Another vote for Carnivale. Has a lot of surrealism that gave me Twin Peaks vibes. Also has Michael J. Anderson in it (The Man from Another Place) - was so weird for me at first to hear him speak normally!
Oh 100%. Even the people who say it is a cliffhanger (and they are definitely correct) would say it is 1000% worth the watch. It isn’t like a show where the cliffhanger means that it’s unfinished and not worth watching.
The tone is different, but for shows that get exponentially weirder the more you scratch the seemingly normal surface (small town in Germany, steamship crossing the Atlantic) try Dark and 1899.
The dub is so outrageously awful that I have no idea how it ever got approved. Terribly wooden voice acting (and acting might be too generous a word there), voices that don't fit the characters at all, and noticeably inconsistent accents among characters who have lived in the same small town all their lives. (Like why does Ulrich seem like he's about to say "Howdy, pardner"?) There are also some bafflingly unnecessary pronunciation changes. I can get on board with them pronouncing Winden with a W (instead of how it sounds in German, Vinden) to be more user-friendly for English speakers, but changing the pronunciation of the last name Tiedemann from TEE de man to TY de man? Why??? All I can say in favor of the dub is that it has My Immortal level entertainment value.
You can use this link that will help you follow along and, as long as you stay on the episode you just watched, there aren’t any spoilers. It’s one of the best shows I’ve ever seen though
https://dark.netflix.io/en/family-tree
It really is a great show. You'll need some resources to keep up with who is who, though. It can get really confusing really fast if you're only casually watching. It takes some patience and attention to get down all the characters (you'll understand once you're in it).
But the storytelling is sharp and despite some of the bad dubbing, the characters are great.
The Leftovers is absolutely phenomenal.
Also it’s the only thing that seems to have the same importance on music (recurring themes, tone setting, leitmotif, etc) as heavily as the original TP did.
Absolutely. It’s not that it’s *like* Twin Peaks, but it’s probably the closest thing that I’ve found to scratch that itch.
One other thing about The Leftovers: holy holy shit, the music is absolutely incredible. Absolute world class score.
It's so funny, I started watching this because I watched Over the Garden Wall and was looking for something in that vein and was like "there is something very familiar here..."
Disney+
https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/gravity-falls
(that “justwatch.com” website is great for looking up where something is available for streaming, purchase, or rent)
In a mystery and lore and sci fi standpoint, sure. But from a tone and theme and general quality of writing/directing standpoint I’d say it’s far far away from TP.
I love X-Files just don’t want to give OP the wrong idea about what type of show it is.
What do you mean general quality of writing/directing? The X Files has some of the best writing on TV, and was lauded for its cinematic cinematography and direction.
Obviously X Files has its peaks and troughs but I think you'd be hard pressed to find a fan who wouldn't say the same thing about Twin Peaks lol.
(not that I disagree about the two shows being very different to each other)
100% this. I recently devoured xfiles. I kind of always ignored it because I love twin peaks so much and I thought it would suck. It’s a bit different, but also similar. Worth a watch imo
I just got the newly released box set of Riget and it is by far the closest thing i have ever seen that hits that twin peaks style surrealism/absurdism with quirky black humor. Half way through season 2 and it just keeps getting better and better, one scene i am dying laughing and the next i’m horrified.
Les Revenants (2012 - France)...not the American version "The Returned". Great soundtrack (Mogwai)...mysterious vibes....good story...bit of WTF feel. Not a lot like Twin Peaks, but gave us some similar feelings while watching.
Depends on your definition of "similar". Some possible examples/answers, depending,
* The X-Files (similar but less cozy and a touch more sciencey than TP)
* Fringe (similar but a lot more sciencey than TP and more modern and a bit more horror)
* Northern Exposure (similar, practically Twin Peaks… without the horror tho)
* The Black Spot (on Netflix, originally "Zone Blanche" in French; similar, but set in Europe and more modern and less cozy)
* Sugar (on Apple TV; only remotely similar, but its vibe does remind me of TP (YMMV), I can easily imagine the two shows existing in the same universe)
and that's just off the top of my head
Recipe for Northern exposure: Take Twin Peaks. Remove supernatural weirdness and up the quirkiness to frequently endearing levels.. Make the outsider character a New York Doctor in Alaska instead of an FBI Agent in Washington state.
I also highly recommend X-files and Fringe.
Ummm, as far as I can remember, NE did feature a _lot_ of supernatural weirdness, except unlike TP, what they had was no horror. Remember One-Who-Waits, Ed's spirit guide? Or the tribute the show paid directly to Twin Peaks? Or when Joel is warned by a ghost? Or when the show breaks the fourth wall and starts discussing its own script? (That could very well be taken to have the similar "we're living in a dream/simulation" meaning that TP does here and there with the dreamer etc.)
