Viewer reaction is the same as it was back then (SPOILERS)

[LateReg]

Instead of one central mystery, there are numerous interlocking mysteries (what is Doppelcoop after, who is trying to kill DoppelCoop, what is the thing in the box, where did Laura go, etc?). So the sense of mystery is still there, however the plot is much more complex (and thus much richer) this time.

The original show had many interlocking plotlines as well, but it was that central hook that tied them all together which caused people to pay attention. This show has mysteries, but Lynch has gone out of his way not to develop any of them (yet), and they're not as relatable to casual fans. We know the same amount as we did the first week. The central mystery, I guess, is who is behind this all and what is Evil Coop's ultimate goal (hopefully not to be just a drug kingpin hanging out with scum). The original show intrigued people because it melded surrealism and traditional soap opera storytelling. This is just surrealism and absurdist elements, which is fine, but it's also not even that weird to be honest. The interest in 1990 was because none of us had been exposed to anything like that before. Today weird and dark elements on a TV show are nothing new, and it's being met with indifference.

I really don't get the notion that this isn't that weird. It's the weirdest show I've ever seen on a major TV channel. Everything about it is unorthodox and contributes to this feeling, from the pacing to the plotting to the structure to the performances to the choices made in both cinematography and effects. It's all disorienting and weird to me, and just for some background I say this as someone who's seen Inland Empire 18 or 19 times. To the average viewer, I think the show's weirdness is probably positively bracing. I think it's being met with indifference, as you say, because it actually is that different.

[LateReg]

BTW I wouldn't be surprised if at the end of season 3 all (or *almost* all) (sub)plots will tie together so it is just one, big story. While the original series had a lot of subplots that could've been left out without changing the main story. So, the original series could've been much more convoluted than season 3 in the end.

I agree with you here. It is all one big story and it will all come together. But it's one big story that is so big that it is taking its time to tie its strands together, which causes it to feel random at first a la Mulholland Drive, which is another thing that viewers are not used to.

[N. Needleman]

"Indifference" is far from the reaction I've seen to this show anywhere. It's still the weirdest thing on TV. It's unlike anything else.

It's also not being reviled or pooly received the way it was in Season 2. Critics are digging it and it is still buzzed about weekly here in the States - it's getting a lot of coverage week to week on every inch of its storylines. This is no different than countless other popular shows. It may divide fans and it may have low live numbers (like many TV shows) but it is quite a hot show at the moment.

[LateReg]

"Indifference" is far from the reaction I've seen to this show anywhere. It's still the weirdest thing on TV. It's unlike anything else.

Yes, I don't agree with the word "indifference" either. People are enraged and in love in equal measure. And while the overall numbers, as we understand them, aren't exactly setting the world on fire, and thus can be taken as a sign the TV watching public is indifferent, the number of articles and thinkpieces about the show are proof that people care.

[Hockey Mask]

"Indifference" is far from the reaction I've seen to this show anywhere. It's still the weirdest thing on TV. It's unlike anything else.

Yes, I don't agree with the word "indifference" either. People are enraged and in love in equal measure.

But not equally divided.

[Rami Airola]

The people who are indifferent about the show aren't writing about it anywhere.
Only those who are really disappointed but fans of the original show and those who were fans of the original show but who love it are writing about it anywhere.

This hasn't gained much interest from the casual viewer like the original did and it's definitely understandable why it's that way.

I don't think this season is going to make much new Twin Peaks fans even though, according to Mark Frost, it was made also for people who aren't familiar with the old show to be able to follow it.
But this could definitely make old Twin Peaks fans ever bigger Twin Peaks fans, but only those fans who were very much into the surreal aspects of the old show.

[LateReg]

The people who are indifferent about the show aren't writing about it anywhere.
Only those who are really disappointed but fans of the original show and those who were fans of the original show but who love it are writing about it anywhere.

This hasn't gained much interest from the casual viewer like the original did and it's definitely understandable why it's that way.

I don't think this season is going to make much new Twin Peaks fans even though, according to Mark Frost, it was made also for people who aren't familiar with the old show to be able to follow it.
But this could definitely make old Twin Peaks fans ever bigger Twin Peaks fans, but only those fans who were very much into the surreal aspects of the old show.

Actually I've read quite a few articles recently from people who claim to not be fans of the original, but who love this new one. There's also a whole slew of film fans out there who value Lynch over Twin Peaks who love this because it's pure Lynch, or simply love good filmmaking. So I don't think it's as simple as it only appealing to people who loved the original series.

[Hester Prynne]

I also remember vividly the original run. Lynch and Frost created something that blew people's minds. It was different from anything else on TV. It was a soap opera with a surrealist edge, which even had a show-within-a-show Soap that everyone watched. 25 years later most of the innovations of Twin Peaks have become part of the TV landscape. So what are Lynch and Frost to do? Re-create completely the 1990 version of Twin Peaks? They are moving the bar today as much as they did back then and that is turning off the people who just wanted Twin Peaks: Redux.

I agree. I'm very happy that the series continues to move that bar. The original show is credited for breaking the mold and opening the door for so many of the shows that have come since, and I remember before Season 3 how there was speculation if the series could deliver on this again in the likes of shows like Lost, Mad Men ( and many others) and continue to be seen as edgy and something that goes beyond what our expectations of a show should be. There is nothing on tv today that is as weird, baffling, and mesmerizing as Twin Peaks. If there's one thing (and there are many) that makes me happy about season 3 so far, it would be that the show has stayed true to itself, and regardless of viewership, has broken the mold again 27 years later.

[N. Needleman]

Which I didn't think it could do again, honestly. But it has. From the premiere it knocked everything else out of the picture in terms of risk-taking, IMO. It's on another level still, whether people enjoy what it's become or not.

