Possible Sequel To A24's Hit New Horror Movie Is More Exciting Thanks To Twin Peaks (2024)

Spoilers are ahead for I Saw the TV Glow and Twin Peaks: The Return.

In the wake of I Saw the TV Glow's theatrical success, writer-director Jane Schoenbrun teased the possibility of a sequel to their psychological horror film. Initially set in the 1990s, I Saw the TV Glow centers on isolated seventh grader Owen (Ian Foreman) and high school loner Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine), who bond over a Buffy the Vampire Slayer-esque young adult series called The Pink Opaque. When Owen's father, Frank (Fred Durst), pointedly calls The Pink Opaque a show for girls, prompting Owen to view VHS tapes of the supernatural series in secret, Schoenbrun's trans allegory comes into focus.

After Maddy explains that their crushing, isolating suburb will kill her one day, she asks Owen to run away with her. Instead of taking the necessary action, Owen becomes even smaller, pushing down the truest parts of their identity. When Maddy returns to town, she suggests that their real lives are those of The Pink Opaque's main characters, Isabel and Tara, and that they're being killed by what seems like their reality. By I Saw the TV Glow's ending, it's abundantly clear that Owen has refused to confront their transness until one of the movie's final (and incredibly surreal) sequences.

I Saw The TV Glow 2 Would Use Twin Peaks: The Return's Sequel Approach

Jane Schoenbrun Drew Inspiration From Twin Peaks For I Saw The TV Glow

Although The Pink Opaque, which centers on two teenage girls with a psychic connection, might seem like a disposable piece of pop culture for some, it's clear that the TV show was fundamental to Owen understanding their trans identity. One of The Pink Opaque's main characters, Isabel, is so much an echo of who Owen wants to be that Maddy suggests Owen is Isabel — and always has been. For many reasons, A24's movie is perfect for Twin Peaks fans, from I Saw the TV Glow's unique aesthetic of neon and menace to the way it perfectly revives Twin Peaks: The Return's Roadhouse.

Schoenbrun has cited both the original ending of Twin Peaks season 2 — at the time, it was the series finale — and its 2017 revival, Twin Peaks: The Return, as inspiration for I Saw the TV Glow. Lodged in Schoenbrun's subconscious, the cliffhanger ending of Twin Peaks season 2, "felt like unfinished business, if not like trauma," to them, so their own film became about wanting to resolve that feeling (via IndieWire). When asked about the possibility of a sequel to the very standalone I Saw the TV Glow, Schoenbrun once again drew on Twin Peaks for inspiration.

Twin Peaks

Mystery

Drama

Crime

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

Conceived by Mark Frost and David Lynch in 1990, Twin Peaks is a supernatural mystery-drama series that brings FBI Agent Dale Cooper to the quiet town of Twin Peaks to investigate the murder of a young woman named Laura Palmer. As Dale continues his investigation of her death, he learns that Laura's life wasn't as she advertised it, and the town itself is hiding far more secrets than they let on. The show received a revival for a third and final season two decades later to resolve the cliffhanger left at the end of the second season.

Cast

Russ Tamblyn , Sheryl Lee , Kimmy Robertson , Dana Ashbrook , Grace Zabriskie , Everett McGill , Ernie Hudson , Mädchen Amick , Ray Wise , Kyle MacLachlan

Release Date

May 23, 1990

Seasons

3

Network

Showtime , ABC

Streaming Service(s)

Amazon Prime Video

Writers

David Lynch

Directors

Mark Frost

Showrunner

Mark Frost

Main Genre

Mystery

See Also

Glowing mice suggest new gene therapy techniqueGlow Up judge and makeup artist Val Garland on why 'it's good to step out of your comfort zone' | HELLO!Making Sense of I Saw The TV Glow's Tragic and Terrifying EndingHamilton dealt new Ferrari blow amid F1 record low

Why I Saw The TV Glow 2 Aiming For Twin Peaks: The Return's Approach Is So Exciting

I Saw The TV Glow's Jane Schoenbrun Wants To Revisit The Same World From A New Side Of The Prism

Despite I Saw the TV Glow's intriguing cast of characters, it doesn't naturally call for a sequel. Still, Owen's story is left a bit ambiguous, with the now-adult character unhappily working a dead-end job. Owen goes through the motions, keeping their authentic self buried. When Owen can't take it anymore, they reach into their own chest, where a TV glows brilliantly with static. It's the same kind of disconcerting conclusion as Dale Cooper's (Kyle MacLachlan) doppelgänger escaping the Black Lodge and smashing his head into a mirror: It's traumatic and unresolved — though it could be rectified.

In Twin Peaks: The Return, the real Dale Cooper does eventually return to try and set things right. However, by seemingly thwarting Laura Palmer's murder, Coop opens up a whole new tangled thread of mysteries, pushing him to wonder what year it is in the series finale. The loose ends persist, but they're different loose ends. Unlike the original two-season outing, which saw characters unearthing clues and stitching them together to solve Laura's murder, The Return presents a bunch of puzzle pieces up front, but asks viewers (and characters) to figure out how they fit together.

For some fans of the original Twin Peaks, The Return was jarring. After all, it's not only darker than the first two seasons, but it takes a different approach. Instead of cashing in on nostalgia or giving way to something satisfying and finished, Twin Peaks: The Return complicates the story. "I don’t think it’s something people will be expecting, but it will be something that’s very much in the same world," the writer-director said in an interview of their potential I Saw the TV Glow sequel, "[but] from the other side of a looking glass" (via IndieWire).

What Could A I Saw The TV Glow Sequel Actually Look Like?

Like Twin Peaks: The Return, I Saw The TV Glow 2 Would Still Have Loose Ends

Schoenbrun didn't go into specifics during their interview, but they did say that, "There's another side of the prism I'd like to glance through." At one point, the camera focuses on a message scrawled in chalk in front of Owen's house: "there is still time." The message speaks directly to Owen, asking the character to finally take action and live openly. While I Saw the TV Glow's harrowing ending may seem incredibly sad at first, it can also be looked at as hopeful — Owen is finally taking the needed steps — and a sequel could drive home that point.

I Saw the TV Glow

PG-13

Drama

Horror

I Saw the TV Glow is a horror film by writer-director Jane Schoenbrun, released in 2024. A young man named Owen is introduced to a late-night TV show that reflects their reality. As the two begin to bond over the series, it suddenly is canceled, causing Owen's view of reality to shatter.

Director

Jane Schoenbrun

Release Date

January 18, 2024

Studio(s)

Smudge Films , Fruit Tree

Distributor(s)

A24

Writers

Jane Schoenbrun

Cast

Justice Smith , Brigette Lundy-Paine , Danielle Deadwyler , Fred Durst , Helena Howard , Ian Foreman

Runtime

100 Minutes

Source: IndieWire