“No Lynch, No Peaks!”: Authorship, fan/actor campaigns and the challenges of Twin Peaks’ return(s)

This article explores the return of Twin Peaks in 2017, exploring how the series’ revival may threaten fans’ sense of trust in the text and their own fan identity (Williams, 2015). Many fans welcome the return of beloved shows such as Twin Peaks and the involvement of original creators Mark Frost and David Lynch offers a ʻguaranteeʼ of authenticity, whilst the return of cast members presents the opportunity to re-visit favourite characters. This paper firstly explores how Twin Peaks’ resurrection allows consideration of fan responses to the continuation of an assumed dormant textual world by exploring the potential impact of the return of original actors and the series’ creators.Secondly, the paper considers the impact of Lynch’s temporary departure from the series in April 2015 and the subsequent actor-led campaign to encourage his return. The “No Lynch, No Peaks” campaign allows exploration of how the actors involved positioned themselves as both fans and potential employees. The paper thus analyses David Lynch’s enduring position as the auteur of Twin Peaks and how the campaign allows consideration of the actors as media professionals, fans of Lynch, and figures who display forms of cultural and symbolic capital (Bourdieu. 1984).