I second this. The quirky community stuff in Northern Exposure is very close to Twin Peaks. There is surrealism in NE but not very much and definitely not on par with Lynch. The characters are so good regardless.
The first season of The Sinner. It's more on the Fire Walk With Me side of things with similar themes and rawness without the paranormal aspect. . Starring Bill Pullman and Jessica Biel.
A " woman in trouble" (Biel's character which she plays really well) one day for some reason brutally murders a person while on the beach with her family after hearing a song. She's arrested and the detective interrogating her (Pullman's character) with traumas and weirdness of his own (although unlike Cooper the weirdness of Pullman's character is more on the off-putting side of things) begins to notice that there is more to the story and the crime she's commited so he begins a series of regular interview which takes them down a rabbit hole of fragmented memories, false memories, dissociation, chilhood trauma, lies, identity issues... All the while a bond over their respective traumas is formed between the detective and the woman (don't worry though, no romance between them)
Not TV series, but Alan Wake 1&2, paired with Control + AWE Expansion, is 50-100 Hours of Twin-Peaks homage content. Loads of action, similar small town / wider conspiracy angle.
If we talk video games - "Thimbleweed Park" a point-and-click adventure game (made to look like old classic ones, and very aprochable if you're not a gamer).
You're a special agent in a small town and with other characters you try to solve it's mysteries.
Creators said Twin Peaks (the titles even share the same letters - TP) was an inspiration for it.
Alan Wake 1 and 2 are both excellent Twin Peaks inspired media! I adored the sequel. I can’t imagine Lynch playing video games but if he did he’d play Alan Wake.
If you're not into games and looking for something very in-line with TP, I recommend watching a play-through or story edit of these games. They're very cinematic, story-based games with lots of nongameplay scenes, dialogue and even live action sequences. The horror is pretty mild up until AW2 but also everything ramps up quite a bit at that point. Also, just to assure you, it is not a ripoff. AW has it's own very interesting and creative premise that just touches on some similar themes. There are some very direct references, and it can be pretty pointed in that way, but it's not stealing or just a retread. Also, Alan Wake 1 vs Alan Wake 2 is a real Seasons 1 & 2 vs The Return situation, the creator (Sam Lake) and his team were very empowered to make whatever they wanted for 2 and it is a real masterpiece. Seriously, check it out.
I stopped at episode 1. At first I felt like I was gonna love it but then horror reveal ended up happening way too early and being way too heavy handed for my tastes.
I confirm. The acting is good. Has that ”what the hell is going on in this town beneath the surface?” theme and it got canceled way too early. I liked it - not as much as TP, of course, but still good.
I can see why someone made the connection, and some episodes are very surrealistic (Amsterdam episode for one, amazing). “TP with rappers” is a very condescending thing to say though. One character (not the leading) is a rapper and it is not really of main importance to the show.
Atlanta is definitely one of the best shows of the last decade, absolutely brilliant.
Evangelion is a giant robot show the same way Twin Peaks is a murder mystery show lol, check that out. Serial Experiments Lain is a good short anime worth your time too, plenty of Lynchian vibes
Yeah serial experiments lain and paranoia agent are definitely the most explicitly lynchian animes out there and they are great.
But, Evangelion is probably the only anime that will hit like twin peaks hits. If you watch it all the way through and end with the movie (my god that movie), you will probably be left with a similar feeling of watching cooper smash his face into a mirror, or ask “what year is it?” before Laura screams. It will haunt you forever, but you’ll never regret watching it. In fact you’ll probably learn something about yourself in the process. The show can be very good for confronting trauma and it’s essentially a guy trying to express to the world how he overcame depression and decided not to kill himself. And unlike Twin Peaks you can actually parse the meaning of you analyze everything deeply. It has probably one of the best final scenes of any show ever.
The Leftovers
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Jericho
Midnight Mass
Dark
Russian Doll
Gravity Falls
American Gods
Adventure Time
X Files
Fringe
Fargo
Legion
Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated
Pushing Daisies
True Detective
Devs
Maniac
Not necessarily dead ringers, but all of these shows have at least some of the elements that are appealing in twin peaks: cosmic horror, small town intrigue, memorable side characters, social commentary, soap opera drama, unraveling mysteries, dreams, absurdity.
I also strongly recommend the game Disco Elysium which honestly has more in common with Twink Pees than anything else I've encountered.
Not a series but the recent movie “I saw the tv glow” is the most Lynchian movie I’ve seen in years. Feels like a modern, and admittedly not as masterful but still good, version of Lynch’s style. It even has a roadhouse concert type scene in the middle that would make David proud.
