Making a television pilot is anything but a sure thing. Many series openers never even make it past that first pilot episode, ultimately vanishing into the abyss never to be heard from again. With no guarantees as to whether or not the pilot for Twin Peaks would get a series order or vanish into obscurity, David Lynch and company filmed and edited an alternate version that functions as a standalone film. This admittedly strange alternate version of the pilot runs longer than the series opener we know and love, and ties the proceedings up far more quickly than the incarnation that made it to air in the U.S.
On that note, we are taking a look back at this all-but-forgotten alternate version of the premiere episode of Twin Peaks.
The Extended Version of the Twin Peaks Pilot Aired as a TV Movie in Europe
This alternate version of Twin Peaks‘ pilot episode, which aired as a European TV movie, runs 116 minutes, which is a full 22 minutes longer than the debut episode that aired on American television. Yet it accomplishes a great deal in that timeframe.
This self-contained version of the story gets straight to the point and reveals that the inter-dimensional entity BOB (Frank Silva) is Laura Palmer’s (Sheryl Lee) killer. This version clues viewers into just how weird the series would eventually get long before the program revealed its outrageous endgame to U.S. viewers.
Like the European pilot, the U.S. television series reveals BOB as the killer… eventually. However, Stateside fans had to wait until Season 2, Episode 7 to learn what the European telefilm reveals within far less time.
For comparison: the U.S. pilot episode and the extended version are identical until the point where the European version diverges to begin tying up the narrative. The extended version ends with Laura’s mother, Sarah Palmer (Grace Zabriskie), recalling having seen BOB near Laura’s bed, with Deputy Hawk (Michael Horse) producing a sketch based on the description Sarah provides him.
Shortly thereafter, MIKE (Al Strobel), a man who used to commit unspeakable acts of violence with BOB before eventually cutting off his own arm to atone for his sinful endeavors, notifies Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) that Laura’s killer is currently in the hospital. From there, MIKE, Agent Cooper, Sheriff Harry Truman (Michael Ontkean), and Deputy Andy Brennan (Harry Goaz) meet at the morgue where MIKE explains that he and BOB are inter-dimensional beings who have taken human form to prey upon innocent victims like Laura. That’s a lot of weirdness for a runtime just shy of two hours.
Following MIKE’s confession, he and BOB have a final showdown that ends with MIKE shooting BOB and then dropping dead himself.
Like the European pilot, the U.S. version also sees MIKE (eventually) helping Agent Cooper track down BOB. This goes to show that Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost had the long game in mind all along, thus why the U.S. series and the European pilot both play out in a similar fashion.
Being the creative genius that he is, Lynch even found a way to work some of the extra footage from the European TV movie into Twin Peaks Episode 2, which is actually the third installment of the series after the pilot and Episode 1. Lynch weaves some of the excised footage into Agent Dale Cooper’s Episode 2 dream sequence, seamlessly melding pieces from the different versions.
If all this talk of the European cut of the Twin Peaks pilot has you curious about where you can watch it, we’ve got you covered. If you’re in the United States, your best bet is to pick the program up on physical media. There are at least two series box sets that include both the standard pilot and the European version.
In addition to airing as a TV movie in Europe, the alternate version was also released on VHS and laserdisc on that side of the pond. Copies of the VHS still exist on the secondary market.
[RELATED- 7 Twin Peaks Questions That Are Still Unanswered]
As loyal fans of the show know, Twin Peaks is a series co-created by Lynch and Frost. The program debuted on ABC in 1990. The show ran for two seasons during its original broadcast and eventually spun off a feature film prequel, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, in 1992. The show came back on the air for a third season in 2017.
The show unfolds in the fictitious Washington logging community of Twin Peaks. The program follows lead character Agent Cooper as he works to piece together the details in the grisly murder of Laura Palmer, an enigmatic young resident of the titular locale.
It’s fascinating to think that there’s a world in which Twin Peaks might have only ever existed as a European TV movie. Thankfully, ABC saw infinite merit in the setup, which is why the show had the opportunity to tell its story over the course of multiple seasons, rather than cramming everything into a 116-minute telefilm. Both incarnations of the pilot are now available on physical media.
Have you seen the European version of the Twin Peaks pilot? If so, be sure to let us know all your thoughts in the comments section below!
If you are eager to watch the series in its entirety, all three seasons are currently available to stream on Paramount+ with Showtime.
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