It premiered on ABC on April 8, , and ran for two seasons until its cancellation in The show returned in for a third season on Showtime. The show's narrative draws on the characteristics of detective fiction , but its uncanny tone, supernatural elements, and campy , melodramatic portrayal of eccentric characters also draw from American soap opera and horror tropes.
The original run was followed by the feature film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me , which serves as a prequel to the series. The success of the series sparked a media franchise , leading to the release of several tie-in books , including The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer. Under Lynch's direction, the show's revival included much of the original cast. In the years following the first two seasons, the show has gained a devoted cult following and been referenced in a wide variety of media.
It is considered a landmark turning point in television drama. In , local logger Pete Martell discovers a naked corpse wrapped in plastic on the bank of a river outside the town of Twin Peaks, Washington. When Sheriff Harry S. Truman , his deputies, and doctor Will Hayward arrive, the body is identified as high school senior and homecoming queen Laura Palmer. A second girl, Ronette Pulaski , is discovered as well, and is badly injured and dissociative just across the state border.
Cooper's initial examination of Laura's body reveals a tiny typed letter "R" inserted under her fingernail. At a town conference, Cooper informs the community that Laura's death matches the signature of a killer who murdered another girl in southwestern Washington the previous year, and that the evidence potentially indicates the killer being from Twin Peaks. Through Laura's diaries, local law enforcement alongside Agent Cooper discover that she had been living a double life.
She was cheating on her boyfriend, football captain Bobby Briggs , with biker James Hurley , and prostituting herself with the help of truck driver Leo Johnson and drug dealer Jacques Renault. Laura was also addicted to cocaine, which she obtained through coercing Bobby into doing business with Jacques. Laura's father, attorney Leland Palmer , suffers a nervous breakdown after her death.
