If you’ve spent any time on Twin Peaks Blog, you know I love detailing the history of Mark Frost and David Lynch’s groundbreaking television show. That’s one reason why I was thrilled to read an advanced copy of Scott Meslow’s new book releasing in February 2026, A Place Both Wonderful and Strange – The Extraordinary Untold History of Twin Peaks. Through numerous exclusive, never-before-published interviews with the show’s creators and cast, Meslow has assembled a fantastic exploration into how this small town mystery became a cultural phenomenon that redefined television and is still celebrated around the world more than three decades after its release.
WHO IS SCOTT MESLOW?
Scott Meslow is a Los Angeles Press Club-nominated film and television critic. His first book, From Hollywood With Love: The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again) of the Romantic Comedy, was published in 2022. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature/Letters from Loyola Marymount University in California. Following graduation, he worked at The Atlantic, served as an Entertainment Editor / Film and Television Critic and later Senior Editor for The Week, and has spent 10 years as an Entertainment and Culture Writer for GQ Magazine.
For GQ, he wrote about David Lynch’s passing on January 16, 2025 and offered his insights why Twin Peaks: The Return was robbed during the Primetime Emmy Nominations in 2018 (to which I strongly concur – come on, Kyle MacLachlan played four characters!?). He recapped Twin Peaks: The Return when it aired in summer 2017 with stories about the show’s ending and the brilliant Part 8 (an article co-authored with Joshua Rivera).
In non-Twin Peaks related news, I enjoyed his 2017 review of Blade Runner 2049, a film I thoroughly enjoyed and, like it’s predecessor, will continue aging well like a fine wine.
“I was born in 1988, so I’m a second-wave Twin Peaks fan,” said Scott after being asked when he first discovered the series. “I [was] too young to watch it live, but old enough to desperately hunt down a used box set of the series on VHS (at least before the release of the DVDs made it mercifully easier to find).”
In a time before the on-demand world of streaming services, video cassettes were how folks discovered the show after its initial ABC Television run in 1990-1991.
“During the summer when I was in middle school, I had a habit of biking down to my local video store and renting two horror movies for 99 cents on ‘2 for Tuesdays,’ Scott continued, “I had no idea what Twin Peaks was when I picked the VHS of the pilot off the shelf – I was just intrigued by the cover of the traffic light and the motorcycle and the gold locket. That turned out to be the VHS release with the European ending, which baffled but completely fascinated me.”
For awhile the VHS containing the European ending or International version of the Twin Peaks pilot was the only version available in market. The original television broadcast ending with a gloved hand finding Laura Palmer’s half-heart necklace would not see a proper release until the Definitive Gold Box DVD set in 2007.
“It was only when I went online to learn more about what I’d seen that I realized there were 29 more episodes waiting for me,” Scott recalled. “Fortunately, the VHS box set for the original show wasn’t too expensive on eBay at the time, and I was able to binge-watch the whole series pretty quickly. I knew, right away, that it was the greatest TV show I’d ever seen, and decades later my opinion hasn’t changed.”
When asked about his favorite scene in Twin Peaks, Scott recalls Special Agent Dale Cooper’s arrival into Twin Peaks on February 24.
“Cooper’s introduction in the pilot was the first scene that moved me from ‘This is really good’ to ‘This is something special.’ Just a perfect, character-defining monologue, and perfectly delivered by Kyle MacLachlan.”
The F.B.I. Special Agent is not just Meslow’s favorite Twin Peaks character but his “favorite fictional character, fill stop.”
“As for who I identify with — as I was writing and reporting, one of Hawk’s great scenes in The Return kept running through my head: ‘It’s not about the bunny… is it about the bunny?,’ continued Scott. “That’s the attitude I tried to bring to the book: Write with conviction, but don’t hesitate to challenge even the things I thought I knew for sure about Twin Peaks.”
‘A PLACE BOTH WONDERFUL AND STRANGE’
Meslow’s newest 272-page book from Running Press is due for release on February 17, 2026. You can pre-order the book on the Hachette Book website.
The book’s description pulled from his website reads:
“For the first time, the complete history of David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks—from the landmark, original cult series that changed the course of television to its 25-years-in-the-making sequel—is told through fascinatingly detailed reporting and exclusive interviews with the show’s cast and creators.
