Pilot 

Undercurrents of passion, greed, jealousy and intrigue surface in a seemingly respectable town when a high school homecoming queen is found murdered.

Director:

David Lynch

Writers:

Mark Frost, David Lynch

Stars:

Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Mädchen Amick

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Kyle MacLachlan	...	Special Agent Dale Cooper
Michael Ontkean	...	Sheriff Harry S. Truman
Mädchen Amick	...	Shelly Johnson (as Madchen Amick)
Dana Ashbrook	...	Bobby Briggs
Richard Beymer	...	Benjamin Horne
Lara Flynn Boyle	...	Donna Hayward
Sherilyn Fenn	...	Audrey Horne
Warren Frost	...	Dr. Will Hayward
Peggy Lipton	...	Norma Jennings
James Marshall	...	James Hurley
Everett McGill	...	Big Ed Hurley
Jack Nance	...	Pete Martell
Ray Wise	...	Leland Palmer
Joan Chen	...	Jocelyn Packard
Piper Laurie	...	Catherine Martell

Storyline

When beautiful, young Laura Palmer is found brutally savaged, murdered, and wrapped in plastic, the death of the Twin Peaks Homecoming Queen is big news in the small town. As the news spreads, FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper travels to the Northern Washington State town to solve this and other related cases.

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Plot Keywords:

investigation | washington state | murder | murder investigation | pacific northwest | 

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Taglines:

A Mystery That Holds Its Secret To The Very End

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Norwegian

Release Date:

8 April 1990 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Kiana Lodge - 14976 Sandy Hook Road Northeast, Poulsbo, Washington, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,800,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lynch Entertainment,Lynch/Frost Productions,Spelling Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min 113 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The population of Twin Peaks is 51,201 by request of ABC. Network executives felt that a town with a population as small as 5,120 (the original population) wasn't relatable. This was one of the few changes that the network made regarding the original pilot, according to co-creator Mark Frost.

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Goofs

Catherine Martell's first name is spelled as "Katherine" in this episode's opening credits, but as "Catherine" in all other episodes.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Pete Martell: Gone fishing.

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Alternate Versions

There was a theatrical release in Europe with nearly 20 minutes of extra footage which was never broadcast in the TV network version which features an extended surreal sequence of the confrontation with the One-Armed Man and Killer Bob as well as the dream-like sequence in the Red Room all of which was shown in parts in the second episode of "Twin Peaks" as a dream sequence. It is also available on video. Intended to be a standalone film, the movie version has a new ending that reveals the identity of the killer of Laura Palmer. The film version eliminates most of the supernatural aspects of the series, too, with the exception of a dream sequence at the end. Michael J. Anderson appears as "The Man from Another Place" and Frank Silva appears as Bob only in this extended version; they were introduced to the series later.

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Connections

Featured in Nostalgia Critic: The Cell (2011)

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Soundtracks

The Nightingale
Lyric by David Lynch
Music by Angelo Badalamenti
Performed by Julee Cruise
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

as good as TV gets

Twin Peaks is unique in every way. It is almost unbelievable that a series so near-perfect and daring like Twin Peaks could be shown in nationwide TV. David Lynch didn't sell-out as he turned to the small screen, instead he took TV to new forms: never before and after have I seen a TV series that made such a lasting impression. I love each and every character, the brillant dialogues, the beautiful cast (Lara Flynn Boyle! Kyle MacLachlan!) and - best of all - a storytelling so absurd, obscure and perfect that you can only wonder how they made it. Its not only my favourite TV series, it has some of the best scenes ever filmed (the second murder, BOB, etc). And BOB scared me to death, ten years ago and also nowadays - I've seen the Twin Peaks Series now 5 times in its entirety and it is as good as the first time.