Publicized and greeted as an extraordinary piece of television “art” that would redefine the boundaries of small-screen drama, the show reaped critical acclaim and attracted considerable public attention even before airing. Its two-hour pilot was a massive success in the ratings, and the show managed to pique the curiosity of its audience with the mystery surrounding Laura’s murder and hook viewers with its unique Lynchian sensibility, combining a strange, dreamy mise-en-scène with an artistic tone and moments of black humour.

Black humour, also called black comedy, writing that juxtaposes morbid or ghastly elements with comical ones that underscore the senselessness or futility of life. Black humour often uses farce and low comedy to make clear that individuals are helpless victims of fate and character.

"David Lynch’s masterfully directed two-hour premiere is a mesmerizing orientation—an invitation to never-ending love. A dreamy stream of narrative enhanced by Angelo Badalamenti’s moody-romantic score draws you into a singular setting" (Jensen & Franich, 2017).

"Perhaps we should see the moral problem of America as she sees Twin Peaks, with repelled fascination and vengeful amusement. As the series multiplies into a plethora of subplots and a range of directorial styles, we find that the soap opera mode is not beneath us: we don't mind weighing a character's guilt or innocence afresh each time we get new information and a different camera angle. Restoring a moral imagination requires an experimental attitude toward morality, and David Lynch knows how to elicit the empathy and anxiety to make us keep an eye on the stakes. It becomes a necessity to watch this series, to see how we all turn out." (Beebe & Frost, 1990)