Better brush up on your backwards-speak, because Twin Peaks‘ journey back into the red room will begin on Sunday, May 21, at 9/8c, with a two-hour premiere.

All told, the revival will consist of 18 hours, Showtime president and CEO David Nevins announced on Monday afternoon at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. David Lynch, who directed the entire thing, later confirmed that it will air as 18 episodes.

Nevins also said that immediately following the two-hour opener, Episodes 3 and 4 will be available On Demand and via Showtime’s streaming platform.

“We’ve seen the whole thing… and the version of Twin Peaks you’re going to see is the pure-heroin version of David Lynch,” Nevins said. “I’m very excited to put that out.”

Storyline-wise, Nevin would only reveal that it’s “about Agent Cooper’s odyssey back to Twin Peaks,” and that an “emotional” story grounds the 18-hour run.

Those waiting for a trailer, meanwhile, should plan on waiting. Maybe forever. Nevins indicated that a themed series of teasers (a la American Horror Story) could unspool prior to its May premiere.

Later discussing the unthinkable impact Twin Peaks could have now, in the social-media age, he added, “It rewards close watching, making sure you’re paying attention to details and putting things together over time.”

As for even more Peaks beyond the upcoming 18 hours, Nevins was bearish, saying, “It’s designed to be a closed-ended, one-time event.”

The surreal drama, which aired on ABC from 1990 to 1991, followed FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (to again be played by Kyle McLachlan) as he investigated the curious murder of a homecoming queen in the sleepy town of Twin Peaks, Wash.

Nevins previously described scripts for the upcoming revival as “very satisfying” and that “there are certain basic questions that I had at the end of the original [show] — given where Agent Cooper is — and I think get answered.”

The revival’s cast list features the return of several actors from the original series (including MacLachlan, Sherilyn Fenn, Madchen Amick, Sheryl Lee and David Duchovny) as well as a staggering amount of new faces (including Enlightened‘s Laura Dern, Arrested Development‘s Michael Cera, The Thorn Birds‘ Richard Chamberlain, Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and Gossip Girl‘s Jessica Szohr).