A Place Both Wonderful and Strange

For the first time, the complete history of David Lynch and Mark Frost's Twin Peaks-the landmark cult series that changed the course of television-is told through fascinatingly detailed reporting and exclusive interviews with the show's cast and creators. From its start, when studio executives drafted a plan to recoup costs after what they predicted would be the series' inevitable failure, to the 1992 prequel movie that earned scathing reviews at Cannes, to its unexpected and acclaimed return some twenty-five years later, Twin Peaks garnered millions of devoted fans who refused to let it die. In A Place Both Wonderful and Strange, entertainment reporter Scott Meslow takes readers behind the curtain of Lynch's and Frost's dedication to finishing what they started, with both the prequel film and Showtime's Twin Peaks: The Return, offering dozens of original and revelatory interviews that cast a whole new light on the extraordinary show. Twin Peaks fans will discover how hard the mercurial Lynch and affable Frost fought impatient ABC execs (ultimately losing) to keep Laura Palmer's murder unsolved, as well as the omerta-like secrecy around the filming of the show. For a series that left as many questions unanswered as answered, Meslow's deep reporting will give readers a new perspective, detailing scenes left on the cutting-room floor and how Season Two's finale stunned and infuriated studio execs in what Mark Frost calls "a defiant middle finger to what they [studio executives] thought the show should be." The influence of Twin Peaks is inescapable. It's hard to imagine prestige television like True Detective, Severance, and so many other shows in this genre could exist without Lynch and Frost's visionary brilliance. With David Lynch's passing in 2025, there may never be another return to the quirky, mysterious, and unforgettable town of Twin Peaks, but A Place Both Wonderful and Strange serves as testament to the impact it had on the world.

Scott Meslow is a Los Angeles Press Club-nominated film and television critic. He writes for publications including GQ, New York, and The Atlantic. His first book, From Hollywood with Love: The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again) of the Romantic Comedy, was published in 2022.