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| David Lynch and Gary Levine at Twin Peaks premiere. |
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Throughout his illustrious career, visionary filmmaker David Lynch, whose death was announced Thursday at the age of 78, directed 10 feature films and dozens of short films. Though he only created two TV series (alongside a three-part anthology), his impact on the medium was profound, particularly through Twin Peaks.
"Even though he’s probably better known as a filmmaker, when he entered TV, he revolutionized it," says Gary Levine, Senior Creative Advisor at Showtime Networks. Levine, a development executive on both the original Twin Peaks series at ABC and its continuation at Showtime, reflects on the series' groundbreaking nature. In the summer of 1988, Levine, then a senior drama executive at ABC, had recently seen Lynch’s Blue Velvet when he learned the director would be pitching his first television show.
“I was scared to get in the room with him, to tell you the truth,” Levine recalls of the August 25, 1988, meeting. “But in person, he’s the exact opposite—sweet, soft-spoken, and Midwestern in demeanor.” Lynch, alongside Twin Peaks co-creator Mark Frost, presented the show’s concept to then-ABC head of drama Chad Hoffman and Levine.
“They brought a hand-drawn poster board illustrating all the characters and their connections,” Levine says. “Even at the pitch stage, Twin Peaks stood out as something entirely unique.” Hoffman and Levine were intrigued—and with ABC’s third-place standing at the time, they were willing to take bold risks.
The script, developed with Lynch and Frost, was greenlit as a two-hour pilot. Levine traveled to Washington State for part of the filming, where he witnessed Lynch’s exceptional precision.
“David, for all his eccentricities, is an excellent producer,” Levine explains. “He’s incredibly responsible—always on schedule and on budget—and he commands tremendous loyalty from actors. When I watched him direct, it was clear he knew exactly how each piece fit into the mosaic of his vision. His combination of warmth and resolve made him incredibly effective.”
When Bob Iger, then-president of ABC Entertainment, picked up the pilot to series, it was held for midseason to build anticipation. “That timing was crucial,” Levine says. “By the time it aired in April 1990, there was a tidal wave of interest.”
Twin Peaks’ pilot and first season remain among television’s most influential works. “David gave TV creators permission to be more ambitious,” Levine notes. “He was the first to open a show with such a visceral, memorable murder scene—Laura Palmer’s body being discovered—and it set the standard for countless series to follow.”
In 2014, Lynch and Frost approached Levine about revisiting Twin Peaks. Their history with Levine helped bring the project to Showtime, where he was president of programming. A painting in Showtime CEO David Nevins’ office—a bookshelf precariously leaning over a baby—also struck Lynch’s fancy, sealing the deal.
The process wasn’t without challenges. Initially planned as nine episodes, Lynch surprised Showtime in January 2015 by presenting a 400-page script with no clear episode count. The network struggled to accommodate the filmmaker’s vision, leading to a public impasse. On Easter morning, Lynch announced his departure from the project on social media, sparking immediate negotiations.
“David Nevins and I spent Easter night in Lynch’s dining room hashing it out,” Levine recalls. “I even brought homemade chocolate macaroons, which he loved. Ultimately, we folded, and the nine-episode plan became 18 hours of Twin Peaks: The Return, all directed by Lynch.”
Lynch’s dedication to his craft was unwavering. Known for his heavy smoking, he insisted on tuning up Showtime’s TVs before anyone watched rough cuts of the series, often delivering the cuts with donuts in hand and following up immediately with notes.
“He cared deeply about every detail,” Levine says. “David was an original, a visionary, and an endlessly fascinating person. Working with him was one of the greatest highlights of my career.”
This version streamlines the narrative while retaining the essential details and quotes, emphasizing Lynch’s impact and unique approach.
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