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 | Fantasy

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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

Wisconsin singer-songwriter Justin Vernon named his project "Bon Iver" after the episode where people wish themselves "bon hiver" (good winter) after the first snowfall. He refers several time to the series as his favourite tv show (he got his left arm tattooed) and he said that he cried for about four hours after the series ended.

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Goofs

In the pilot the town sign of Cicely shows the town's population as 215, corrected upwards from 214 (still visible but crossed out), in episode 1.6 "Sex, Lies, and Ed's Tape" the town's population is 839.

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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 Matzav Ha'Uma: Episode #8.14 (2015)

User Reviews

Truly, one of the finest TV series ever.

I'm not much of a "TV series" watcher. Most of them are extremely shallow or violent or forced funny. The very few I have really enjoyed over the years are MASH, TAXI, and Northern Exposure. That's not many, in over 40 years of viewing.

All 3 of the series I've enjoyed have common threads - they are set in unique locations, have a broad array of quirky characters, are extremely well-written and acted, are genuinely funny in just the right places, and most of all, leave you with a really genuine "message" about life and relationships. Without fail.

Of the 3 I mention, Northern Exposure is the best, in my opinion. My favorite is the episode where Maggie and Maurice go half-and-half to buy and build a small airplane, have a falling out that ends up just perfect, and the final scene, with the airplane flying during the funeral was so emotional that it brings tears to my eyes every time I see it.

Unfortunately, when Rob Morrow left the show, it was never the same. I suspect the same would have happened if any of the 5 or 6 key characters had departed. After 5 years it was probably time anyway. But it lives on via DVD sets.