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Lyuiclto's 'Peaks' pBqjaoes The maker of 'Blue Velvet' tries his hand at prime time By KAY GAR DELL ill- 5 AsssKrf- frrf foil r-rrf fcnini I toiAi'M-fft LAW ENFORCEMENT DUO: Kyle MacLachlan and Michael Ontkean (r.) team up to investigate the murder of a homecoming queen. Daily News TV Critic FOR MONTHS now everybody has been curious about what director David Lynch would do in television. What, they wondered, has the director of "Dune," "The Elephant Man," and "Blue Velvet" got up his sleeve for prime-time TV? Well here it is. ABC's "Twin Peaks." What distinguishes it from any other run-of-the-mill soap opera is the fact that it has been co-produced, co-written and directed by Lynch. It's the creative film director's first venture into the medium, and as he admits, "It was an incredibly good experience." "Twin Peaks" has a special two-hour preview tonight (Ch.

7, 9-11 p.m.) and bows in its regular time slot on Thursday (9-10 p.m.). The serial drama, I suspect, will divide the creative community and critics alike into two camps; those who like it and others who think Lynch and his co-writer and producer Mark Frost have tripped over their own talents. The proliferation of prime-time soap operas, even good ones, is not a trend I'd like to encourage. But "Twin Peaks" has an excellent cast, is suspenseful, and has been skillfully directed by Lynch. He has stolen a leaf from daytime television, in that he wisely allows the camera to dwell on a subject so that character becomes stamped in the minds of a viewer.

Directors of TVs prime-time ensemble series could learn from this technique. Especially in the premiere of a series when viewers are totally confused about who's who, and what's going on. Although "Twin Peaks" has a large cast, headed by Michael Ontkean as Sheriff Harry S. Truman, thanks to the style in which Lynch has directed it, you can follow all of the interwoven storylines easily as well as identify the characters. finfHEN PETER MARTELL (Jack 1 1 Nance).

foreman of the Packard WW Sawmill, sets out to go fishing he finds the dead body of beautiful, young Laura Palmer, nude and wrapped in plastic by the lake. It's her murder, and the mystery that surrounds it, that peels the veneer off the sleepy town, with its beautiful scenery, and we begin to glimpse its underbelly. Laura's death touches everybody. Her mother Sarah (Grace Zabriskie) becomes hysterical (in this case Lynch dwells too long on her screaming). Her attorney father, Leland Palmer (Ray Wise) learns of it from the sheriff while his opportunistic client, Benjamin Home (Richard Beymer), is trying to interest a group of sawmill hates Josie, her brother's widow.

She's plotting with Horne to get the mill land away from her. Violence, too, is ever-present. A town girl found half dead, and brain-damaged, has been raped and ravaged like Laura. And Shelly Johnson (Madchen Amick), the waitress playing around with Bobby, is married to a cruel, vicious truck driver, and tempting fate. HOME MOVIE showing Laura with her girlfriend Donna on a hill top cavorting and having fun just European investors in a development deal.

Because of to an out-of-town murder, FBI agent Dale Cooper is brought in on the case. He's refreshingly played by Kyle MacLachlan, who has worked with Lynch both in "Dune" and "Blue Velvet" His keen intelligence and appreciation for "Twin Peaks' Douglas furs, adds a necessary light touch to the unfolding drama. He has the talents of a Sherlock Holmes, as he dicates his every observation and move, including expenses, into a tape recorder for his secretary. MacLachlan is the best character in the series and he and Sheriff Truman make a good pair. The first person they check out is Bobby Briggs, a wild, hot-tempered high school jock, scarily played by Dana Ash-brook, and Laura's would-be boyfriend, although he's playing around with a married waitress in town.

Then there's Laura's devastated best friend, Donna Hay-ward (Lara Flynn Boyle), who's desperately trying to shield somebody. Her wise guy boyfriend is Bobby's constant buddy. Look out for these two guys, they're a couple of real nasty troublemakers. There's romance, as expected. The sheriff is carrying on with Jocelyn (Josie) Packard, beautifully played by Joan Chen, a widow and owner of the mill.

Skulduggery Catherine Martell (Piper Laurie), Pete's wife and manager of the before her death opens one door for the sheriff and Agent Cooper. Who took the film? is the question. Somebody had to be with them. James Hurley, who also figures prominently in the cast, has an intense James Dean quality to him in the role of James Marshall, a sensitive high school senior, a quiet loner who rides about on a motorcycle. He, like Donna, knows things about Laura and her darker side, which is slowly revealed as the drama develops.

One is naturally hooked and wants to know who committed the murder. But does Lynch intend to keep the mystery going on and on? And if it's eventually solved, will that be an end to the FBI agent? And if it isn't, will viewers get tired of tuning in each week to find out who murdered Laura? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, there's considerable curiosity about "Twin Peaks," so take a look. 2.