Northern Exposure 

A newly graduated doctor is required to set up his practice in an eccentric Alaskan town.

Creators:

Joshua Brand, John Falsey

Stars:

Rob Morrow, Janine Turner, Barry Corbin

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 25 wins & 89 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Barry Corbin	...	Maurice J. Minnifield / ... 110 episodes, 1990-1995
Janine Turner	...	Maggie O'Connell / ... 110 episodes, 1990-1995
John Cullum	...	Holling Vincoeur / ... 110 episodes, 1990-1995
Darren E. Burrows	...	Ed Chigliak / ... 110 episodes, 1990-1995
John Corbett	...	Chris Stevens / ... 110 episodes, 1990-1995
Cynthia Geary	...	Shelly Marie Tambo / ... 110 episodes, 1990-1995
Elaine Miles	...	Marilyn Whirlwind / ... 110 episodes, 1990-1995
Peg Phillips	...	Ruth-Anne Miller / ... 107 episodes, 1990-1995
Rob Morrow	...	Dr. Joel Fleischman / ... 102 episodes, 1990-1995
William J. White	...	Dave the Cook 49 episodes, 1991-1994

Storyline

Joel Fleishman is fresh out of medical college, and fresh out of luck. Failing to read the fine print in his scholarship conditions, he finds he has no choice but to move to the remote and somewhat eccentric town of Cicely, in the wilds of Alaska. Once there, he is welcomed by the peculiar locals who are not keen to see him go, most especially Maurice Minnifield, the ex-NASA astronaut. Despite Joel's adamant denials, one gets the impression that he enjoys life in Cicely more than he admits.

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Plot Keywords:

eccentric | offbeat | alaska | magical realism | small town | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Yiddish Tlingit Hebrew

Release Date:

12 July 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Northern Exposure

Filming Locations:

Easton, Washington, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cine-Nevada Productions, Universal Television, Falahey/Austin Street Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (110 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In Season 5, there is an unexplained fact that Maurice hurt his leg.

Barry Corbin, the actor who plays Maurice, fell off his horse and broke his left leg and left foot (Seattle Times, December 19, 1993).

One must go back a few episodes to see how this is brought into the story without any explanation.

Corbin's last scene before his leg injury was S05E14 ("A Bolt From The Blue") .. he is also not present in S05E15 ("Hello I Love You") which is the Walt+Ruth-Anne trip. Maurice was originally supposed to take this trip with Ruth-Anne (minus the romance story). It could be argued that the arc of Walt's relationship with Ruth-Anne was made possible by Barry Corbin's real-life injury.

The first mention of the injury is at Joel's dinner party, S05E16 ("Northern Hospitality") where it is remarked that Maurice couldn't make it "with his leg". Maurice/Corbin is not present for S05E16. Interesting how he wasn't there for the debacle with Chris's radio show (on Maurice's radio station, KBHR) being argued to blame for Edgar Hankins' suicide . And that Maddam Mayor Hancock, who id rarely seen, is the one who calls this town meeting, instead of Maurice.

S05E17 ("Una.Volta.in.L'inverno"), still no Maurice and still no mention of his injury.

Maurice/Corbin Barry doesn't show back up until S05E18 ("Fish Story"), where he jabs at Holling about his "paint by numbers" art. This is the same episode where Ruth-Anne takes her impromptu bike trip and Maurice calls a meeting about Ed re-opening the store. Maurice has two scenes here. One: at the Brick, where he is sitting, no crutches on view. Two: at the town meeting he called to order, and he is leaning on the lectern the entire time, with no crutches in sight.

He is first seen with crutches beginning with S05E19 ("The Gift Of Maggie"), and ending with S05E21 ("I Feel The Earth Move"). Viewers are left with no explanation of how he hurt his leg (in the Northern Exposure universe), or his absence for three whole episodes.

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Goofs

At KBHR, the needles on both of the illuminated VU meters (on the control board) do not move when Chris is talking or at any other time there is modulation. That would never be the case in a real radio station.

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Quotes

[Joel on chess]
Dr. Joel Fleischman: This is considered a spectator sport? I've had more fun watching slush melt.

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Alternate Versions

Only the first season retains the Universal Television logo on its DVD release, whereas further seasons edit out the logo.

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Connections

Referenced in Fresh Off the Boat: Driving Miss Jenny (2017)

User Reviews

Not a dumbed down show

The creators of Northern Exposure (NX) gave us a true viewing treat. While many shows tend to dumb down to the audience, NX asked you to wise up to it. With dialogue that in some cases you needed a dictionary for, you had a sense that this is how people should interact with one another. Although the characters were sometimes tough on each other, it was done lovingly. For example, Maurice and Joel never really liked each other, but would always be there to help each other out, out of respect. If only we lived in a world like this. With all that said, you sensed these characters were for real. As if you had been transplanted into Cicely, Alaska.

NX wasn't all mushy either. It picked its moments, and did so with perfect vigor. Intertwined were moments of humor, sometimes laugh out loud, sometimes feel-good with a smile. Joshua Brand and David Falsey found a way to work your emotions, tugging on them like a heartstring. You really fall in love with the characters. Never have I seen a show where you cared so much about what happened to them, with many elements of surprises. I found myself even weeping with Maurice (probably the coldest of the main characters) when he mourned his brother during a Kaddish that Joel was giving in remembrance to his Uncle Manny. You know why? Because you learned of his brother's passing and how it affected Maurice throughout the series. You really felt his pain. As well, I laughed out loud when Joel was being accused of being a Russian spy by the town when they were sick or when a recently squished Rick was brought in on the satellite that killed him during his funeral. I couldn't help but smile when after a picture was taken of everyone at Joel's house; they just scanned over it while Chris talked about being a community and what it means to be neighborly.

This show really taught me a lot, too. I learned of Shittake mushrooms, good French wines, Ingmar Bergman, tribal customs and stories, and clarified butter. I began watching this show in my mid-twenties when it was aired on A&E. I was just discovering the world around me and became a major influence on how I think and act now. I never knew a show that did as much research on things as this. They dig out obscure information that is true. They writers really did their homework and delivered with results. I wish there could be more creative writing in an era where reality shows and asinine sitcoms dominate the airwaves.

If you get the chance, do yourself a favor. Watch NX, and do it from the beginning. You'll be treated to hours of enjoyment. Especially Chris Steven's diatribes, which gave you moments of reflection. I have every episode on tape and watch it over and over. Everyone I've turned on to this show ends up loving it. One person even dreamt (in their sleep) about being there from time to time. I have shared that same experience. It usually comes when I haven't watched it in a while. I guess you can say I get withdrawal symptoms. Northern Exposure is addicting. A kind of drug I love being addicted to.