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:

Ausgerechnet Alaska

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

During the early 1990s, creators Joshua Brand and John Falsey were working on two shows simultaneously: Northern Exposure, and the civil-rights-era family drama "I'll Fly Away." The two shows had writing and production offices in the same building, across the hall from each other. In the 2013 book Difficult Men: Behind the Scenes of a Creative Revolution: From The Sopranos and The Wire to Mad Men and Breaking Bad, David Chase (who was a writer and executive producer on "I'll Fly Away") talked about how much he had disliked the other Brand/Falsey show being made across the hall from his show: "The people who worked on Northern Exposure thought they were curing cancer and reinventing drama.... To me it was so precious, so self-congratulatory. It strained so hard for whimsy. We'd go to the Emmys every year and they'd get these awards and we'd get nothing. It wasn't that we really wanted these Emmys, but that show was being celebrated to the hilt and I felt it was a fraud at its core." But after both Brand and Falsey left "Northern Exposure," Chase took over, and he was its showrunner from late 1993 until the end of its run in 1995. Chase said that he "did it for the money."

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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

Maurice Minnifield: Barbara, I owe you an apology. I've been trying to turn you into something you're not. You're no gentle lady. You're a warrior. That's what attracted me. That's what attracts me now.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Rebel Set (1992)

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.