Maybe Showtime’s “Twin Peaks” revival was a success after all
Remaking a cult favorite is no easy task. But it turns out that Showtime’s Twin Peaks revival was actually a success for the network, even if hardcore fans and TV junkies weren’t exactly sure how it would go over. Mainly because it’s the perfect show for a certain kind of viewer — one who is flipping through channels on Sunday nights, or who saves a few fave shows to watch later in the week on DVR or streaming.
Showtime Networks CEO and president David Nevins told the Hollywood Reporter, “Ray Donovan, Shameless, Homeland, The Affair, and Billions all act in a similar way [with viewers]. They’re not that different. You notice certain patterns in how they perform.”
Which is a good thing, because Twin Peaks was not cheap to make.
Though we don’t have specific numbers, the cost of making the revival on a subscription-based cable network had some experts and critics raising their eyebrows (Nevins says it cost about as much as other high-end Showtime shows). But not only is Twin Peaks a creeper success — about 2 million viewers watched each episode when time-shifting, streaming, and encores are factored in, even though only about 300,000 viewers watched live — many people tuning in are paying $10.99 for Showtime’s app to watch it.
Who said millennials aren’t watching TV anymore? Or are too cheap to pay for their content? The success of the show goes against most of the preconceptions about the state of the television industry these days.
Nevins said earlier this month, “It drove our business in a way that almost nothing else could. It’s been interesting and maybe it’s a blinding glimpse of how Netflix looks at the world but [it had] a palpable effect on subscribers even though its overall numbers are not as big as our biggest shows.”
But just because it turned out be a hit doesn’t mean that you should expect the show to go longer than the 18-episode reboot. Nevins said he and Lynch aren’t even talking about another season after all the time and cash it took to make these first episodes.
But maybe there’s hope if fans really, really go wild for it. When asked about more seasons, Nevins was pretty clear.
"I don’t think [it will come back], but it’s not impossible. [Lynch and I are] both avoiding the conversation for a while; we want to let the story coalesce and see how people feel at the end," he said.
So far it’s been a success, but if fans want more episodes they’re going to have to do more than subscribe to show their love. A Twitter campaign, maybe?
