Image courtesy of ABC.

In February 1990, a homecoming queen’s body washes up on a riverbank. This is the beginning of Twin Peaks, a murder mystery set in small-town Washington State. What follows is some of the best television you will ever see in your life.

Created by David Lynch and Mark Frost, this show will make you not want to trust anyone ever again…in a good way. It is a work of genius in its ability to explore how easily people can lead double lives – how we might see a veneer of respectability, with no idea of the deeper darkness. The suspense of wondering who on earth killed the beautiful Laura Palmer is supposedly what drives the episodes, but really, this is not about Laura. It’s about the banalities of high school, messed up families, obsessive love, the inner demons we all keep secret. It’s about thinking you and your best friend know absolutely everything about each other, and then one day realising you could be absolute strangers.

It’s also home to some of the most endearing characters you can imagine. Special Agent Dale Cooper, played by Lynch favourite Kyle Maclachlan, holds the threads of the show together. His innocent enthusiasm for the most basic of things – a cup of ‘damn fine’ coffee, or a slice of cherry pie – is infectious, but this is coupled with a fierce intelligence, under which lurks an indefinable weirdness. How many FBI agents use their dreams to hunt for a murderer? Another gem is Audrey Horne. She is sex on legs (somewhat inappropriate term for a high-schooler, but trust me) and a fan of dancing weirdly in public. She makes all the girls and guys go crazy, but has an endearing vulnerability which ends up saving her skin more than once.

Twin Peaks is not your average murder mystery. If you’ve seen anything else by Lynch, you’ll be familiar with his special brand of surreal humour and camp quirkiness. It also features one of the most hilarious plot devices – its own ‘show within a show’, soap opera 'Invitation to Love', heightening the parodic elements of the series itself. With one of the most atmospheric TV soundtracks (the kind you’ll want to have on your iTunes immediately) and incredibly beautiful scenery, it is a total cult classic. It makes you want to live in Twin Peaks, which is bizarre because people get attacked and killed in horrific ways there.