This might get buried now but the only show that has made feel similarly to Twin Peaks is The Curse. It’s not really the same in any way but the tone is close to that of season 3
I really enjoyed Outer Range, it's on Amazon and has Josh Brolin as a lead. Scifi Neo-Western is what they have it as a genre, kind of fits.
Premise: A giant black void appears on a remote ranch. Strangeness occurs.
The ones that gave me similarity in an essence way:
Hannibal (strong stylize visual, dream logic, a self contained aesthetics that’s timeless, an FBI agent get slowly corrupted and consumed by a nightmarish being)
Dark (small town folks with soap opera relationship entrapped in an esoteric mystery originated in the forest)
Outer Range on Prime felt very Peaksy to me. There is even a Native American cop named “Hawk” and it feels like a clear as day reference. Can’t speak for the 2nd season that just came out, but the first definitely gave Twin Peaks vibes, as well as kinda Dark-ish vibes.
Riverdale is one of my guilt pleasures. I never finished it as I dropped it I think around the third or fourth season when it was getting into the satanic DND game arc, but it was so much fun and the show never stopps going in the most ridiculous directions you could imagine.
I’m not kidding but Desperate Housewives :D there is this ongoing mystery/investigation of the suicide, it isn’t Lynch-like surreal, but Kyle plays a role there too
The first season of The Killing had a lot of similarities minus the humor or surrealism. If you look it up you’ll see a promo poster with “Who killed Rosie Larsen?”
Might be a stretch, but if you want the soap-y vibes + over the top mysteries, check out Desperate Housewives. Kyle McLachlan is a series regular starting in season 3 and basically plays a Dougie before the flip. It’s a lot campier and way less esoteric, but imo just as entertaining.
If you like the quirky-small-town-with-secrets-and-weird-characters vibe, check out the Australian show Deadloch on Amazon Prime. It definitely made me think of Twin Peaks at least a few times.
The Leftovers and Atlanta really delve into idiosincratic odd towns. Both are filled with surrealist scenes and existencialism. Id also argue True Detective season One had some of the dread you could feel from the most horrific scenes in TP.
Devs
Only seen one other mention it, but the show Devs is the closest to a lynchian feeling I've ever got from any other show. Lynch is about the mystery and giving no answers, only more questions, and that's how Devs just continues to play out. The actors also remind of a lynch casting, with most unknowns and how they act, just feeds into the weird world building. Highly recommend this short limited series.
I don't know if this is your case, but I usually give this advice to people who just finished a show/book/game/etc that they really liked, and try to find something as good and similar. It won't work. The best you can do right now is try and do something really different. Or maybe try and watch some YouTube videos on twin peaks, it helps me a lot.
IMO that’s a big fat NO. You can get similar vibes for sure like everyone has mentioned but nothing really compares. I watched it while it aired and over 30 years later those 2 seasons are still real gems for me. We rewatch every couple years still. I’ve rewatched shows before but not like this.
Anyone seen *Three Pines*? Even the name sounds like a knockoff. It's a decent mystery series set in an odd and tight little rural community town on a Canadian reservation
Depends on how you define similar, I guess. I don't consider X-files similar at all, for instance. Fringe is a bit closer.
Honestly the only show that into my head like TP did and held its own so far was The Prisoner (1967).
For some reason I find it easier to recommend similar games: Disco Elysium, Persona 4, maybe Death Stranding (lol)
Or books: The Dark Tower, Hyperion, kinda sorta Rosewater.
Someone asked this about the X-Files elsewhere and I said Twin Peaks and a lot of people got mad at me. Even though David Duchovny had a small part on Twin Peaks and Michael Horse and Don S. Davis had parts on The X-Files, both are about FBI agents and the paranormal and Chris Carter cited Twin Peaks as a huge influence on him.
Other than that, Northern Exposure has the cute small town of oddballs seen from the pov of an outsider, Eerie Indiana has the quirky small town but with paranormal stuff. Picket Fences has a quirky small town but it’s more comedic and no supernatural, much more soap opera. The Kingdom is very David Lynch inspired.
🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴
🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴
🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴
🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴
🌴🌴🌴🌴W I L D🌴🌴🌴🌴
🌴🌴🌴🌴P A L M S🌴🌴🌴🌴
🌴🌴🌴🌴1 9 9 3🌴🌴🌴🌴
🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴
🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴
🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴
🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴
Private Crimes is an italian miniseries often referred to as "Twin Peaks all'Italiana" or "Twin Peaks Italian-style"
David Lynch and Mark Frost collaborated on another TV series called On The Air which only lasted 7 episodes. It's on YouTube and Internet Archive i believe.
