There really are not any other shows like Twin Peaks, just like there are no other movies quite like the films of David Lynch, who co-created the series with Mark Frost in the early 1990s. Available with a Paramount+ subscription (but with a Showtime add-on required to watch the 2017 revival), it stars Kyle MacLachlan as Special Agent Dale Cooper, whose investigation into the murder of teenager Laura Palmer leads him to discover more dark and unusual secrets about the seemingly quaint titular town.
Despite its captivatingly unique execution in every facet – from the charmingly (and sometimes despicably) odd characters in the Twin Peaks cast to its dream-like blend of grounded crime story themes with otherworldly subject matter – TV shows that would satisfy fans of the groundbreaking classic can be found on some of the best streaming services to subscribe to today. Fire walk with us as we present our recommendations with notes on how to watch them.
Northern Exposure (1990-1995)
An urban medical professional (played by Rob Morrow) is forcibly relocated to a small town in Alaska where he struggles to adapt to his new surroundings and the culture of the locals.
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.
Stream Northern Exposure on Amazon Prime
Buy Northern Exposure on Blu-ray on Amazon
The X-Files (1993-2018)
A skeptical FBI agent (played by Gillian Anderson) and her more open-minded partner (played by David Duchovny) 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.
Stream The X-Files on Hulu
Buy The X-Files on Amazon
Buy The X-Files on Blu-ray on Amazon
Atlanta (2016-2022)
Donald Glover stars as a struggling father who sees an opportunity for success in becoming the manager for his up-and-coming rapper cousin (played by Brian Tyree Henry).
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, not to mention, according to Vulture, star and creator Glover promoted the series as "Twin Peaks for rappers" early on.
Stream Atlanta on Hulu
Buy Atlanta on Amazon
The Leftovers (2014-2017)
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.
Lost (2004-2010)
A plane crash leaves a group of strangers stranded on a desert island where nothing is quite what 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 keeps its audience in mystery throughout by starting off mostly grounded before slowly revealing its supernatural elements.
Stream Lost on Netflix
Stream Lost on Hulu
Buy Lost on Amazon
True Detective (2014-Present)
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 cases 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.
Stream True Detective on Max
Buy True Detective on Amazon
Fargo (2014-Present)
A hitman's presence in a charming small town creates a deadly ripple effect, a probation officer plans to rob his wealthy twin brother to afford an engagement ring, for his lover, 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.
Stream Fargo on Hulu
Buy Fargo on Amazon
Outer Range (2022-2024)
A Wyoming rancher (played by Academy Award nominee Josh Brolin, who also executive produces) makes a life-changing discovery on his land that begins to affect his career and his relationships 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.
Stream Outer Range on Amazon Prime
Gravity Falls (2012-2016)
After they are sent to live with their great uncle Stan (creator Alex Hirsch), twins Dipper (Jason Ritter) and Mabel (Kristen Schaal) 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: If David Lynch made an animated children's program, it probably would have turned out a lot like the Disney Channel hit Gravity Falls, which might as well be called Twin Peaks Junior for its many surreal elements and small town setting.
Stream Gravity Falls on Disney+
Buy Gravity Falls on Amazon
Buy Gravity Falls on DVD on Amazon
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.