From its start, when studio executives drafted a plan to recoup costs after what they predicted would be the series’ inevitable failure, to the 1992 prequel movie that earned scathing reviews at Cannes, to its unexpected and acclaimed return some twenty-five years later, Twin Peaks garnered millions of devoted fans who refused to let it die.
In ‘A Place Both Wonderful and Strange,’ entertainment reporter Scott Meslow takes readers behind the curtain of Lynch’s and Frost’s dedication to finishing what they started, with both the prequel film and Showtime’s Twin Peaks: The Return, offering dozens of original and revelatory interviews that cast a whole new light on the extraordinary show. Twin Peaks fans will discover how hard the mercurial Lynch and affable Frost fought impatient ABC execs (ultimately losing) to keep Laura Palmer’s murder unsolved, as well as the omerta-like secrecy around the filming of the show.
For a series that left as many questions unanswered as answered, Meslow’s deep reporting will give readers a new perspective, detailing scenes left on the cutting–room floor and how Season Two’s finale stunned and infuriated studio execs in what Mark Frost calls “a defiant middle finger to what they [studio executives] thought the show should be.”
The influence of Twin Peaks is inescapable. It’s hard to imagine prestige television like True Detective, Severance, and so many other shows in this genre could exist without Lynch and Frost’s visionary brilliance. With David Lynch’s passing in 2025, there may never be another return to the quirky, mysterious, and unforgettable town of Twin Peaks, but A Place Both Wonderful and Strange serves as testament to the impact it had on the world.”
Scott said the biggest surprises during his research came from what his own sources told him.
“I don’t want to give too much away, but I was blown away when Johanna Ray told me the actors she’d originally had in mind for Leo Johnson,” explained Scott. “It was also fascinating to grill people for more information about what might have happened if Twin Peaks had been picked up for a third season back in the early ‘90s. Harley Peyton’s concept for an episode set entirely in a single booth the Double R will always live in my imagination as the great lost Twin Peaks episode.”
WHAT I ENJOYED IN ‘A PLACE BOTH WONDERFUL AND STRANGE’
The thing I enjoyed the most about Scott’s well-researched book is his ability to synthesize more than 35 years of history at a pace that doesn’t feel too bogged down (I tend to get lost on many side quests while researching the show). He pairs the narrative with some really fantastic quotes, stories and anecdotes from those who either made or stared in the show.
These individuals include writers like Scott Frost, Harley Peyton and Robert “Bob” Engels; editor and director Dewayne Dunham; director of photography Ron Garcia; executive producer Sabrina Sutherland; and series co-creator Mark Frost. For actors, you hear from people like James Marshall, Kyle MacLachlan, Ray Wise, Sheryl Lee, Mary Reber, and many others.
Along the way, Meslow offers character spotlights which mixes profiles on iconic characters from Lynch and Frost’s world along with insights from the actors who played them. These brief interludes breakup more than three decades of history while offering their own interesting perspectives.
I also learned a few new things such as who was originally considered for the role of Sheriff Harry S. Truman. I previously heard Robert Forster was consider but bowed out due to a commitment made to a friend. He would later appear as Sheriff Frank Truman, Harry’s brother, in Twin Peaks: The Return. I didn’t know, however, that David Strathairn was once considered for the Sheriff.
Meslow takes a detour outside the town as he looks at the film noir-inspired story between James Hurley and Evelyn Marsh during the second season. Harley Peyton chimed in with his perspective on storyline (you’ll have to read the book to find out what he said). For the record, I love many moments from the point after Laura Palmer’s killer was revealed but before Windom Earle’s arrival, as detailed in this article.
Writer Robert “Bob” Engels shared how he served as the typist for David Lynch when they wrote the first draft for what would become Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. They wanted the film to serve as a prequel and sequel to the series and show how “Laura [Palmer] goes there and what happened after.” At one point, there was discussion about making two films.
These are just a handful of “wonderful and strange” insights I found interesting after reading Scott’s gem of a book. There are many more waiting to be discovered.
MEET SCOTT MESLOW AT THE REAL TWIN PEAKS 2026 EVENT ON FEBRUARY 22
Fans attending The Real Twin Peaks 2026 event in Snoqualmie Valley, Washington, Scott will be signing copies of his new book on Sunday, February 22 beginning at 11:00 a.m. This event will take place at Books & Bottles located at 8130 Railroad Avenue #102 in Snoqualmie.
Congratulations Scott on this must-read book that is a fantastic addition to any Twin Peaks bookshelf!
The book is available for pre-order HERE.
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