Twin Peaks: The Return consists of 18 parts.
The continuation premiered on Showtime in 2017, with David Lynch directing all 18 parts and David Lynch and Mark Frost credited as writers. Rather than following a conventional episode structure, the series was promoted and presented as a limited event whose installments form one long, experimental narrative.
Viewers sometimes remember eight or 12 because those numbers relate to other Twin Peaks-era episode counts and releases. The original first season had eight episodes, while the second season had 22 broadcast episodes in its standard count.
The Return takes place about 25 years after the original series and brings back many performers from the earlier story. Its 18-part format allowed Lynch and Frost to move between Twin Peaks, other locations and multiple timelines without returning to a conventional weekly mystery formula.