--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't know if we would have stuff like…" description: "\"I don't know if we would have stuff like 'Deadwood' and 'Boardwalk Empire' if 'Twin Peaks' had never happened.\" — James Roday" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/james-roday-12660_boardwalk-empire_i-don-t-know-if-we-would-have-stuff-like_1024434.png" --- # I don't know if we would have stuff like 'Deadwood' and… ![“I don't know if we would have stuff like 'Deadwood' and 'Boardwalk Empire' if 'Twin Peaks' had never happened.” quote by James Roday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/james-roday-12660_boardwalk-empire_i-don-t-know-if-we-would-have-stuff-like_1024434.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/james-roday-12660_boardwalk-empire_i-don-t-know-if-we-would-have-stuff-like_1024434.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/james-roday-12660_boardwalk-empire_i-don-t-know-if-we-would-have-stuff-like_1024434.png) > “I don't know if we would have stuff like 'Deadwood' and 'Boardwalk Empire' if 'Twin Peaks' had never happened.” [James Roday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cultural phenomena build on each other; earlier shows influence later creations. **In simple terms:** Shows inspire later shows. Key Takeaway Appreciate creative lineage. Themes media influence culture intertextuality creativity television Mood reflective analytical creative Type media cultural When to use this quote - writing - showrunning - media criticism - academic research Key Concepts media studies cultural evolution fan theory Questions to Reflect On - How do creators acknowledge influences? - What role does nostalgia play in new media? A Different Perspective Originality is often collaborative; credit can be overlooked. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boardwalk empire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boardwalk-empire/) [Deadwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deadwood/) [Empire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empire/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Like Deadwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-deadwood-1029105/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Peaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peaks/) [Peaks Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peaks-happened-2304498/) [Twin peaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twin-peaks/) ## Related quotes > ['Twin Peaks' is my favorite show of all time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/twin-peaks-is-my-favorite-show-of-all-time/) [James Roday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/) > ['Twin Peaks' is so phenomenal. And it worked because they struck the right tone: they brought intelligence to it, and the mystery itself was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-perry/twin-peaks-is-so-phenomenal-and-it-worked-because-they-struck-the/) [Luke Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-perry/) > [We didn't have MTV, and I was desperate for something. You know, you're young, you want something off the beaten path. And Twin Peaks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradford-cox/we-didn-t-have-mtv-and-i-was-desperate-for-something-you-know-you-re/) [Bradford Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradford-cox/) > [The thought of a man being the murderer of his own daughter in the Twin Peaks was anathema to me. At the time, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-wise/the-thought-of-a-man-being-the-murderer-of-his-own-daughter-in-the/) [Ray Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-wise/) > [Apparently, when Twin Peaks was on the air in Spain, something like 50 percent of televisions were tuned to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-maclachlan/apparently-when-twin-peaks-was-on-the-air-in-spain-something-like-50/) [Kyle MacLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-maclachlan/) > [I would love to be on 'Curb Your Enthusiasm.' I'd love to be on that. A lot of my favorite shows get canceled really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-gray-gubler/i-would-love-to-be-on-curb-your-enthusiasm-i-d-love-to-be-on-that-a/) [Matthew Gray Gubler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-gray-gubler/) > [I'm not a teen anymore, but growing up, some of my favorite things were, like, 'Twin Peaks,' which wasn't even really my time, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troian-bellisario/i-m-not-a-teen-anymore-but-growing-up-some-of-my-favorite-things-were/) [Troian Bellisario](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troian-bellisario/) > [The fact that people still talk and obsess about 'Twin Peaks', more than twenty years after the fact, is a great validation for what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-frost/the-fact-that-people-still-talk-and-obsess-about-twin-peaks-more-than/) [Mark Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-frost/) > [The challenge for us is to try and come back and raise the bar above what we did the last time. We're coming back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-frost/the-challenge-for-us-is-to-try-and-come-back-and-raise-the-bar-above/) [Mark Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-frost/) > [My favorite - and I've said this before, I know - but my favorite TV show of all time is 'Twin Peaks.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-dhavernas/my-favorite-and-i-ve-said-this-before-i-know-but-my-favorite-tv-show/) [Caroline Dhavernas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-dhavernas/) > [That was the beauty of 'Twin Peaks.' The young people had just as deep of storylines as the older generation in town.