[Adolphus]

I also remember vividly the original run. Lynch and Frost created something that blew people's minds. It was different from anything else on TV. It was a soap opera with a surrealist edge, which even had a show-within-a-show Soap that everyone watched. 25 years later most of the innovations of Twin Peaks have become part of the TV landscape. So what are Lynch and Frost to do? Re-create completely the 1990 version of Twin Peaks? They are moving the bar today as much as they did back then and that is turning off the people who just wanted Twin Peaks: Redux.

I agree. I'm very happy that the series continues to move that bar. The original show is credited for breaking the mold and opening the door for so many of the shows that have come since, and I remember before Season 3 how there was speculation if the series could deliver on this again in the likes of shows like Lost, Mad Men ( and many others) and continue to be seen as edgy and something that goes beyond what our expectations of a show should be. There is nothing on tv today that is as weird, baffling, and mesmerizing as Twin Peaks. If there's one thing (and there are many) that makes me happy about season 3 so far, it would be that the show has stayed true to itself, and regardless of viewership, has broken the mold again 27 years later.

I agree with these thoughts- it's kind of blowing me away how the new series is continuing what the original series did but in new ways to new audiences ( as well as those Twin Peaks:Redux fuddy duddies ).

[nonemoreblack]

The people who are indifferent about the show aren't writing about it anywhere.
Only those who are really disappointed but fans of the original show and those who were fans of the original show but who love it are writing about it anywhere.

This hasn't gained much interest from the casual viewer like the original did and it's definitely understandable why it's that way.

I don't think this season is going to make much new Twin Peaks fans even though, according to Mark Frost, it was made also for people who aren't familiar with the old show to be able to follow it.
But this could definitely make old Twin Peaks fans ever bigger Twin Peaks fans, but only those fans who were very much into the surreal aspects of the old show.

I disagree. The fact that it's not as much of a major phenomenon as the first season is because times have changed, and there are numerous quality dramas for people to watch. Even despite this Twin Peaks is creating a lot of buzz with the risks it's taking and will no doubt inspire a whole new generation of fans. It's amazing that Twin Peaks can still shock everyone at a time when almost every show relies on shock value. People will want to find out more about this crazy show to see if it's truly as weird as everyone says. People also like to be part of something special which Twin Peaks definitely is.

[IcedOver]

I disagree. The fact that it's not as much of a major phenomenon as the first season is because times have changed, and there are numerous quality dramas for people to watch. Even despite this Twin Peaks is creating a lot of buzz with the risks it's taking and will no doubt inspire a whole new generation of fans. It's amazing that Twin Peaks can still shock everyone at a time when almost every show relies on shock value. People will want to find out more about this crazy show to see if it's truly as weird as everyone says. People also like to be part of something special which Twin Peaks definitely is.

As lame as it is, the shows today that get "buzz" are talked about on mainstream websites such as Yahoo! and others, mentioned on shows like "Entertainment Tonight". I'm talking about shows such as "Game of Thrones", "The Walking Dead" -- stuff that's very buzzy where people discuss the new plot developments each week (I personally have never watched either of those shows). If the original "TP" aired today, you'd have discussion of it in places like that (at least the first 1.5 seasons). This current season, though, has had no discussion in those kinds of ultra-mainstream places that I can discern. Before it aired, it had a few mentions, but since, nothing. I'm not saying that the places it has been discussed or reviewed are lesser, but if one talks about getting "buzz", to me that means something more widespread, and it hasn't been getting it. I guess they're trying to do a little promotional push midstream by having MacLachlan appear on the most mainstream, edge-less talk show in the USA - "Live with Kelly and Ryan".

[N. Needleman]

I'm sorry, but you're evidently not paying attention. You can literally Google it and find articles about every episode of the new series dissecting it on all those sites, week after week.

Yahoo
EW
AV Club
Vulture
Vanity Fair
The Hollywood Reporter
Variety
io9

I could go on and on. There are regular interviews, thinkpieces and discussions, podcasts, analyses and rundowns of the new eps. Exactly what you describe and more.

This stuff is at your fingertips. It's happened every single week and it has been constant. It's actually really surprised me how avidly they've covered it - I expected it to be shunned. If you don't notice it, it's because you've so gone off the show you're simply not bothering to look. It has been everywhere.

[pinballmars]

I'm actually surprised at how positive the reaction has been. After Episode 8 (which I loved), I was bracing myself for people on the internet to hate it. Then, I searched the hashtag on Twitter and people were GUSHING about it. Obviously nothing is universally loved, but I feel that the overall scale of opinion tipped in favor of Lynch's mushroom clouds and black-painted woodsmen. Then the critics started to write about it and some of them are literally calling ep. 8 one of the greatest hours ever aired on television. And I think that's wonderful.

As for comparing the reception to TP in 1990 to 2017, geez, I don't know. It's such a different world when it comes to how people watch television. For example, there's an ARMY of curious viewers waiting for the series to end so they can binge-watch it.

In the end, I think TWIN PEAKS is, and always will be, a cult series. It's too strange to be anything but. In 1990-91, a cult series was something hanging by a thread, likely to be cancelled and disappear at any time. In 2017, a cult series is something with strong potential to grow, due to streaming. A cult series is a feather in the cap of any cable network or streaming service looking to build credibility as a place for top quality original series/movies.

I don't think David Lynch will make the cover of TIME magazine in 2017, like he did in 1990, but I also don't think this new series will dip and lose viewers in droves over its run like season 2 did (helps that it's limited--let's face it, this is most likely the end of TWIN PEAKS. THE RETURN is not a new beginning, but one last epic excursion into its world and the conclusion to unfinished business).