Twin Peaks season three: When is it back and why is it such a big deal?

After 26 years, Twin Peaks has returned. The crime drama, which compelled audiences with its haunting and intelligent surrealism, returns with 18 new episodes in the spring. But what can we expect?

Why is Twin Peaks such a big deal?

Twin Peaks attracted a cult following from first episode in 1990. David Lynch's original drama followed FBI agent Dale Cooper's investigation into the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer, killed in the sleepy Washington town of Twin Peaks.

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It is "easily one of the most influential shows of our time", says Bustle, with its effects seen "all over the entertainment world", from Broadchurch and Stranger Things to the League of Gentlemen and Desperate Housewives.

"The 1990-91 mystery drama landed Lynch on the cover of Time and made a backwards-speaking midget and a schoolmarm seer known as the Log Lady into the subjects of heated water-cooler debate," says Slate. It was one of those "improbable, instant phenomena", says the magazine, a "bizarro blend of police procedural and soap opera" that remained a strongly character-driven drama throughout.

Who is set to return?

The vast majority of the original cast are set to come back, including Kyle MacLachlan as Cooper and Sheryl Lee as Laura Palmer, although Catherine E Coulson, who played the Log Lady, and Pete Martell, whose character found Palmer's body, have both died. Michael Ontkean, who played Sheriff Harry S Truman, will not be returning after retiring from the film industry

Musician Trent Reznor is one of the more quirky additions to the cast list and Lynch favourites Naomi Watts and Balthazar Getty will also be added to the fold.

Music will once again come from Angelo Badalamenti.

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When is it on?

In the UK, the first two-hour special premieres on Sky Atlantic at 2am on Monday 22 May, a time to coincide with the US broadcast. For those willing to wait, it will be repeated on Tuesday 23 May at 9pm. In true Twin Peaks style, the episodes will run at various lengths and not necessarily on a once-a-week rotation. According to Lynch, the new series was originally written as a very long film, with episodes cut into a viewer-friendly size.

What will the plot be?

As expected, the plot's details are tantalisingly sketchy. In the original show's disturbing finale, a spirit who looked like Palmer promised: "I'll see you again in 25 years". It seems her storyline is not going away any time soon.

Co-creator Mark Frost's book The Secret History of Twin Peaks has offered some clues, however. A female FBI agent is tasked with analysing a box of documents related to Twin Peaks and discovers secrets about the town's residents. Cooper has vanished, but is clearly set to return, and the FBI is keen to track down the person who compiled the box of evidence.

Will it be able to live up to the hype?

Showtime president David Nevins has described the series as "the pure heroin vision of David Lynch", saying it will "reward close-watching, paying attention to details, and putting things together over time". The Observer wonders whether "the very culture that Twin Peaks helped to create has evolved and moved on", but die-hard fans are unlikely to care.

Rob Lindley, who runs the annual Twin Peaks festival with his wife Deanne, told the newspaper: "The final scene was the greatest cliffhanger of all time and many of us have hoped and dreamed for years that Twin Peaks would continue in some way, so we're beyond excited. I intend to savour every episode like a fine wine."