Today, we look at when (or if) you folks believe that Twin Peaks “jumped the shark.”
This is “Just Can’t Jump It,” a feature where we examine shows and whether they “jumped the shark.” Jumped the shark (coined by Jon Hein) means that the show had a specific point in time where, in retrospect, you realize that show was going downhill from there (even if, in some rare occasions, the show later course-corrected). Not every show DOES jump the shark. Some shows just remain good all the way through. And some shows are terrible all the way through. What we’re looking for are moments where a show that you otherwise enjoyed hit a point where it took a noticeable nose dive after that time and if so, what moment was that?
Twin Peaks was a fascinating series, especially since David Lynch returned to the series 25 years after it ended, and Lynch really didn’t lose his fastball at all in the decades off from the original series. However, it was, of course, a very controversial series, not in terms of the content, per se, but more in that people were conflicted about the central mystery of the original series, the murder of Laura Palmer. The network forced Lynch to solve the murder to help the show’s sagging ratings, and it didn’t help at all, and the original series was canceled after just two seasons before the limited series returned 25 years later for a limited series in 2017.
So first…DID IT JUMP THE SHARK? I don’t believe it did, no.
WHEN DID IT JUMP THE SHARK A lot of folks will point to the episodes after the resolution of the Laura Palmer mystery, but I think it was still good, but I imagine that’s where some folks will look to. It was definitely DIFFERENT.
Let me know what you think in the comments or on social media!
Feel free to e-mail me at brian@popculturereferences.com for suggestions for shows for us to do in future installments!