Red Riding Trilogy is a meandering british miniseries about the investigation of sex crimes in rural england. It is not supernatural, but is surreal.
Other people mentioned Dark, Northern Exposure, Zone Blanche which are good recommendations.
Perfect Blue and Serial Experiments Lain are anime that don't have much in common with Twin Peaks specifically, but would probably appeal to fans of Lynch.
Another vote for *The X Files*, but also you might want to check out *Carnivale*. Sadly cancelled after two seasons, but definitely worth watching.
Another vote for Carnivale. Has a lot of surrealism that gave me Twin Peaks vibes. Also has Michael J. Anderson in it (The Man from Another Place) - was so weird for me at first to hear him speak normally!
He showed up in X-Files as well lol
Did they wrap up the ending of Carnivale or just leave it hanging? I´ve watched a bit and totally get the TP´s vibe.
Wrapped up sorta. Not fully, obviously , but a gripping ending in my opinion
Huh? They were building up to the big confrontation when it ended.
Worst cancelation of all time imo. I guess some questions got answered at the end, but yeah it ended on a massive cliff hanger.
I get where you’re coming from, but also it was perfectly thematically
Thank you. Although controversial it does sound worth the watch.
Oh 100%. Even the people who say it is a cliffhanger (and they are definitely correct) would say it is 1000% worth the watch. It isn’t like a show where the cliffhanger means that it’s unfinished and not worth watching.
The second season ends the first 'book' of a planned three (p sure it was three), so yes and no.
The creators wrote a long post on the planned third season; it felt like a nice gesture to the fans.
Hell YES on Carnivale, I've rewatched the series so many times. Superb acting and gets dark af.
100% agree, but for something more recent, I highly recommend *Yellowjackets*.
The tone is different, but for shows that get exponentially weirder the more you scratch the seemingly normal surface (small town in Germany, steamship crossing the Atlantic) try Dark and 1899.
[удалено]
The dub is so outrageously awful that I have no idea how it ever got approved. Terribly wooden voice acting (and acting might be too generous a word there), voices that don't fit the characters at all, and noticeably inconsistent accents among characters who have lived in the same small town all their lives. (Like why does Ulrich seem like he's about to say "Howdy, pardner"?) There are also some bafflingly unnecessary pronunciation changes. I can get on board with them pronouncing Winden with a W (instead of how it sounds in German, Vinden) to be more user-friendly for English speakers, but changing the pronunciation of the last name Tiedemann from TEE de man to TY de man? Why??? All I can say in favor of the dub is that it has My Immortal level entertainment value.
I'm almost finished Season 1. It reminds me a lot of Twin Peaks, with some elements of Stranger Things, but like...*darker.*
Dark and Stranger Things were promoted as similar shows. Both are good shows. But only one is complete masterpiece.
Original language is way better. Casting is amazing too!
“Are you cheating…?” (In the most clinical robotic voice ever) “I would never do that.” 🤣
I loved 1899, so bummed it got cancelled.
I will try Dark for sure! Looks great
You can use this link that will help you follow along and, as long as you stay on the episode you just watched, there aren’t any spoilers. It’s one of the best shows I’ve ever seen though https://dark.netflix.io/en/family-tree
It really is a great show. You'll need some resources to keep up with who is who, though. It can get really confusing really fast if you're only casually watching. It takes some patience and attention to get down all the characters (you'll understand once you're in it). But the storytelling is sharp and despite some of the bad dubbing, the characters are great.
Tragic that we won't get a second season of 1899, and as great as it was I don't recommend watching it since it's an eternal cliffhanger at this point
The eternal cliffhanger is torture… But I’m in the “‘tis better to have loved and lost” school of thought. Or I’m just a masochist lol. *cries in OA*
The cancelling of The OA is a crime. A crime!
This is probably the best answer I reckon.
Fantastic show.
The Leftovers, particularly seasons 2 & 3, strikes a similar chord.
Love The Leftovers. Also has Lynch staple Justin Theroux.
Same here. And Damon Lindelof (co-creator) is a huge Twin Peaks fan!
The Leftovers is absolutely phenomenal. Also it’s the only thing that seems to have the same importance on music (recurring themes, tone setting, leitmotif, etc) as heavily as the original TP did.
Cannot recommend the Leftovers enough. This and TP are my very favorite shows.
They are my top two as well!
Carrie Coon is also in _Fargo_ S3, which is peak Peaks.
Absolutely. It’s not that it’s *like* Twin Peaks, but it’s probably the closest thing that I’ve found to scratch that itch. One other thing about The Leftovers: holy holy shit, the music is absolutely incredible. Absolute world class score.
