In pictures: Every episode of Twin Peaks ranked from worst to best as voted by super fans
Twin Peaks is a cult classic TV series created by David Lynch and Mark Frost.
In January 2025 Lynch passed away, leaving many flocking back to his beloved movies and Twin Peaks to honor the visionary director's memory.
Twin Peaks originally aired in the US from April 1990 to June 1991, captivating audiences with its surreal blend of mystery, drama, and supernatural elements.
The show follows FBI Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) as he investigates the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) in the seemingly idyllic small town of Twin Peaks.
As the investigation unfolds, dark secrets about the town and its eccentric inhabitants are revealed.
Twin Peaks was unexpectedly canceled in 1991 following its second season due to declining ratings and a convoluted storyline that struggled to maintain momentum after revealing Laura Palmer's killer.
Despite its cancellation, the series retained a devoted fanbase, prompting the release of the prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me in 1992, which explored the final days of Laura Palmer's life.
The show's legacy continued to grow, and in 2017, Lynch and Frost revived the series with Twin Peaks: The Return, a critically acclaimed 18-episode third season.
This continuation embraced Lynch's experimental vision, offering a dark, enigmatic, and mind-bending extension of the original story that further cemented Twin Peaks as one of the most groundbreaking television series of all time.
To celebrate, we polled a group of Twin Peaks super fans to find out which episodes are a clear favourite.
Here, we've collated the full countdown for your viewing pleasure – scroll through to see.
Twin Peaks features a remarkable ensemble cast led by MacLachlan. Dale Cooper's quirky demeanor, love for cherry pie, and obsession with "damn fine coffee" made him an iconic character in television history.
Sheryl Lee played Laura Palmer, the tragic figure at the center of the story, as well as her lookalike cousin, Maddy Ferguson.
Though originally intended to be a mere symbol of mystery, Lee's emotional and versatile portrayal expanded into a central part of the narrative. Ray Wise delivered a powerful and unforgettable performance as Leland Palmer, Laura's father, whose descent into madness and grief is one of the show's most gripping storylines.
The show was known for having many storylines and many characters. When the third season of the show was announced, Lynch also announced that the cast would contain 217 cast members.
Notable cast includes Mädchen Amick as the spirited Shelly Johnson, Dana Ashbrook as rebellious Bobby Briggs, and Sherilyn Fenn as the sultry and mysterious Audrey Horne, Peggy Lipton as Norma Jennings, Richard Beymer as Benjamin Horne, and Michael Ontkean as Sheriff Harry S. Truman.
The show's ensemble creates a rich tapestry of characters, each contributing to the eerie and unpredictable world of Twin Peaks.
Now, Welcome to Twin Peaks. Let's start the countdown...
49. Season 2 Episode 15: Slaves and Masters
Most Twin Peaks fans know how this list is going to start.
The most appealing part of Twin Peaks when it began was the show's central mystery: Who killed Laura Palmer.
In the early '90s, the show was in peak popularity and fans around the world were desperate to know the answer.
But Lynch and Frost believed that the central mystery of the show was vital to keep the show alive. Keeping the mystery of who killed Laura was their golden goose, and they had no intention of revealing this until the very end of the series, if at all.
But early in the second season, the US Network responded to the massive pressure from the fandom and demanded Lynch and Frost answer the mystery.
Once the mystery was solved, Lynch and Frost effectively left the series. From the moment the duo weren't involved in the show, the quality of the series takes a painful nosedive, with many fans labelling the series 'ruined' and some even ignoring the events in the backhalf of the second season.
In this episode, Evelyn Marsh (Annette McCarthy) frames James for her husband's death. Hiding from the police, James meets with Donna (Lara Flynn Boyle), who tries to help him prove his innocence.
Meanwhile Audrey, Jerry (David Patrick Kelly), Bobby (Dana Ashbrook), and Dr Jacoby (Russ Tamblyn) take part in Audrey father's Ben's (Richard Beymer) fantasy, revising history so that Ulysses S. Grant surrenders instead of Lee, triggering Ben's return to reality. It's really as odd as it sounds.
48. Season 2 Episode 16: The Condemned Woman
Without Lynch and Frost's involvement, the show leans heavily into the more out-there and comedic plots. This episode focuses on Josie, arguably one of the shows least-interesting characters.
The events of the episode lead Cooper and Truman to ambush Josie (Joan Chen) at the Great Northern after she fatally shoots Eckhardt (David Warner). Josie then dies of an unexplained cause and magically turns into a door knob. It's not explained why and is by-far one of the show's more random and confusing plotlines.
Shortly after Josie's death, Cooper is taunted by a vision of BOB (Frank Silva) suggesting that Josie's death was definitely Black Lodge related.
The Black Lodge is one of the show's a mythological place, often shown with red theatre-like curtains. It's depicted as a place of evil – but more on that later.
