Diane, 9:00 p.m., May twenty-first. Entering the town of Twin Peaks. Five miles south of the Canadian border, twelve miles west of the state line.
Deadline has word from yesterday's Showtime presentation at the Television Critics Association, where Showtime president David Nevins revealed when fans of the series Twin Peaks will finally get to see the show's long-anticipated return.
According to the article, Twin Peaks will debut Sunday, May 21st on Showtime at 9:00 p.m. EST, with a two-hour premiere followed immediately by Episodes 3 and 4 on Showtime's digital platform.
In addition, Nevins confirmed that the new season will consist of 18 episodes, all directed by co-creator David Lynch. The article claims Lynch filmed the entire season as a long movie, with a decision made later about how to cut all that material into episodes, so the exact episode count wasn't certain. "It will be 18 unforgettable hours," said Nevins.
Also, apart from Episode 3 and 4’s early release On Demand, Nevins stated the show will air weekly, because Lynch believes in weekly television, adding the series will have a global launch around the world.
Nevins saw the entire season at private screenings for him and Showtime president of programming Gary Levine, who were treated to doughnuts before each session. Nevins called the new installment "the pure-heroin version of David Lynch" and added that it "rewards close watching" as the original 1990-91 ABC series did.
He also provided a small hint about what to expected from the new series, saying it's "about Agent Dale Cooper’s odyssey to Twin Peaks." Original series star Kyle MacLachlan will return as FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, and he'll be joined by dozens of cast members from the original series, as well as various new cast members.
As for the question of whether there will be a second season of Twin Peaks on Showtime, Nevins didn't rule out a continuation completely, but stated the upcoming 18-episode season "is designed to be close-ended, one-time event."