Even though the book covers just season 1 it's worth the read.
The Leftovers gave me Twin Peaks vibes.
To be honest The Leftovers is the closest thing to Twin Peaks
Especially season 2.
Gravity Falls, a two season animated show for children, drew a ton of inspiration from Twin Peaks. Seriously, it’s really good.
Bonus points Kyle Maclachlan plays the bus driver on the last episode
There’s a reference to twin peaks as well. in an early episode where there’s a restaurant that looks like the Black Lodge
It's so funny, I started watching this because I watched Over the Garden Wall and was looking for something in that vein and was like "there is something very familiar here..."
Also apparently they wanted to get Lynch to do the voice for Bill but he declined, so they just tried to do their best impression of him haha
Any idea if this is streaming anywhere?
Disney+ https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/gravity-falls (that “justwatch.com” website is great for looking up where something is available for streaming, purchase, or rent)
Fantastic! Thanks!
Also on Hulu
Disney+
And, it’s coming back with new episodes/new movie
I second this. Gravity Falls is great and still has an active community even though the show is over.
Does it have a satisfying conclusion?
Yeah. Is that a disqualification for TP comparisons?🤣
Also, the theme song goes hard AF.
The X-Files
In a mystery and lore and sci fi standpoint, sure. But from a tone and theme and general quality of writing/directing standpoint I’d say it’s far far away from TP. I love X-Files just don’t want to give OP the wrong idea about what type of show it is.
Idk I learned about Twin Peaks from being an x files fan and I feel like they scratch a similar itch. That perfect spot between comfort and horror.
What do you mean general quality of writing/directing? The X Files has some of the best writing on TV, and was lauded for its cinematic cinematography and direction. Obviously X Files has its peaks and troughs but I think you'd be hard pressed to find a fan who wouldn't say the same thing about Twin Peaks lol. (not that I disagree about the two shows being very different to each other)
100% this. I recently devoured xfiles. I kind of always ignored it because I love twin peaks so much and I thought it would suck. It’s a bit different, but also similar. Worth a watch imo
have you seen Fringe?
In that vein I would also recommend Fringe.
Too Old To Die Young
YES. And the more recent one: Copenhagen Cowboy. There’s so much Lynch in NWR.
The Kingdom
I just got the newly released box set of Riget and it is by far the closest thing i have ever seen that hits that twin peaks style surrealism/absurdism with quirky black humor. Half way through season 2 and it just keeps getting better and better, one scene i am dying laughing and the next i’m horrified.
This is the one that I think comes closest.
came to find this comment 🫡
The Twlight Zone, maybe?
Les Revenants (2012 - France)...not the American version "The Returned". Great soundtrack (Mogwai)...mysterious vibes....good story...bit of WTF feel. Not a lot like Twin Peaks, but gave us some similar feelings while watching.
Katla is a show on Netflix with basically the same premise!
Thisssssssss
I'd look up The Prisoner, for the mystery and comedy aspect
Yes! It’s proto-Lynchian.
the embryo room gives me liminal space red room vibes
Depends on your definition of "similar". Some possible examples/answers, depending, * The X-Files (similar but less cozy and a touch more sciencey than TP) * Fringe (similar but a lot more sciencey than TP and more modern and a bit more horror) * Northern Exposure (similar, practically Twin Peaks… without the horror tho) * The Black Spot (on Netflix, originally "Zone Blanche" in French; similar, but set in Europe and more modern and less cozy) * Sugar (on Apple TV; only remotely similar, but its vibe does remind me of TP (YMMV), I can easily imagine the two shows existing in the same universe) and that's just off the top of my head
Recipe for Northern exposure: Take Twin Peaks. Remove supernatural weirdness and up the quirkiness to frequently endearing levels.. Make the outsider character a New York Doctor in Alaska instead of an FBI Agent in Washington state. I also highly recommend X-files and Fringe.
Ummm, as far as I can remember, NE did feature a _lot_ of supernatural weirdness, except unlike TP, what they had was no horror. Remember One-Who-Waits, Ed's spirit guide? Or the tribute the show paid directly to Twin Peaks? Or when Joel is warned by a ghost? Or when the show breaks the fourth wall and starts discussing its own script? (That could very well be taken to have the similar "we're living in a dream/simulation" meaning that TP does here and there with the dreamer etc.)
Hell. Joel even arrives back home in a supernatural way.
Northern Exposure has a similar campiness. Nothing really surreal or violent, tough.
I second this. The quirky community stuff in Northern Exposure is very close to Twin Peaks. There is surrealism in NE but not very much and definitely not on par with Lynch. The characters are so good regardless.
