10 Biggest Missed Opportunities In TV History

1. The Three-Day Time Skip - Twin Peaks

The Walking Dead
ABC

Twin Peaks' controversial second season eventually revealed that Laura Palmer's (Sheryl Lee) killer was her own father, Leland (Ray Wise), albeit while possessed by the interdimensional entity Bob (Frank Silva).

Shortly after Leland is arrested mid-way through the season, Bob leaves his body and he dies, only for the next episode to abruptly take place three days later at his funeral.

Yet David Lynch missed a ripe opportunity by glossing over those three days - an entire episode centered around the town reacting to Leland's capture and death could've been absolutely fascinating.

Given that Laura's murder captivated the local community, it's bizarre how tossed-off and rushed-over its resolution feels. In reality, it would've sent shockwaves throughout the town and surely resulted in some compelling character drama.

This misstep could perhaps be attributed to the fact that Lynch wasn't originally planning to reveal the identity of Laura's killer at all, but was ultimately pressured to do so by network ABC.

And so, it's little surprise that so much of Twin Peaks' second season is a pure mess.

Watch Next


Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.