Just like there was no other filmmaker quite like David Lynch, there are not very many TV shows like Twin Peaks. The passing of Lynch in January 2024 inspired fans to revisit the most essential David Lynch movies and his most acclaimed contribution to television, which he co-created in the early 1990s with Mark Frost and later revived for Showtime in 2017.
If you have already used your Paramount+ subscription to revisit Special Agent Dale Cooper’s investigation of Laura Palmer’s murder but are now looking through the best streaming services to subscribe to for more series with a similar blend of grounded crime drama themes and dream-like atmosphere, I can help. Fire walk with me as I present my recommendations for shows (somewhat) like Twin Peaks, along with tips on where to watch them.
Wayward Pines (2015-2016)
Starring: Matt Dillon, Carla Gugino
What it’s about: A Secret Service agent’s search for two missing feds leads him to a rural community where there seems to be no exit.
Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: One of the best horror TV shows on Hulu, developer Chad Hodge’s series adaptation of Blake Crouch’s Wayward Pines book series, received comparisons to Twin Peaks upon release, and not just because it is another story about a lawman in a strange town with big problems.
How to watch Wayward Pines
Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul
What it’s about: A terminally ill high school chemistry teacher turns to drug manufacturing to support his family.
Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: While Vince Gilligan’s Emmy-winning masterwork is not quite as strange, Twin Peaks could be considered a show like Breaking Bad for its similar slow-burn structure, shocking twists and turns, and unsettling depiction of the potential dark truths hidden within the seemingly average American.
How to watch Breaking Bad
The Curse (2023-Present)
Starring: Emma Stone, Nathan Fielder, Benny Safdie
What it’s about: Mysterious circumstances derail a newlywed couple’s reality series chronicling their bid to create their own eco-friendly community.
Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: Renowned filmmaker Christopher Nolan brought up Twin Peaks when voicing his praise of the acclaimed A24 TV show The Curse, which similarly boasts a subtle, malevolent aura in even the most seemingly mundane moments.
How to watch The Curse
Northern Exposure (1990-1995)
Starring: Rob Morrow, Janine Turner
What it’s about: An urban medical professional is forcibly relocated to a small town in Alaska where he struggles to adapt to the local culture.
Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: Created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, Northern Exposure is a hit series with a now obscure reputation that was often compared to Twin Peaks when it first premiered, mostly for being a fish-out-of-water story set in a peculiar town with lovably quirky characters.
How to watch Northern Exposure
The X-Files (1993-2018)
Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson
What it’s about: A skeptical FBI agent and her more open-minded partner deal with crimes that are anything but normal.
Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: Like Twin Peaks, the protagonists of creator Chris Carter’s beloved sci-fi TV show The X-Files are FBI agents whose investigations lead them to stumble upon strange and unexplainable phenomena.
How to watch The X-Files
Atlanta (2016-2022)
Starring: Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, Lakeith Stanfield, Zazie Beetz
What it’s about: A struggling father sees an opportunity for success in becoming the manager for his cousin, an up-and-coming rapper.
Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: While mostly a satire of the music industry and of Black culture, FX's Atlanta, one of the funniest shows on Hulu, boasts undoubtedly Lynchian elements and, according to Vulture, creator Donald Glover promoted the series as "Twin Peaks for rappers" early on.
How to watch Atlanta
The Leftovers (2014-2017)
Starring: Justin Theroux, Carrie Coon
What it’s about: Years after two percent of the world's population mysteriously vanishes from the face of the Earth, the remaining souls struggle to maintain stability.
Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: Teaming up with Damon Lindelof, author Tom Perrotta seems to take inspiration from Twin Peaks when adapting his bestselling novel, The Leftovers, into a twisted and visually surreal fantasy drama that keeps the mystery and suspense ratcheted high throughout.
How to watch The Leftovers
Lost (2004-2010)
Starring: Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lily
What it’s about: A plane crash leaves a group of strangers stranded on a desert island where nothing is quite as it seems.
Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: For many of the same reasons The Leftovers is a show like Lost, the survival drama (also co-created by Lindelof with J.J. Abrams and Jeffrey Lieber) is also a show like Twin Peaks in the way it keeps its audience in mystery throughout by starting off mostly grounded before slowly revealing its supernatural elements.
How to watch Lost
True Detective (2014-Present)
Starring: Various
What it’s about: A seasonal anthology TV show following different police officers at different periods of time investigating cases that are increasingly dark.
Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: The crimes that Dale Cooper investigates on Twin Peaks are so bleak and bizarre that they practically border on horror, which is how some might describe True Detective — an Emmy-winning, star-studded HBO drama from creator Nic Pizzolatto.
How to watch True Detective
Fargo (2014-Present)
Starring: Various
What it’s about: A hitman creates a deadly ripple effect in a charming small town, a probation officer plans to rob his wealthy twin brother to afford his lover’s engagement ring, a seemingly average housewife struggles to outrun her violent past, and more stories about regular people in big trouble.
Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: An anthology crime thriller series that has even more in common with Twin Peaks is Fargo — Noah Hawley's FX hit inspired by one of the Coen Brothers' best movies — in the sense that it is set in quaint, midwestern communities and gets progressively weirder with each season.
How to watch Fargo
Outer Range (2022-2024)
Starring: Josh Brolin, Lili Taylor, Imogen Poots
What it’s about: A Wyoming rancher makes a life-changing discovery on his land that begins to affect his career and his relationship with his family.
Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: One of the best Amazon Prime original TV shows, creator Brian Watkins' Outer Range, is yet another sci-fi drama set in a rural community hiding some very strange secrets that deal with murder, corruption, and even time travel.
How to watch Outer Range
Gravity Falls (2012-2016)
Starring: Jason Ritter, Kristen Schaal, Alex Hirsch
What it’s about: After they are sent to live with their great uncle Stan, twins Dipper and Mabel find themselves at odds with a series of freaky occurrences.
Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: Following David Lynch’s death, creator Alex Hirsch revealed on X that Twin Peaks was an inspiration for his surreal, acclaimed animated TV show, Disney Channel’s Gravity Falls, and that his voice for Bill Cipher was a “crummy Lynch impression.”
How to watch Gravity Falls
Looks like you do not have to travel too far into the Black Lodge to find the Twin Peaks companion series you have hoped for.
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