Around the dinner table, the conversation was lively. Thank you but for now, the forum has been archived.
...do you reckon? As a rough estimate?
The viewing figures are embarrassingly and unexpectedly low.I refuse to believe there are only 1.7 mil. fans out there (is this US ratings only?), considering the show was kept alive during the 27-year hiatus solely on fan support, how many big names there are in this production and how much hype it received for several years prior. The reception online seems extremely skewed to positive (as in unquestioning adulation) and most comes from hardcore Lynch fans. That seems to indicate that a majority of TP fans have long thrown in the towel and not even bothering to discuss it on the web cause they're shouted down by the rabid Lynch fans or past the point of caring due to disappointment. That includes me, as I'm bailing after enduring this mess for 14 hours. All my open-minded goodwill has been used up.
I also find it hard to believe that most fans are simply waiting for the whole thing to come out on DVD. If I had to take a wild guess, I'd say that 80% of TP fans aren't bothering to watch or engage online. Is that a reasonable estimate?
The nature of the medium has changed so much- I think it is hard to measure viewership in the way it once was. What is telling is the spike in Showtime subscribership. I think th network has done just fine.
That netflix, for instance, won't even release viewership figures is quite telling, as concerns the shift away from advertising as a means of supporting production.
The original show was on "free" tv ( if you don't count commercials being forced on you, and not being able to watch whenever you want as costs ) so it had an instant mass audience ( in this country ). The current success of the new show on pay-tv comes largely from true fans of David Lynch and TP. Like the FWWM film, appreciation of the new show will grow larger with time, especially after it comes to DVD.
The question is the figures themselves. If it is just on a first run viewing, then it's understandably low for a strictly sequential show on extended cable in the middle of summer/vacation season
I have personally had to miss the first airing of a couple episodes and catch up later in the week on DVR.
So that is not a solid metric to base the effect on.
That being said, I'm sure there are many (I know of one or two myself) that are waiting until it's over to watch them all together
Showtime knows what they're doing when they offered this to Lynch. They know what return and viewing data will indicate success
I know people who loved the original twin peaks but couldn't get on with FWWM because it was far too Avant Garde. I suspect a lot of people have felt the same with this series and this may reflect a small percentage of the fans of the original series.
Having said that, it's still the series first viewing. There will be a knock on effect of the series (hopefully) receiving critical appraise, and attracting new, first-time viewers.
Who cares? The numbers aren't low by Showtime standards. They're very pleased by the showing and have literally said that they're waiting for David Lynch to approach them with a pitch for the next installment. The cast all really enjoyed returning. The fans who care still care. So, who cares?
Those positive sign-up figures were for subscriptions BEFORE a single moment of the current show aired (solely on the reputation of the original). Since then Showtime has only bled viewers and subscriptions. The current ratings across all viewing platforms are depressing even by niche TV standards.
I'm not bailing because The Return is avant-garde, but because it's bad avant-garde and completely betrays the spirit of Twin Peaks and its' long-enduring cult community. They and the Twin Peaks brand are the only reason Lynch can get any funding these days. There would've been no cash for him if he truthfully called it "The David Lynch Variety Show" which this season is. And he thanks them by totally alienating (what I suspect) are large swathes of TP fans. I've watched plenty of more engaging avant-garde and I'm sure there is a significant no. of others like me.
If that's how you feel, that's how you feel.
However, you are definitely in a minority on this forum. I wonder if that reflects general population too or your sentiment?
Where did you read that there'll be another season? All I hear is Showtime saying it's unlikely.
Sherilyn Fenn sure wasn't happy with the size of her role or how the rest of the female characters fared. MacLachlan said something to the effect of the new season being challenging or difficult for TP fans to accept (not Lynch fans, mind you), and keeps reassuring the viewers to hang in there. It's interesting that he didn't like FWWM and thought it damaged TP's reputation.
The rest of the cast would never risk airing any negative opinions because they either desperately need the work or value the prestige of a Lynch project on their resume. Showtime sure isn't gonna admit they've invested unwisely after all the hoopla.
That's because most people on this forum appear to be Lynch fans. That's my point. It seems like most TP fans have run for the hills. I was just trying to get a feel on what proportion sounds reasonable.
The funding bit is an objective truth. Lynch hasn't been given a sufficient budget for anything new even by the loyal French since Mulholland Dr.(16 years!!). If not for TP fans - he'd still be in involuntary film-making retirement. Since Showtime was actually briefly willing to continue with TP without him (before the fans and actors twisted their arm), they wanted this project to cater to TP fans, not Lynch fans. Clearly because the former camp is numerically larger and they've been proven right by the disappointing nos.
How on earth this is betraying "The spirit of Twin Peaks"? This return is so much better for instance than X-Files manipulative new commercial act (That's how you keep and put in circle the money, recreating the same thing all over again).
David didn't fuc**n care any other opinion except for his and Frost. And I thank them for the artistical honesty regardless of ratings
Who knows but since you stated you no longer follow the show, why do you care, unless you feel happier following the crowd?
Well, I know of several fans who haven't started watching it yet as they don't have Sky - but fully intend to watch it all at a later date (I suspect some may imaging they'll binge watch it, but I think they may decide to pace themselves for the sake of their sanity)
My partner hardly watches any tv, but has been glued to this. He loved the original series; does not 'do' arty films & still really loves this series - if anything even more 'cos he appreciates the intricacies & detail.
Between discussing it with him & the good folks on this forum, I don't actually care who else watches it. I don't think it has anything to prove?
Is it more of a success if 15 million people watch it & think it's quite good, or if 1 million watch it and love it?
I don't think it's a case of 'it was on the telly, you either watched it or you didn't' - it now exists & people will discover it at different times - whether they've watched the first 2 series, or watch all 3 in the future, or whatever...
I have no desire for a 4th series just for the sake of it. If there's more to come, it'll appear in some shape and form.
Fire walk with 
