Director David Lynch plays it cool on Twin Peaks revival

Your long, Twin Peaks-less nightmare is almost over.

Created by Mark Frost and David Lynch, this legendary (and legendarily odd) ABC series and its “Who Killed Laura Palmer” mystery took America by storm when it debuted in 1990. It was unlike any show anyone had ever seen, which may be why it quickly exploded into a hit and just as quickly collapsed, ending after just two seasons but leaving behind one of TV’s most devoted cult followings.

Fans celebrated in 2014 when Showtime announced it would bring the show back with Lynch and Frost in charge – and then began to panic as time passed and Peaks did not appear. Well, panic no more: the new Twin Peaks arrives on Showtime May 21 with a two-hour movie that launches an 18-episode run, all directed by Lynch.

“David Lynch is one of the great film masters of my lifetime,” Showtime CEO David Nevins told television critics, “and I think that the version of Twin Peaks you’re going to see is the pure heroin version of David Lynch, and I’m very excited to be putting that out.”

In his own deadpan way, Lynch sounds just as excited. “I love this world of Twin Peaks,” says Lynch, “and I often thought about what might be happening. I often remembered the beautiful world and the beautiful characters. It was Mark [Frost] who contacted me and asked if I wanted to go back to that world... and that’s what brought us back.”

But brought us all back to what? What should we expect from the new version? “This word ‘expect’ is a magical word,” Lynch says. “People expect things, and their expectations are met hopefully when they see the thing.”

Does he think those expectations will be met? “Always, we’re filled with doubt.”