From Fine to Damn Fine: All ‘Twin Peaks’ Seasons Ranked

On April 8, 1990, Agent Dale Cooper rolled into a small logging town to investigate a murder. With three seasons and one movie, Twin Peaks has garnered a devoted following of people who still like to try and decipher the show’s many mysteries. It’s often referenced in conversations about shows that were canceled too soon.

There are so many memorable moments spread through each season, but what separates the damn fine seasons from the seasons with a fish in the percolator? I’ll attempt to make that call.

Spoilers ahead!

Season 2

You know it. I know it. It’s unfortunate, isn’t it? Season 2 did not live up to the high bar set by the season that came before. In fact, it struggled so hard to find a flow that the network canceled the series. The biggest problem for the season was revealing Laura Palmer’s killer far too soon. At the very least, that should have been a season finale episode. Instead, it was dropped awkwardly in the middle of the season with no other plot point developed enough to keep people invested in the show. It wasn’t terrible, it was just a slump. By the time the show was back on track and getting juicy again, it was too late.

There were plenty of great moments though. The episode where Laura’s murderer was revealed to be her father, Leland, was wild and satisfying. Ray Wise’s performance was impressive and probably emotionally taxing for the actor as he switched back and forth from traumatized Leland to feral Bob. Of course, the fever dream of a season finale with Cooper exploring the Black Lodge was also a stand-out. It was a heartbreaker to realize the show would not have an opportunity to continue that momentum.

Season 1

The tone for the whole show was established immediately upon arrival. We were given over-the-top displays of emotion and a small town full of characters who cared about each other so much that it made us care about them too. The pacing was on point and the writers did a good job of establishing motivations and story arcs for a large cast. Each one is truly the main character of their own story. Even as the show progresses into darker territories, their humanity and humor stop the show from becoming too serious to be fun.

More than just being an introduction to lovable, odd-ball characters, it was a solid introduction to the ideas Lynch wanted to present. The show is an exploration of dreams and consciousness. Every moment spent in the red room was a treat, but the only way to enter was by accepting a state of reality that exists just beside our own. The idea is that we can access that plane of reality. The nightmare is that it can also access ours.

The best part of Season 1 was the pacing of the mystery. If you’re at the end of an episode standing in front of a map of Twin Peaks, out-of-breath, red strings stretched across connected points, hair tousled, you’re watching it correctly. The best thing about a David Lynch mystery is that you couldn’t possibly guess where the story will go next or how the next clue will be revealed. It invites viewer participation by forcing you to pay attention.

Season 3

This is the season of David Lynch unleashed. Unhinged. Untethered to time and space. A pure deep dive into the strange and multidimensional.

Getting this season was a huge win for Twin Peaks fans. We waited 25 years for one line of dialogue to make sense! If I had to subtitle this season, it would be, “The Problem with Tulpas.” Tulpas are the real-world manifestations of our subconscious thoughts. It’s like if so many people truly believed in Santa Claus that he actually became real and started handing out presents on Christmas Eve. But in a Twin Peaks context, it’s much more sinister.

The stand-out episode of the season for me was Episode 8, “Gotta Light?” It was more than an episode of television. It was a work of surrealist art, and I was levitating by the end of it. It is exhilarating that in an age of blockbuster franchises and book-to-screen projects, something fresh and completely original could make it through all the red tape.

Season 4? Unlikely…

Ever since the end of Season 3, fans have hoped that there might be a Season 4. More improbable things have happened! However, with the news that David Lynch is essentially homebound due to emphysema, it’s unclear if we’ll get to see any of the projects he hoped to bring to life and a fourth season is not something Lynch himself has even teased. As a fan, it’s just hard to let go of something you love. We’re lucky we got to spend any time in this world at all.