For someone who’s been dead for a quarter century, Laura Palmer’s arithmetic is on point. At the end of the original Twin Peaks, the fallen homecoming queen told Agent Dale Cooper she’d see him again in 25 years, and she was right: Shooting on Showtime’s revival of the David Lynch-Mark Frost show begins in September, according to network president David Nevins. Nevins mixed several Twin Peaks updates into the massive info dump that was his executive session at the Television Critics Association Press Tour, reaffirming Lynch’s commitment to the sequel series: “He’s directing it as one long movie is how he approaching it.” As to the tension that nearly led to Lynch’s departure and the project’s cancellation, Nevins said it involved the length of the limited series, be he couldn’t say how much longer it will be than originally planned.
And despite the curiosity of the TCA, Nevins couldn’t say much more about Twin Peaks—either because there’s nothing to relate, or because he’s not at liberty to talk about it. He’s read Lynch and Frost’s scripts, but he’s keeping their secrets and he’s not dictating their content. “I would call them conversations, not notes,” Nevins said of his input, adding that Lynch ultimately has creative control. And that September 2015 start date might not be what it seems: Twin Peaks could still debut on Showtime in 2016, but Nevins didn’t rule out the 2017 premiere date Frost previously teased. “I want it as badly and as soon as the biggest fans in the world want it,” the Showtime boss said. “Bottom line is I’ll take it when they’re ready with it.”