the boss of Showtime.
The premium cable network is bringing back David Lynch‘s fabled murder mystery of the early 1990s in a new version shrouded in secrecy but featuring an enormous cast, including star Kyle MacLachlan and many other original actors.
“I think the ‘Twin Peaks’ you’re going to see is the pure heroin of David Lynch and I’m very excited to be putting that out,” David Nevins, president and CEO of Showtime Networks Inc., told reporters Monday at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Pasadena. Nevins revealed the show will premiere May 21.
However, Nevins found himself unable to offer any meaningful details about what viewers can expect – probably a necessary caution, given Lynch’s ironclad demands for secrecy surrounding the project and his past tangles with the network over creative control and budgeting.
Nevins and Showtime programming chief Gary Levine did reveal that they had seen the entire show, and that the writer-director had served them doughnuts before each screening (an appropriate treat, which makes reference to the original series).
But that was about all there was in the department of hints.
“It rewards close watching,” Nevins finally offered. “Twin Peaks” “was the original social media show, the original ‘discussion show’ before the tools of social media and fan engagement existed.
“That’s why David is so particular about secrecy,” Nevins added.
Whether the new version will prove as memorable as the original remains to be seen.
“I have no idea what to expect in terms of ratings,” Nevins said. “It almost sort of doesn’t matter – you need to have these special, [one-time-only] events.”