The long-awaited return of Twin Peaks: The Return premiered to soft numbers last Sunday, but the show will most likely see most of its viewership in delayed viewing.
Maddchen Amick and Peggy Lipton in a still from Twin Peaks. Photo: Suzanne Tenner/SHOWTIME
According to Nielsen data, the two-hour premiere averagedonly 506,000 viewers in its initial airing and a 0.2 rating in adults 18-49 in live-plus-same day viewing.
That is a tiny fraction of the 34 million viewers the initial series debut attracted back in 1990, but that was also before the rise of cable, let alone streaming.
Showtime announced that Sunday was the single biggest sign up day for their Showtime streaming service ever. The show also generated 4.7 million total impressions on Twitter, trending both in the US and worldwide and ranking number one in prime time among all series.
The show has already averaged 1.1 million viewers, when counting repeat airings, streaming, and on-demand viewing.
The revival hails from original creators David Lynch and Mark Frost with Lynch directing all 18 hours.
The limited event series picks up 25 years after the people of Twin Peaks were stunned when their homecoming queen Laura Palmer was shockingly murdered.
The new “Twin Peaks” will feature many new cast members. Showtime revealed the 217 actors who would appear in the series, including Naomi Watts, Amanda Seyfried, Laura Dern, Monica Bellucci, Jim Belushi, and Ashley Judd.
