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Twin Peaks
S1.E1
All episodesAll
  • Cast & crew
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  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Pilot

  • Episode aired Apr 8, 1990
  • Unrated
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
8.9/10
16K
YOUR RATING
Warren Frost, Sheryl Lee, and Michael Ontkean in Twin Peaks (1990)
CrimeDramaMystery

The small northwest town of Twin Peaks, Washington is shaken up when the body of the Homecoming Queen, Laura Palmer, is discovered washed up on a riverbank, wrapped in plastic.The small northwest town of Twin Peaks, Washington is shaken up when the body of the Homecoming Queen, Laura Palmer, is discovered washed up on a riverbank, wrapped in plastic.The small northwest town of Twin Peaks, Washington is shaken up when the body of the Homecoming Queen, Laura Palmer, is discovered washed up on a riverbank, wrapped in plastic.

  • Director
    • David Lynch
  • Writers
    • Mark Frost
    • David Lynch
  • Stars
    • Kyle MacLachlan
    • Michael Ontkean
    • Mädchen Amick
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    8.9/10
    16K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • David Lynch
    • Writers
      • Mark Frost
      • David Lynch
    • Stars
      • Kyle MacLachlan
      • Michael Ontkean
      • Mädchen Amick
    • 53User reviews
    • 28Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos112

    Jack Nance in Twin Peaks (1990)
    Sheryl Lee in Twin Peaks (1990)
    Sherilyn Fenn in Twin Peaks (1990)
    Lara Flynn Boyle in Twin Peaks (1990)
    James Marshall in Twin Peaks (1990)
    Kyle MacLachlan and Michael Ontkean in Twin Peaks (1990)
    Kyle MacLachlan in Twin Peaks (1990)
    Gary Hershberger in Twin Peaks (1990)
    Sheryl Lee in Twin Peaks (1990)
    Catherine E. Coulson in Twin Peaks (1990)
    Jack Nance in Twin Peaks (1990)
    Twin Peaks (1990)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Kyle MacLachlan
    Kyle MacLachlan
    • Special Agent Dale Cooper
    Michael Ontkean
    Michael Ontkean
    • Sheriff Harry S. Truman
    Mädchen Amick
    Mädchen Amick
    • Shelly Johnson
    • (as Madchen Amick)
    Dana Ashbrook
    Dana Ashbrook
    • Bobby Briggs
    Richard Beymer
    Richard Beymer
    • Benjamin Horne
    Lara Flynn Boyle
    Lara Flynn Boyle
    • Donna Hayward
    Sherilyn Fenn
    Sherilyn Fenn
    • Audrey Horne
    Warren Frost
    Warren Frost
    • Dr. Will Hayward
    Peggy Lipton
    Peggy Lipton
    • Norma Jennings
    James Marshall
    James Marshall
    • James Hurley
    Everett McGill
    Everett McGill
    • Big Ed Hurley
    Jack Nance
    Jack Nance
    • Pete Martell
    Ray Wise
    Ray Wise
    • Leland Palmer
    Joan Chen
    Joan Chen
    • Jocelyn Packard
    Piper Laurie
    Piper Laurie
    • Catherine Martell
    Russ Tamblyn
    Russ Tamblyn
    • Dr. Lawrence Jacoby
    Eric DaRe
    Eric DaRe
    • Leo Johnson
    • (as Eric Da Re)
    Mary Jo Deschanel
    Mary Jo Deschanel
    • Eileen Hayward
    • Director
      • David Lynch
    • Writers
      • Mark Frost
      • David Lynch
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The name of the hospital in Twin Peaks is Calhoun Memorial. Calhoun was the name of Mark Frost's maternal grandmother, who would tell him stories about Hazel Drew, a 20-year-old governess whose body washed ashore in New York in July 1908. Drew's still-unsolved murder was an inspiration for Laura Palmer.
    • Goofs
      When Cooper examines Laura's body for the first time, he turns to a doctor and asks him to leave him and the sheriff alone with the body. The actor, mishearing the line, replies "Jim" - his name. Cooper pauses for a moment and repeats the question and the actor apologizes and leaves. According to commentary on the 2007 DVD release, this was a genuine blooper but director David Lynch liked the surreal moment and kept it in the finished product. According to the same commentary, the flickering fluorescent lights were genuinely malfunctioning but Lynch felt it helped the scene so chose not to replace the lighting.
    • Quotes

      Dale Cooper: [speaking into tape recorder] Diane, I'm holding in my hands a small box of chocolate bunnies.

    • Alternate versions
      Early home media releases and overseas airings distributed by Worldvision visually plastered the early Lynch/Frost Productions logo (used only on the pilot) with the regular version, but retained the audio from the original logo. As the original logo only had a brief electric sizzling sound effect, it caused the plastered logo to only have a sound effect for it's initial period before abruptly falling into silence. Subsequent releases have restored the original logo.
    • Connections
      Edited into Twin Peaks (1989)
    • Soundtracks
      Falling
      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 reviews53

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    the finest hour of television-ever!
    i was only six years old when twin peaks premiered in Germany (it was no hit, by the way), but i did remember the huge a hype surrounding it at first. years later i stumbled upon it at a video store and rented the first season. i think the two-hour pilot of twin peaks is a masterpiece.

    the characters and the atmosphere, the enigmatic power of laura palmer, my TV was dripping from magic. i think the show (and the resolution of her murder) never lived up to the pilot, but i still think that David lynch really proved his genius with this pilot episode. i could watch over and over again.

    later on the show got confusing (well, surprise it's lynch) but you must rent the first season of this.

    brilliant!!!
    helpful•22
    2
    • talel_bj
    • Apr 21, 2006

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 8, 1990 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Norwegian
    • Filming locations
      • Kiana Lodge - 14976 Sandy Hook Road Northeast, Poulsbo, Washington, USA(exteriors and interiors: Blue Pine Lodge aka the Martell residence)
    • Production companies
      • Lynch Entertainment
      • Lynch/Frost Productions
      • Spelling Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 34 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
      • Dolby Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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