There’s this idea of taking the Twin Peaks model, transposing it onto a CW show, and making it hardboiled beyond its years. Both Twin Peaks and Veronica Mars took a high school setting, and cast it in dread while trying to connect these disparate worlds. It’s no coincidence that in spite of this safe setting, Veronica and Laura are both raped. Mars’ Lilly Kane, the victim whose murder must be solved, is a Laura Palmer amalgam to the point where some of her behavior seems to be intentionally aping the character (“I loved Lilly, and Lilly loved boys”). Veronica Mars even used “Who killed Lilly Kane?” as an advertising slogan, much like Peaks’ “Who killed Laura Palmer?” mantra.

Both shows very expertly inched their mystery along slowly at their own pace, with each episode also offering a deep character study. A lot of the time you don’t even realize how many “clues” you’re getting through it all. Veronica Mars also adheres to the season-long mystery approach and sticking through it, much like its inspiration, while similarly using dreams and visions of Lilly as a clue device. You’re exposed to the towns of Neptune and Twin Peaks in similar fashions: you get to meet everyone and this continues to expand, and you get an ever growing litany of suspects that are simply shown being. There’s no mustache twirling or spoon-feeding going on. You’re simply transported to the middle of their ‘burgs, and you’re to navigate its population on your own, like a tourist.

It might just be a coincidence, but the fact that Veronica Mars also got a post-cancellation-movie much like Twin Peaks received with Fire Walk With Me, brings further similarities to light too. This is also indicative of the obsessive fan support behind both shows, which in Veronica Mars’ case, is what was responsible for the movie itself.

Another crucial aspect of Twin Peaks’ DNA was the town itself, not just in terms of its characters, but everything about it. This is why the currently airing Bates Motel on A&E, a show acting as a prequel series to the film Psycho, showing you the formative years of Norman Bates, is another perfect offspring of Twin Peaks. More than anything, both shows subscribe to the idea of building a community and economy, and you get to know it through oddballism and sexiness. Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin, the creators of the show have even said that this more or less is the same town from the ‘90s series in so many words. “We pretty much ripped off Twin Peaks… If you wanted to get that confession, the answer is yes. I loved that show. They only did 30 episodes. Kerry and I thought we’d do the 70 that are missing.”

You get a real sense of the town’s businesses and locales, the trade and industry is established, and while Bates Motel might not have a Log Lady, it does have the enigma, George, and Jiao, the Chinese sex slave. But through all of the mundane, a dark underbelly is still present and something Twin Peaks carried best. In Bates Motel we see opium dens, sex rings, and get a taste of a whole drug trade that is independent of anything related to Norman or Norma that’s going on.