10 Biggest Similarities Between Twin Peaks and The X-Files

Since The X-Files Premiere in 1993, it was compared with Twin Peaks (1990–91), and, given the biggest similarities between the cult classic TV shows, it’s easy to see why. Although Chris Carter’s sci-fi drama is often associated with popularizing television’s monster-of-the-week format, The X-Files Still shares DNA with Twin PeaksEspecially since these shows were forged during a similar pop-culture moment. The X-FilesThe original 9-season run centers on FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Donna Scully (Gillian Anderson), who investigate the bureau’s “X-Files,” fringe cases that seem paranormal.

Mark Frost and David Lynch Twin Peaks Takes a slightly different approach. The mystery drama unfolds in the titular small town in Washington, where the sudden murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) prompts the FBI to send Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle McClatchan) to investigate. sad and sad at times, Twin Peaks Could draw from a wide range of genre influences viz The X-FilesBut the core elements of the show certainly overlap. actually, The X-Files‘ More chilling moments make it one of many horror TV shows inspired by Twin Peaks, although this is not the only similarity.

10

Both Twin Peaks and The X-Files center on unconventional FBI agents

Dale Cooper, Dana Scully & Fox Mulder are cut from similar cloth

Although Twin PeaksThe cast of characters boasts an eccentric ensemble of personalities, Kyle MacLachlan’s special agent Dale Cooper is the traditional protagonist of the show – even if he is not introduced in the opening scenes of the show. Like audiences, Cooper arrives in the strange-yet-charming town of Twin Peaks to unravel its mysteries. However, Cooper is far from a traditional FBI agent. Much like the people he encounters while investigating who killed Laura Palmer, Dale Cooper has his quirks. Whether he’s literally throwing stones or relying on what he saw in his dreams, Cooper is not a strict by-the-books lawman.

so too, The X-Files is another unconventional look at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and its agents. While Gillian Anderson’s Dana Scully is a medical doctor by trade, and a determined skeptic, she certainly finds herself leaning into less-than-normal protocol over the course of the series. Meanwhile, although David Duchovny’s Fox Mulder is a top-notch criminal profiler, he’s also an ardent supernaturalist and conspiracy theorist. – Something that makes him famous at the office. Both The X-Files And Twin Peaks Break from detective fiction tropes, allowing them to create beloved, and truly singular, agents.

9

The TV series toes the line between the grounded and the paranormal

The X-Files plays the believer vs. Skeptical dynamics

The whole assumption of The X-Files Hinges on the dichotomy between Scully the skeptic and Mulder the believer, which means A majority of episodes present both science-backed, grounded explanations for the cases and paranormal reasoning. It’s quite a balancing act, but it’s part of what makes The X-Files Works so well. As Donna Scully says in (arguably) her best quote, “I want to believe.“That’s a sentiment many viewers shared with the more logic-driven agent, especially Vi The X-Files Delved deeper into its overarching alien invasion plotline.

Although Twin Peaks Opens with some very strange detailsIt feels like standard detective fiction – until it very much doesn’t. From Cooper’s dreamy trip to Twin PeaksBlack Lodge to the Log Lady’s (Catherine E. Coulson) prophetic insight, Twin Peaks Get stranger by the second. Thanks in part to David Lynch’s surrealist sensibilities, the show isn’t afraid to present the otherworldly with its human horrors. Although Twin Peaks Getting a little more definitive with its lore, the series still toes the line between the real and the unreal for quite a while.

8

Several key actors appear in both Twin Peaks and The X-Files

David Duchovny has fan-favorite roles in both shows

The X-Files: Year Zero Teas that Twin Peaks And The X-Files A shared universe, with Mulder referencing one of Dale Cooper’s most iconic quotes about coffee while hanging out at a diner with Scully. The two series easily fit into the same world, but it goes beyond fun Easter eggs. There’s something about the shared cast of actors, all of whom play memorable personalities in both shows, that heightens that feeling. For starters, Frances Bay, who plays the mysterious Mrs. Tremond in Twin PeaksAlso appears as a woman tormented by spirits in The X-Files Season 2.

Michael Horse, who is best known for playing Deputy Hawk in Twin PeaksAlso plays an officer in the season-one episode of The X-Files called “Shapes.” Michael J. Anderson, who plays a strange Black Lodge resident in Twin PeaksAlso appears in An X-Files Episode as the host of a trailer park inhabited by circus performers. Don Davis is both Major Garland Briggs and William ScullyDonna’s late father. Perhaps the main thing also appeared in David Duchovny Twin PeaksPlaying DEA Agent Denise Bryson.