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/that-was-the-beauty-of-twin-peaks-the-young-people-had-just-as-deep/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) > [One of the only TV shows that I really love is 'Twin Peaks.' Kyle McLachlan plays Agent Dale Cooper, and I love Dale Cooper,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-levy/one-of-the-only-tv-shows-that-i-really-love-is-twin-peaks-kyle/) [Jane Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-levy/) > [When the audience first sees Cooper talking into his tape recorder at the beginning of 'Twin Peaks,' I think that's the greatest introduction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-maclachlan/when-the-audience-first-sees-cooper-talking-into-his-tape-recorder-at/) [Kyle MacLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-maclachlan/) > [There's a part of 'Twin Peaks' that is sort of a hinged doorway to another, stranger place, if you can imagine such a thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-frost/there-s-a-part-of-twin-peaks-that-is-sort-of-a-hinged-doorway-to/) [Mark Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-frost/) > ['Twin Peaks' was incredibly slow, methodic, taking shots that were uncomfortably long, with a lot of scenes where there was barely any dialogue. 'Riverdale'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/twin-peaks-was-incredibly-slow-methodic-taking-shots-that-were/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) ## More by James Roday > [I think what we do is fairly unique on 'Psych,' and we just have to keep doing that because that's what got us where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/i-think-what-we-do-is-fairly-unique-on-psych-and-we-just-have-to-keep/) [James Roday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/) > ['Psych' is a cult show, and anytime a show takes on a cult status, it means that the fans are a huge part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/psych-is-a-cult-show-and-anytime-a-show-takes-on-a-cult-status-it/) [James Roday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/) > [I was a strange, dark little dude. I fell in love with horror movies, at a very early age. Somehow, as a first grader,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/i-was-a-strange-dark-little-dude-i-fell-in-love-with-horror-movies-at/) [James Roday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/) > [It's rare that you sit down for an episode of 'Psych' and think, 'Oh, that was just okay.' For the most part, we're either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/it-s-rare-that-you-sit-down-for-an-episode-of-psych-and-think-oh-that/) [James Roday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/) > [My father is Jaime Rodriguez from San Antonio, Texas, and I've got one whole half of my family that's Mexican through and through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/my-father-is-jaime-rodriguez-from-san-antonio-texas-and-i-ve-got-one/) [James Roday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/) > [The whole point of being a closet fan of anything is that people aren't supposed to then out you and say that you're closet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/the-whole-point-of-being-a-closet-fan-of-anything-is-that-people-aren/) [James Roday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/) > [My plan was to go to New York and do some theatre, and then I got the script for 'Psych.' I was like, 'Ahh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/my-plan-was-to-go-to-new-york-and-do-some-theatre-and-then-i-got-the/) [James Roday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/) > [I came from Texas, I was studying theater at NYU, and I thought for sure that my lot in life would be to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/i-came-from-texas-i-was-studying-theater-at-nyu-and-i-thought-for/) [James Roday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/) > [I always feel like I'm not very impressive in interviews when I talk about what I watch on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/i-always-feel-like-i-m-not-very-impressive-in-interviews-when-i-talk/) [James Roday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/) > [In some ways, especially with social media, I feel like 'Psych' has found another whole life since it went off the air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/in-some-ways-especially-with-social-media-i-feel-like-psych-has-found/) [James Roday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/) > [USA does such a great job sort of branding and packaging their shows and you know, they move and they sort of you got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/usa-does-such-a-great-job-sort-of-branding-and-packaging-their-shows/) [James Roday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/) > [You do something, like, something like 'Psych' for long enough, it's tough to shake up people's preconceptions of who you are as a performer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/you-do-something-like-something-like-psych-for-long-enough-it-s-tough/) [James Roday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/) > ['Twin Peaks' is my favorite show of all time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/twin-peaks-is-my-favorite-show-of-all-time/) [James Roday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/) > [I did nothing but theater until, I guess, '99. I was all the way through college the first time that I had stepped in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/i-did-nothing-but-theater-until-i-guess-99-i-was-all-the-way-through/) [James Roday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/) > [I can watch SportsCenter on a loop, like, five times in a row until my girlfriend is like, 'Seriously? It's the same highlights!' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/i-can-watch-sportscenter-on-a-loop-like-five-times-in-a-row-until-my/) [James Roday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/) [Explore all 54 James Roday quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/) ## More Boardwalk empire quotes > [I'm really grateful for the opportunity I had on 'Boardwalk Empire,' just because it was very different than anything I'd done onscreen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-cox/i-m-really-grateful-for-the-opportunity-i-had-on-boardwalk-empire/) [Charlie Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-cox/) > [West Orange, where I grew up, is the hometown of Ian Ziering from 'Beverly Hills, 90210,' Scott Wolf from 'Party of Five,' David Cassidy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gethard/west-orange-where-i-grew-up-is-the-hometown-of-ian-ziering-from/) [Chris Gethard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gethard/) > [Yeah, I love 'Boardwalk Empire.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-fleischer/yeah-i-love-boardwalk-empire/) [Ruben Fleischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-fleischer/) > [I love 'Boardwalk Empire.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-horford/i-love-boardwalk-empire/) [Al Horford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-horford/) > [You will be judged by what you succeed at gentlemen, not by what you attempt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clement-attlee/you-will-be-judged-by-what-you-succeed-at-gentlemen-not-by-what-you/) [Clement Attlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clement-attlee/) > [Almost no one under 60 remembers what fundraising was like before Watergate. Until the 1970s, campaign money was collected by "bagmen," familiar characters from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-alter/almost-no-one-under-60-remembers-what-fundraising-was-like-before/) [Jonathan Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-alter/) > [There's nothing routine about 'Boardwalk Empire.' It's like being in some secret society where they call you up and tell you where to go:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shannon/there-s-nothing-routine-about-boardwalk-empire-it-s-like-being-in/) [Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/) > [Some days I make 20 bets. Some days, I make none…so I wait, plan, marshal my resources. And when I finally see an opportunity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-rothstein/some-days-i-make-20-bets-some-days-i-make-none-so-i-wait-plan-marshal/) [Arnold Rothstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-rothstein/) > [I love 'Boardwalk Empire.' I really love that world. I love that style. I love all the actors on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-messina/i-love-boardwalk-empire-i-really-love-that-world-i-love-that-style-i/) [Chris Messina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-messina/) > [I love 'Boardwalk Empire,' but there were moments where I thought it didn't have the constant through-line that 'Breaking Bad' did and 'Better Call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-banks/i-love-boardwalk-empire-but-there-were-moments-where-i-thought-it/) [Jonathan Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-banks/) > [Sometimes I like to watch TV, though I never get to watch any of the shows in real time. I'm a fan of 'Downton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-wren-scott/sometimes-i-like-to-watch-tv-though-i-never-get-to-watch-any-of-the/) [L'Wren Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-wren-scott/) > [I started with the book 'Boardwalk Empire' and then immersed myself in the history of Atlantic City, World War I, the temperance movement, Prohibition,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-winter/i-started-with-the-book-boardwalk-empire-and-then-immersed-myself-in/) [Terence Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-winter/) > [I'd love to do something on 'Mad Men' and 'Boardwalk Empire.' I really like period stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-allen-white/i-d-love-to-do-something-on-mad-men-and-boardwalk-empire-i-really/) [Jeremy Allen White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-allen-white/) > [We been on the road for 18 hours... I need a bath, some chow... and then you and me sit down, and we talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-capone/we-been-on-the-road-for-18-hours-i-need-a-bath-some-chow-and-then-you/) [Al Capone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-capone/) > [One of the nicest things I ever read about our show was that a critic felt 'Boardwalk Empire' could be the beginning of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-winter/one-of-the-nicest-things-i-ever-read-about-our-show-was-that-a-critic/) [Terence Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-winter/) [Browse all 19 Boardwalk empire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boardwalk-empire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't know if we would have stuff like 'Deadwood' and 'Boardwalk Empire' if 'Twin Peaks' had never happened.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Roday" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/i-don-t-know-if-we-would-have-stuff-like-deadwood-and-boardwalk/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boardwalk empire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/i-don-t-know-if-we-would-have-stuff-like-deadwood-and-boardwalk/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/james-roday-12660_boardwalk-empire_i-don-t-know-if-we-would-have-stuff-like_1024434.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/james-roday-12660_boardwalk-empire_i-don-t-know-if-we-would-have-stuff-like_1024434.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/james-roday-12660_boardwalk-empire_i-don-t-know-if-we-would-have-stuff-like_1024434.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't know if we would have stuff like 'Deadwood' and 'Boardwalk Empire' if 'Twin Peaks' had never happened.” — James Roday", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "James Roday", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't know if we would...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/i-don-t-know-if-we-would-have-stuff-like-deadwood-and-boardwalk/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/i-don-t-know-if-we-would-have-stuff-like-deadwood-and-boardwalk/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```