Waiting for the Secret of ‘The Spring’

Kyle MacLachlan saw his share of strange stuff in the devilishly surreal “Twin Peaks.” In “The Spring,” an NBC mystery airing Sunday, he visits another odd town.

There are no dancing dwarfs or log ladies in isolated Springville, just a lot of friendly folks in the prime of their youth.

Nice guy Dennis Conway (MacLachlan) and his son Nick (Joseph Cross) are in the midst of a vacation when they come to the aid of a stranded couple whose trunk holds a coveted container of water.

Circumstances force Dennis and Nick to stay in Springville, where the boy breaks his leg and ends up in the hospital under the care of a fetching physician (Alison Eastwood), arousing the concern of a terse law enforcer (Aaron Pearl) and other prominent locals.

How weird is Springville? Well, there are no dates on cemetery headstones and, though the customary age at death is 100, senior citizens are nowhere in sight.

Clearly, the town is sitting on a hot little secret, and in the early going, it’s an intriguing one. However, as the story slowly unfolds under the deliberate direction of David S. Jackson, we patiently await a big payoff that never materializes, even as we realize what that aforementioned water and the film’s title signify.

Based on a book by Clifford Irving, the script from Jackson, J.B. White and Kathleen Rowell has the quaint feel of a decent “Twilight Zone” episode. But at two hours, the yarn is stretched and in need of suspense. There’s no snap or crackle to anything that pops. The film ambles, never really springing to life (if you’ll pardon the expression).

MacLachlan is a very likable protagonist (someone find this man another series!), he and Eastwood make a cute couple, and young Cross gives a natural performance, but these strengths do not compensate for a flat finish.

In other words, “The Spring” leaves us thirsty for something more compelling.

* “The Spring” airs Sunday at9 p.m. on NBC. The network has rated it TV-14 (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 14).