J.C. Hotchkiss
We are part of a cult, ladies & gentlemen. Not the David Koresh, Kool-Aid drinking kind. We are the fun loving, coffee drinking, pie eating, thumbs up giving, and dance of the dream man dancing kind. We are part of a community of creative, imaginative, and gifted individuals. Twin Peaks has brought us together and allowed us to become a huge family of friends whom all enjoy this quirky and brilliant show. Why then when someone says to us, “Oh, you’re into that cult show?” do they say it with such contempt? This week we are going to talk about why we should be embracing our cult status when it comes to our favorite television show and why we should bring this term back to what it really means.
Our good old trusty Merriam-Webster Dictionary first defines cult as that negative definition: “a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious.” It is the second definition that we think is much better: “great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work.” Another definition is: “a small group of very devoted supporters or fans.”
Back in 1990, Twin Peaks was often described as a cult phenomenon. A recent Google search I did came up with these headlines:
“Twin Peaks was the Most Improbable Cult Classic TV Show in History”
“23 of the Best Cult TV Shows of All Time”
“Can Twin Peaks Build on Years of Cult Fandom?”
Internet magazine The Wrap came up with a list of “23 of The Best Cult TV Shows of All Time”. Do you know what shows Twin Peaks shared this list with? There are shows like Parks & Recreation, 30 Rock, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Arrested Development, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kids in the Hall. I mean, Monty Python’s Flying Circus! These were all considered cult.
I think you see what we are getting at.
Cult for far too long has been considered something that just a bunch of crazy fans are into. That is just not true! Look at the Twin Peaks community we have surrounding us. Can we start by thanking John Thorne for keeping the eternal flame that is the Twin Peaks fandom going for the past 27+ years. He wrote what is known as an essential piece of literature for any Twin Peaks fan, The Essential Wrapped in Plastic: Pathways to Twin Peaks, co-founded and published Wrapped In Plastic magazine, and is still publishing as the Managing Editor of Blue Rose Magazine. John is quite the encyclopedia of all things Peaks and is a truly nice person on top of that. We are very appreciative of his knowledge and willingness to share.
Then we have this wonderful site, 25 Years Later. Who has been encouraging, supporting, and inspiring many of us Twin Peaks fans. Andrew, inspired by John as well, decided to take a chance and create a site space to create theories and stories. A place where you could go and be inspired to create your own theories, talk about them with other fans, and engage all of us who were not able to communicate with fellow fans the first time around. We are extremely thankful that he and others decided to take their love for this wonderful and strange show and turn it into something that can sustain the next 25 years and beyond.
This brings us to something we would like to mention. You will always be able to get Twin Peaks theories, cast interviews, and one of 25 Years Later’s new features, Favourites (so keep an eye out for it) on the site. Recently, they’ve also created Cult TV. This is the section for us Twin Peaks fans to find something new to sink our teeth into. Hopefully, while waiting for news of more Twin Peaks. Eileen is writing about The X-Files. J.C. is writing about The Alienist. Laura is writing about The O.A. and Jon S. is writing about The Killing. There is so much more, but I implore you readers — go check it out! You may find your next favorite show. It may remind you of something Peaks, and inspire you to write something. Create some art or just become involved in another cult hit that has a gifted and damned fan base just like ours. Tell us in the comments what ‘new’ cult television are you into. 25 Years Later is also looking for Cult TV writers. Your idea may be featured on the site as the next Cult TV show!
Until next week, “May your coffee be hot and your dreams damn fine!” This is the Bookhouse Babes signing off.
For more from the Bookhouse Babes, J.C. and Amanda follow them on Twitter.
- Twitter: @JHotch726, @DuganAmanda, @BookhouseBabes