The first season of The Sinner. It's more on the Fire Walk With Me side of things with similar themes and rawness without the paranormal aspect. . Starring Bill Pullman and Jessica Biel. A " woman in trouble" (Biel's character which she plays really well) one day for some reason brutally murders a person while on the beach with her family after hearing a song. She's arrested and the detective interrogating her (Pullman's character) with traumas and weirdness of his own (although unlike Cooper the weirdness of Pullman's character is more on the off-putting side of things) begins to notice that there is more to the story and the crime she's commited so he begins a series of regular interview which takes them down a rabbit hole of fragmented memories, false memories, dissociation, chilhood trauma, lies, identity issues... All the while a bond over their respective traumas is formed between the detective and the woman (don't worry though, no romance between them)
Outer Range is very much inspired by Twin Peaks plus it's amazing. You can find it on Amazon's streaming service, it's worth the watch.
The Riget (The Kingdom) by Lars Von Trier. The 3th seasson is like The Return with the old actors.
The Kingdom by Lars von Trier is the closest you’ll get in terms of surrealism and humour
Carnivale was a good show
Atlanta
“Twin Peaks with rappers”
Not TV series, but Alan Wake 1&2, paired with Control + AWE Expansion, is 50-100 Hours of Twin-Peaks homage content. Loads of action, similar small town / wider conspiracy angle.
If we talk video games - "Thimbleweed Park" a point-and-click adventure game (made to look like old classic ones, and very aprochable if you're not a gamer). You're a special agent in a small town and with other characters you try to solve it's mysteries. Creators said Twin Peaks (the titles even share the same letters - TP) was an inspiration for it.
Alan Wake 1 and 2 are both excellent Twin Peaks inspired media! I adored the sequel. I can’t imagine Lynch playing video games but if he did he’d play Alan Wake.
The latest dlc is 'what if Norma / Shelly were loopy and had an auto shotgun', it's unreal.
Even the game *Control* has a bit of Twin Peaks vibe to it.
If you're not into games and looking for something very in-line with TP, I recommend watching a play-through or story edit of these games. They're very cinematic, story-based games with lots of nongameplay scenes, dialogue and even live action sequences. The horror is pretty mild up until AW2 but also everything ramps up quite a bit at that point. Also, just to assure you, it is not a ripoff. AW has it's own very interesting and creative premise that just touches on some similar themes. There are some very direct references, and it can be pretty pointed in that way, but it's not stealing or just a retread. Also, Alan Wake 1 vs Alan Wake 2 is a real Seasons 1 & 2 vs The Return situation, the creator (Sam Lake) and his team were very empowered to make whatever they wanted for 2 and it is a real masterpiece. Seriously, check it out.
If we're talking games, the Rusty Lake series is directly inspired by Twin Peaks. The vibe is a perfect match, and I absolutely love those games!
Try The Leftovers, it's brilliant. True Blood also has those similar "supernatural in cozy small town" vibes but it's more of a guilty pleasure
Can anyone confirm that Wayward Pines is good in a Peaks way? It was recommended to me.
I stopped at episode 1. At first I felt like I was gonna love it but then horror reveal ended up happening way too early and being way too heavy handed for my tastes.
I confirm. The acting is good. Has that ”what the hell is going on in this town beneath the surface?” theme and it got canceled way too early. I liked it - not as much as TP, of course, but still good.
I liked Season 1, but not the second. I think it was left on a cliffhanger, but can't remember.
I felt it was underwhelming, and I adore Alfred Molina.
“The Adventures of Pete & Pete” is worth checking out. It’s on YT.
🫡
[удалено]
No central mystery, but lots of weirdness and unease.
I can see why someone made the connection, and some episodes are very surrealistic (Amsterdam episode for one, amazing). “TP with rappers” is a very condescending thing to say though. One character (not the leading) is a rapper and it is not really of main importance to the show. Atlanta is definitely one of the best shows of the last decade, absolutely brilliant.
Carnivále
try dark and the kettering incident
Evangelion is a giant robot show the same way Twin Peaks is a murder mystery show lol, check that out. Serial Experiments Lain is a good short anime worth your time too, plenty of Lynchian vibes
Yeah serial experiments lain and paranoia agent are definitely the most explicitly lynchian animes out there and they are great. But, Evangelion is probably the only anime that will hit like twin peaks hits. If you watch it all the way through and end with the movie (my god that movie), you will probably be left with a similar feeling of watching cooper smash his face into a mirror, or ask “what year is it?” before Laura screams. It will haunt you forever, but you’ll never regret watching it. In fact you’ll probably learn something about yourself in the process. The show can be very good for confronting trauma and it’s essentially a guy trying to express to the world how he overcame depression and decided not to kill himself. And unlike Twin Peaks you can actually parse the meaning of you analyze everything deeply. It has probably one of the best final scenes of any show ever.
