Twin Peaks Production History
Network, authors, crew, cast, fans, plot/airing
1971-07-22 08:44:40
Laura Palmer's birth
Diary dates are off by one additional year.
1975-12-17 04:06:49
Dale recruited by Windom Earle
the F.B.I. at a job fair
1977-07-10 04:06:49
Dale accepted into the F.B.I.
1977-12-11 08:49:41
Special Agent Dale Cooper
Graduates from Quantico
1978-08-01 08:49:41
Windom Earle abducted
1979-01-26 08:49:41
Caroline Earle kidnapped
1979-05-01 16:14:31
Caroline Earle murdered
1979-05-24 08:49:41
Cooper is dead for two minutes
internal bleeding, from previous stabbing wound
1983-07-22 08:44:40
Laura Palmer begins the Secret Diary
Diary dates are off by one year.
1986-08-04 23:00:00
Blue Velvet shooting
Wilmington, North Carolina
1986-09-19 23:00:00
Blue Velvet U.S. premiere
1987-05-20 00:11:58
One Saliva Bubble first draft
David Lynch & Mark Frost
1987-12-30 04:31:49
Special Agent Tony Krantz
Tony called us up one day and asked us if we wanted to do a TV show,” recalled Frost. “And we said heck no!”
1988-02-09 23:00:00
Teresa Banks killed
1988-02-29 19:37:41
The Lemurians pitch
David & Mark pitch to Brandon Tartikoff of NBC
1988-03-07 01:20:32
Writer's Guild strike
1988-08-01 19:37:41
Writers Strike ends
1988-08-08 19:37:41
Twin Peaks pitch to ABC
David & Mark pitch to Chad Hoffman
1988-08-29 19:37:41
ABC breakfast meeting at the Westin Century Plaza
Chad Hoffman, Gary Levine, Tony Krantz, Mark and David.
1988-08-29 23:00:00
ABC commissions the Pilot
1988-08-29 23:00:00
David's charcoal map
“David drew a charcoal map of the town of Twin Peaks that we unfurled with Chad when we sold the show and gave it to me for my birthday one year. I have it framed in my office. It is television history.” Tony Krantz
1988-12-05 23:00:00
final draft pilot: Northwest Passage
1988-12-06 23:00:00
The Twin Peaks Gazette
“Chad Hoffman: I talked to them and within a few days they sent me a document that I now have framed called the “Twin Peaks Gazette,” and it essentially was the town newspaper laying out the whole arc of the series. It was just funny and dramatic and mysterious and I thought, “Anyone that goes to these lengths to show you what they’re doing really deserves a chance.” I showed it to Brandon and he had a great laugh and said, “Absolutely, let’s make the pilot.”
1988-12-16 23:00:00
final name changes
Isabella Rossellini drops out, replaced by Joan Chen. "Giovanna Pasqualini Packard" becomes Josie Packard; "Sheriff Dan Steadman" becomes "Harry Truman".
1989-02-28 07:38:36
Discovery of Laura
1989-03-03 23:00:00
Pilot shooting
1989-03-04 07:38:36
Lucy takes the Viewer's 1-900 call
Mystery caller, Season 2 Episode 2, plot and reality cross-over.
1989-03-09 21:38:36
Death
1989-03-11 18:38:36
Death
1989-03-27 18:38:36
Final events of Season 2
1989-06-01 23:00:00
Directors Guild screening of the Pilot
wrong
1989-06-01 23:00:00
Museum of Television Arts and Sciences, Pilot screening
wrong
1989-07-31 16:03:23
Set construction begins
Richard Hoover
1989-08-09 00:11:58
Wild at Heart shooting begins
Grace Zabriske, Sherilyn Fenn, David Patrick Kelly, Jack Nance, Sheryl Lee
1989-09-01 22:21:05
Floating Into the Night
1989-09-01 23:00:00
Pilot @ Telluride Film Festival
1989-10-02 06:41:33
Shooting E01-07
Episode 3 shot before Episode 2. Episode 2 shot between 6 and 7.
1989-11-01 09:00:43
Europilot home video release
Great Britain
1989-12-27 06:41:33
Fake episode scripts to ABC
1990-02-08 23:00:00
European theatircal release
1990-02-10 21:00:00
Pilot @ Miami Film Festival
1990-04-06 01:37:41
ABC Exec Predicts Doom
Michael Saltzman "ABC called me (an executive who will remain nameless, because I frankly don’t remember) on Thursday or Friday morning before the pilot aired and basically said, “You’ve done the greatest magic trick ever in the history of television. We’re going to watch the first half hour on Sunday night with people tuning in and they’re going to say to themselves, ‘What the fuck is this thing about?’ and slowly, by the end of the show no one’s going to be watching, but I just want to congratulate you for all of your great work.”" Brad Dukes. “Reflections: An Oral History of Twin Peaks.”
1990-04-06 23:29:06
Pilot shown @ Museum of Broadcasting, Hollywood
1990-04-08 21:00:00
Broadcast Pilot (Sunday)
34.6 million viewers = one third of the t.v. audience. 33% share in the last half hour. “The highest rated two-hour movie or pilot of the year.” 29% of viewers, 7th most watched show of the week.
1990-04-12 21:00:00
Episode 1 Thursday
14.9 million households, or 27 percent of the available audience
1990-04-19 21:00:00
Episode 2 Thursday
12.1 million households in the United States. 21 percent of the available audience. 13.1 percent of all households in the country
1990-04-26 21:00:00
Episode 3 Thursday
18 percent of the available audience in its initial airing
1990-05-03 21:00:00
Episode 4 Thursday
19 percent of the available audience during its broadcast,
1990-05-09 21:46:15
Wild at Heart completed
1990-05-10 21:00:00
Episode 5 Thursday
18 percent of the available audience during its broadcas