In real life, Silva was was a set decorator who worked on the pilot episode. Silva's reflection was accidentally caught in the footage of Sarah Palmer's frightening vision at the end of the pilot. Sarah sees a hand uncovering Laura's heart necklace from the ground, and Silva can be seen in the mirror behind her head. Lynch was made aware of this accident and decided to keep Silva in the scene. This resulted in the character of BOB being created as one of the show's central villains.
Also in this episode. Billy Zane joins the series as John Justice Wheeler, a new love interest for Audrey.
47. Season 2 Episode 10: Dispute Between Brothers
It's strange how quickly the series falls from grace immediately after the Laura Palmer mystery is resolved.
This is the first episode after the revelation.
With the murder solved, Cooper prepares to leave Twin Peaks, He is informed by the FBI that he has been suspended for his illegal raid on One Eyed Jacks. This causes an RCMP officer to angrily reveal that cocaine is missing from Jacks, prompting the DEA to become involved.
Meanwhile the RCMP officer plots to plant cocaine on Cooper's car.
On a camping trip with Cooper, Major Briggs (Don S. Davis) begins talking about a mysterious "White Lodge", before a bright light flashes only for the Major to mysteriously vanish.
46. Season 2 Episode 17: Wounds and Scars
Sheriff Truman mourns doorknob Josie, leaving Cooper and Hawk (Michael Horse) to take over sheriff duties.
Norma's half-sister Annie Blackburn Heather Graham) arrives in Twin Peaks after having run away from a convent. Annie provides a love interest for Cooper and becomes a significant character in the back half of the season.
Meanwhile, Margaret "Log Lady" Lanterman (Catherine E. Coulson) is transfixed by Major Briggs's scars, telling Cooper that as a girl she disappeared for several days and returned with similar scars on her leg. If you're new to Log Lady, she is a fixture in the town of Twin Peaks.
As her name suggests, she has a habit of always carrying a small log in her arms, with which she seems to share a psychic connection, often dispensing advice and visions of clairvoyance which she claims come from the log.
Audrey and Dick (Ian Buchanan) organise a fashion show to promote the Stop Ghostwood campaign, where Catherine tells Ben that an environmental impact assessment has already proven that the pine weasel is not threatened by the development, and that she knows he's acting out of self-interest rather than genuine empathy.
45. Season 2 Episode 11: Masked Ball
During this episode, Gordon warns Cooper that the DEA is sending Denise Bryson (David Duchovny) a friend of Cooper's, to investigate the missing cocaine. .
Meanwhile Hawk reveals that the White Lodge is a mythical place where spirits reside, and that those travelling there must first pass through its counterpart, the Black Lodge, where the souls of those with imperfect courage will be annihilated by their shadow selves.
44. Season 2 Episode 12: The Black Widow
This episode feels like the post-Lynch writers were scrambling to figure out what the show was without Lynch and Frost and without the Laura Palmer mystery.
Cooper inquires about buying property in Twin Peaks; touring a bungalow named Dead Dog Farm, he discovers tire tracks and cocaine.
So yes, Cooper goes from solving a murder to investigating housing...
43. Season 2 Episode 13: Checkmate
This is mostly a continuation of the last episode.
Major Briggs, bearing three triangular scars below his right ear, recalls a vision of a giant owl. He becomes upset wondering if his experience was meant for his soul. He tries to explain to Cooper that the Air Force has been unofficially searching for the White Lodge, but they are interrupted by soldiers who escort the major away.
A power outage hits Twin Peaks. Leo (Eric Da Re) awakens from his coma, startling his terrified wife Shelly.
Cooper, Truman, and Hawk discover that the power outage was caused by a fire at the power station, and that Earle (Kenneth Welsh) has planted a corpse in Truman's office, with one hand pointed at a chess board.
42. Season 2 Episode 14: Double Play
There is so much going on in this episode.
Cooper accurately predicts the corpse's wounds. Leo corners Shelly with an axe.
Bobby arrives at the last minute, distracting Leo long enough for Shelly to stab him in the leg. Wounded, Leo wanders away into the night.
Cooper reveals that years ago he and Earle were assigned to protect Earle's wife Caroline Powell after she witnessed a federal crime. Cooper admits to having loved Caroline and that she died after he was wounded by an unseen assailant. Cooper believes that Earle committed the crime Caroline witnessed and that he murdered her.
In a delirious state, Major Briggs confesses that he believes he was taken to the White Lodge during his disappearance.
View more galleries
Most viewed in Entertainment
Sharon Osbourne asks court to remove executor of late husband Ozzy’s $187 million fortune
Dolly Parton’s sister shares heartbreaking new detail about the singer’s secret cancer battle
Ally Langdon breaks down as she opens up about death of best friend Gavin Larkin
Sir Tom Jones, 86, drops scathing statement after brutal TV firing