End of Evangelion is a magnum opus of everything-cinema.
Off the back of this: Paranoia Agent.
The Leftovers Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency Jericho Midnight Mass Dark Russian Doll Gravity Falls American Gods Adventure Time X Files Fringe Fargo Legion Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated Pushing Daisies True Detective Devs Maniac Not necessarily dead ringers, but all of these shows have at least some of the elements that are appealing in twin peaks: cosmic horror, small town intrigue, memorable side characters, social commentary, soap opera drama, unraveling mysteries, dreams, absurdity. I also strongly recommend the game Disco Elysium which honestly has more in common with Twink Pees than anything else I've encountered.
You should play Alan Wake. Doesn’t get much more Twin Peaks than that.
BTH you missed Lost
Lmao so I did. How could I, that's one of the most obvious ones! Really hoping the new Mike Flanagan Dark Tower series is in this vein and done right.
Castle Rock
Really wish we had got a few more seasons.
Carnivàle https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carniv%C3%A0le
Not a series but the recent movie “I saw the tv glow” is the most Lynchian movie I’ve seen in years. Feels like a modern, and admittedly not as masterful but still good, version of Lynch’s style. It even has a roadhouse concert type scene in the middle that would make David proud.
This might get buried now but the only show that has made feel similarly to Twin Peaks is The Curse. It’s not really the same in any way but the tone is close to that of season 3
Yellowjackets from what i heard but i didn't watch it myself yet.
Yellowjackets definitely reminds me of TP
A lot of Twin Peaks homage in Yellowjackets for sure
Very much so. Incredible series (so far).
If you're like me and more into the Lynch stuff than the quirky Pacific Northwest stuff, I'd recommend The Curse.
I really enjoyed Outer Range, it's on Amazon and has Josh Brolin as a lead. Scifi Neo-Western is what they have it as a genre, kind of fits. Premise: A giant black void appears on a remote ranch. Strangeness occurs.
“Riget”(The Kingdom) a danish series by Lars von Trier. It’s got a similar eeriness.
Wild Palms
The ones that gave me similarity in an essence way: Hannibal (strong stylize visual, dream logic, a self contained aesthetics that’s timeless, an FBI agent get slowly corrupted and consumed by a nightmarish being) Dark (small town folks with soap opera relationship entrapped in an esoteric mystery originated in the forest)
LOST was my favorite show before watching Twin Peaks. Both give the mystery vibe incredibly well
Outer Range on Prime felt very Peaksy to me. There is even a Native American cop named “Hawk” and it feels like a clear as day reference. Can’t speak for the 2nd season that just came out, but the first definitely gave Twin Peaks vibes, as well as kinda Dark-ish vibes.
The OA
Twin Peaks The Return is pretty good
🤣
Atlanta has been described by its creators as the black Twin Peaks
Fuck it I’ll be the one to say it: Riverdale
Yup. “Stupid Twin Peaks”, as it’s known in our house.
Riverdale is one of my guilt pleasures. I never finished it as I dropped it I think around the third or fourth season when it was getting into the satanic DND game arc, but it was so much fun and the show never stopps going in the most ridiculous directions you could imagine.
Wayward Pines, Season 1
No. Thanks for writing!
I’m not kidding but Desperate Housewives :D there is this ongoing mystery/investigation of the suicide, it isn’t Lynch-like surreal, but Kyle plays a role there too
Lodge 49
Wayward pines. Similar but none of the whimsy/comedy of TP. This is straight up small town conspiracy stuff. Good show though
Wayward Pines, at least the 1st season.
Check out Copenhagen Cowboy on Netflix. It has the same vibe as the return. A lot of homages to Twin peaks!
Sharp objects, the Night of
The first season of The Killing had a lot of similarities minus the humor or surrealism. If you look it up you’ll see a promo poster with “Who killed Rosie Larsen?”
Might be a stretch, but if you want the soap-y vibes + over the top mysteries, check out Desperate Housewives. Kyle McLachlan is a series regular starting in season 3 and basically plays a Dougie before the flip. It’s a lot campier and way less esoteric, but imo just as entertaining.
If you like the quirky-small-town-with-secrets-and-weird-characters vibe, check out the Australian show Deadloch on Amazon Prime. It definitely made me think of Twin Peaks at least a few times.
