Review Roundup: Kyle MacLachlan Returns for Showtime's TWIN PEAKS Event Series

Last night, Showtime debuted its 18-part limited series TWIN PEAKS with a two-part premiere. Directed entirely by David Lynch, the new series picks up 25 years after the inhabitants of a quaint northwestern town were stunned when their homecoming queen Laura Palmer was shockingly murdered. Golden Globe®-winning and Emmy® Award-nominated Kyle MacLachlan stars as FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper.

TWIN PEAKS is written and executive produced by series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost, and is executive produced by Sabrina S. Sutherland. Let's see what the critics have to say:

James Poniewozik, The New York Times: But there's enough unshakable imagery to promise a few months of unsettled Sunday nights' sleep. The original "Twin Peaks" was powered by two questions: "Who killed Laura Palmer?" and "What the hell am I watching?" The reincarnation doesn't have the first. But it still knows how to get you to ask the second.

Dominic Patten, Deadline: At the L.A. premiere of Twin Peaks on May 19, Lynch told the invited crowd "I love trees, I love wood." Hard to tell still if that is a hint or a tailless tease, but it is clear Lynch's enthusiasm was genuine as was his love of getting his hands dirty. The result has got me hooked on the new Twin Peaks, just like I was with the original all those years ago.

Brian Lowry, CNN: It's too soon, ultimately, to conclude whether "Twin Peaks" will justify the investment or, like many a revival, should have stayed in limbo. The first two hours should, at least, pique any fan's curiosity. And for a program that never fit in a neat little box, Lynch and company have seemingly found the right time and place to reappear.

Daniel Fienberg, THR: TV is a quirkier place now than when TWIN PEAKS first premiered. Audiences are more accustomed to fits of surrealism and untrustworthy subjectivity in shows like Westworld or MR. ROBOT or FARGO or The Leftovers. It would have been fair to wonder if TWIN PEAKS might look quaint in 2017. The most significant thing I can say by way of review when it comes to the start of Showtime's new TWIN PEAKS isn't really whether it's good or bad, because I'm not there yet and the show's past has taught me to be cautious.

Daniel D'Addario,Time: All of this is not to say that Twin Peaks's new go-round isn't worthy of attention; its slow and languorous way of taking its time with scenes keeps one, mostly, attentive. But while it's safe to assume that Lynch, no one's idea of a conventional storyteller, knows where his story will end up, it's a bit wearying to think of getting there after a further 16 hours of viewing.

alan Sepinwall, Uproxx: Now, the story has to start moving in a more coherent direction in the not-too-distant future - and perhaps it already has in the two additional hours that Showtime released digitally as I was writing this review - because even Lynch's style and MacLachlan's charisma will carry this enterprise so far. But I went into the night terrified that all the usual TV revival problems would become exponentially worse when filtered through Lynch's own storytelling eccentricities, and I came out of it exhilarated. Baffled at times, but exhilarated

Mark Lawson, The Guardian: Lynch is unusual among screen writer-directors in having separate and significant careers as a musician and visual artist, and his multi-skilling is ever more to the fore here. The intricate noisescape of squeaks, scratches and chords (Lynch takes a separate sole credit for sound design) could be released as an album; the images might be hung in the Museum of Modern Art.

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