7

Twin Peaks and The X-Files both blend various genres

Horror, drama and thriller elements appear in both series

Unlike other shows that came before Twin Peaks And The X-Files, The two series aren’t afraid to blend multiple genres to create very different worlds and tones. The X-Fileswhich took inspiration from The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, Tales from the DarksideAnd Kolchak: The Night StalkerAmong other works, blends sci-fi, horror and supernatural fiction with mystery and thriller elements. Twin PeaksMeanwhile, it plays with detective fiction, American soap opera, and horror tropes to create a unique feel. While Twin Peaks is exciting and suspenseful, it’s also campy and melodramatic.

6

These cult classics feel both timeless and ’90s

Twin Peaks and X-Files are products of their time that also endure

There is a reason that both Twin Peaks And The X-Files have remained fan-favorite cult classic TV shows even three decades after they originally aired: The TV shows are Eternal. That’s quite a feat, especially considering how rooted in the ’90s both shows feel. The pre-internet age defines the space of the series. Characters chain smoke in diners – especially The X-Files‘Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis). Perhaps because both show delves into the human psyche—the enduring horrors of what might exist— They feel simultaneously grounded in a time period and timeless.

5

Twin Peaks and The X-Files turn the mundane into something terrifying

Everyday settings, people and objects are part of the horror

Is it the terrible painting of a doorway in which Laura Palmer hangs in her room Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me Or The X-Files‘ Liver-eating Eugene Toms (Doug Hutchison), who squeezes into impossibly small crevices, including heating vents, Both franchises take seemingly mundane objects, people or locations and transform them into something worth fearing. In particular, David Lynch has a knack for making everything from ceiling fans to electrical outlets just a little uneasy, but The X-Files Also boasting the horror sensibility of writer-director James Wong (final destination) on several occasions.

4

Both The X-Files and Twin Peaks were shot in similar locations

The Pacific Northwest and Vancouver, British Columbia share comparable visuals

In the 90s, Twin Peaks‘Filming locations In Washington state felt incredibly fresh. Viewers weren’t used to seeing the Pacific Northwest’s lush forests, fog-laden roads and towering mountains on their television screens, and the inventive location certainly added something novel to Frost and Lynch’s show. of course, Twin Peaks owes a lot to its setting, whereas The X-FilesWith its monster-of-the-week premise, jumps around a lot. nevertheless, The first five seasons of The X-Files were shot in Vancouver, British ColumbiaWhich certainly creates a visual similarity between the two shows.

3

The X-Files & Twin Peaks share an eerie atmosphere

Both shows are filled with a unique sense of menace

Instead of being outright horror projects, both Twin Peaks And The X-Files Incorporate horror elements. Led by compelling characters, These TV shows get viewers hooked on their unique worlds and, little by little, create an atmosphere of threat. Although Twin Peaks It may seem like a sleepy lumber town, it’s actually the place where a big evil – Bob (Frank Silva) – has taken root. The forest, and the owls, are not what they seem. In certain episodes, The X-Files Plays with the sense of atmospheric horror and looming menace, resulting in some of the show’s most chilling moments.

2

Twin Peaks and The X-Files transformed how viewers saw small-town America

Dark and strange things lurk beneath the US stocks

There is no denying that Twin Peaks Changed TV shows forever – and in many ways. however, One of the most significant contributions is the way it altered images of Americans, making them into something strange or unsettling.. Lynch Blue velvet has something similar, but he takes things to a new level with just how haunted a living room, diner or hotel room can be in the world of Twin Peaks. The X-Files Taking a page from the book, Mulder and Scully often uncover some of their most disturbing and otherworldly cases in Middle America.

1

The X-Files & Twin Peaks’ overarching narratives involve “Dead” Girls

Samantha Mulder & Laura Palmer loom large over their respective stories

While Twin Peaks is based on the question of “Who killed Laura Palmer?“, The X-Files Has a less obvious “dead” girl in the form of Samantha Mulder (Vanessa Morley; Megan Leitch), Fox’s missing sister. Fox Mulder believes his sister was abducted by aliens when they were children, prompting his lifelong pursuit to prove the existence of the paranormal and supernatural. finally, The X-Files reveals what happened to Samantha Mulder, but there is no doubt that Both Samantha and Laura are great in their respective showsPlaying right in the “Dead girl“Trope (by Film school rejects).

Twin Peaks is streaming on Paramount + and The X-Files is streaming on Hulu and Disney+.

Source: Film school rejects