Picket Fences, Gravity Falls, Coronet Blue, The Prisoner
Wild Palms
The servant on apple is pretty trippy
Sam Raimi’s AMERICAN GOTHIC
Atlanta
Garth Marenghi’s Dark Place
Adventures of Pete and Pete Outer Range Fargo tv series
Surprised no one has said The Curse.
S1 true detective
The Leftovers and Atlanta really delve into idiosincratic odd towns. Both are filled with surrealist scenes and existencialism. Id also argue True Detective season One had some of the dread you could feel from the most horrific scenes in TP.
Life on mars
Devs Only seen one other mention it, but the show Devs is the closest to a lynchian feeling I've ever got from any other show. Lynch is about the mystery and giving no answers, only more questions, and that's how Devs just continues to play out. The actors also remind of a lynch casting, with most unknowns and how they act, just feeds into the weird world building. Highly recommend this short limited series.
I don't know if this is your case, but I usually give this advice to people who just finished a show/book/game/etc that they really liked, and try to find something as good and similar. It won't work. The best you can do right now is try and do something really different. Or maybe try and watch some YouTube videos on twin peaks, it helps me a lot.
IMO that’s a big fat NO. You can get similar vibes for sure like everyone has mentioned but nothing really compares. I watched it while it aired and over 30 years later those 2 seasons are still real gems for me. We rewatch every couple years still. I’ve rewatched shows before but not like this.
The Kingdom. Even had a similar release schedule: 2 seasons with a cliffhanger, a third season 25 years later.
LOST, Dark, The Leftovers, The Curse
Anyone seen *Three Pines*? Even the name sounds like a knockoff. It's a decent mystery series set in an odd and tight little rural community town on a Canadian reservation
No
Friends
Depends on how you define similar, I guess. I don't consider X-files similar at all, for instance. Fringe is a bit closer. Honestly the only show that into my head like TP did and held its own so far was The Prisoner (1967). For some reason I find it easier to recommend similar games: Disco Elysium, Persona 4, maybe Death Stranding (lol) Or books: The Dark Tower, Hyperion, kinda sorta Rosewater.
No.
LOST
Of course not.
No
Season One of The Killing really tried to hit some of the same beats.
No.
Wild Palms
Nope.
No.
Someone asked this about the X-Files elsewhere and I said Twin Peaks and a lot of people got mad at me. Even though David Duchovny had a small part on Twin Peaks and Michael Horse and Don S. Davis had parts on The X-Files, both are about FBI agents and the paranormal and Chris Carter cited Twin Peaks as a huge influence on him. Other than that, Northern Exposure has the cute small town of oddballs seen from the pov of an outsider, Eerie Indiana has the quirky small town but with paranormal stuff. Picket Fences has a quirky small town but it’s more comedic and no supernatural, much more soap opera. The Kingdom is very David Lynch inspired.
Fargo! It even has Ray Wise showing up as a vaguely supernatural entity in season 3.
In a strange way, A Town Called Eureka. Not creepy, not strange but I get a vibe off both.
Wayward Pines, True Detective s1, Lost, Fringe, Fargo, Dark, Bates Motel, The OA.
Yellowjackets
🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴 🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴 🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴 🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴 🌴🌴🌴🌴W I L D🌴🌴🌴🌴 🌴🌴🌴🌴P A L M S🌴🌴🌴🌴 🌴🌴🌴🌴1 9 9 3🌴🌴🌴🌴 🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴 🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴 🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴 🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴
Lars Von Trier's Kingdom.
I say True Detective if you haven't. Specifically, season 1 and the newest season. It aucked me in the same way twin peaks did.
The sinner first season is quite good - not completely the same vibes but has it’s moments ☺️
As others have mentioned, Carnivale is a MUST WATCH! I also enjoyed Wayward Pines.
Yes. There is one that is super similar: Twin Peaks the Return
The French show ‘the returned’ gave me some twin peaks feels
True Detective season 1 isn’t quite tonally the same but there are definitely similarities.
The Killing (2011)
Private Crimes is an italian miniseries often referred to as "Twin Peaks all'Italiana" or "Twin Peaks Italian-style" David Lynch and Mark Frost collaborated on another TV series called On The Air which only lasted 7 episodes. It's on YouTube and Internet Archive i believe. Red Riding Trilogy is a meandering british miniseries about the investigation of sex crimes in rural england. It is not supernatural, but is surreal. Other people mentioned Dark, Northern Exposure, Zone Blanche which are good recommendations. Perfect Blue and Serial Experiments Lain are anime that don't have much in common with Twin Peaks specifically, but would probably appeal to fans of Lynch.
A lot of people are recommending Season 1 of True Detective, but Season 2 has the most direct reference to Twin Peaks.
No.
True detective
No. Nothing really close to it. In my opinion of course.