Many a psychological brain-warp have come from the depths of David Lynch’s mind, and in 1990, Lynch put the thrill in television psychological thriller with the ABC phenomenon, Twin Peaks.

Debuting on ABC in 1990, the series began with the mysterious murder of young woman named Laura, whose body is discovered on the banks of a river in the fictitious town of Twin Peaks, Washington. Laura, who was known by all as the fun-loving prom queen, is discovered to have been leading a double-life, much of which sets up the premise for the show, which hinged on investigating the circumstances of her murder and eventually identifying the killer.

When the FBI gets involved, bringing Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) in to investigate, Cooper not only begins to have strange visions of Laura, but also starts to unravel the cocoon of secrets hidden inside the town of Twin Peaks.

It seems everyone there has something to hide, and as he pulls the threads apart he discovers an unspoken evil darker than he could ever imagine.

Lynch and his co-writer/co-producer, Mark Frost, had an intricately woven plan that might have led to several seasons of the series, but the network fretted that eventually the withheld mystery surrounding Laura’s death wouldn’t be enough to hold viewer attention. They insisted that the killer be exposed mid-way through season two, and upon revelation, many of the future plot threads were destroyed.

Despite only lasting for two seasons, the show that media analysts termed un-marketable because of its capacity to stretch beyond what was considered normal television during that era turned out to be a pop-cult phenomenon. Dubbed the most watched television series of 1990, many believed that when ratings started to decline in the middle of season two the hype surrounding Twin Peaks was dying off.  Three books were released during season two that offered a considerable amount of back story robbed from the plot by the network’s pressure to reveal the murderer before its time. A film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, was also released, and is considered both a prologue and epilogue to the series, offering insight into untold story lines. Unfortunately, the film did not do well, as viewers who hadn’t seen the series beforehand found the plot baffling.

More than nineteen years after the first episode aired, however, Twin Peaks still enjoys a massive cult following. An annual Twin Peaks festival is held each year in the towns where the series was filmed, and rabid fans gather to partake in trivia games, actors panels, costume competitions and of course, cherry pie.

Why the cult status for a show that barely made it through its second season? Twin Peaks was a groundbreaking television experience, combining elements future series would imitate and draw from for years to come. For example, The X-files and Lost might not have enjoyed the success they have known had David Lynch not whet audience appetites with Twin Peaks first. Imagine: a world without Twin Peaks. Hmm. I’d rather not.