Northern Exposure (1990–1995) User Reviews

Fun show but Rob Morrow left a hole

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 8 September 2013]

Dr. Joel Fleischman (Rob Morrow) graduates from medical school expecting to fulfill his scholarship obligations in Anchorage. Instead, ex-NASA astronaut and town big wig Maurice J. Minnifield (Barry Corbin) forces him to be the new doctor in the remote small town of Cicely, Alaska for three years. It is an eccentric town filled with eccentric characters. Maggie O'Connell (Janine Turner) is the beautiful pilot. Holling Vincoeur (John Cullum) runs the diner with his child-bride Shelly Marie Tambo (Cynthia Geary). Marilyn Whirlwind (Elaine Miles) is his quiet assistant and Ed Chigliak (Darren E. Burrows) is the film-geek sidekick. Chris Stevens (John Corbett) is the philosophical radio DJ.

It was in the dead of winter out in the cold backwaters of Manitoba as a bunch of us mostly college kids on a 3 month job stint sitting around watching Northern Exposure. For some reason, it was fitting. And it was the first time I saw a trebuchet. This has a fun cast with Fleischman as the fish out of water character. It could have gone much longer, but Rob Morrow often disappeared in the later years. It wasn't the same show without him.

By the 4th episode, I was glued to the screen. Not many places you can find this show anymore.. But should you find it? YES

[griplegend · 9/10 · 29 October 2023]

Genuinely good character writing. Deals with complex issues quite well, it's hard to find flaws in such a tight show. Would I recommend you watch it? Yes. Comparing this show to most other shows, most shows feel like they rely far too much on humor and violence to "entertain the masses" but this show gives you REAL entertainment. Realistic characters with brilliant character arcs, and resolution.

I really wish you could stream this show on more websites, I don't know why such good shows like this don't make it to sites like netflix... Anyone else think older shows should be streamed on more websites?

That said, movie-web.app.

Quirky and Unique Slice of the American Hope

[guitarfly · 9/10 · 20 January 2024]

I love this series. With the current state of affairs, it seems like a nostalgic glimpse into Americana that, for the most part, no longer seems to exist. The first season has its ups and downs but as it continues the characters develop as a wonderful ensemble.

The story revolves around a doctor just graduating from medical school, Joel Fleischman (Rob Morrow). Lacking the funds to pay for medical school outright, Dr. Fleischman agrees to practice in the state of Alaska in exchange for financial support. Expecting to practice in a larger city, Dr. Fleischman ends up in the small town or village of Cicely. He longs to return to New York but begins to learn how to adapt to small town life. Along the way he becomes a part of fabric of his community.

Having aired over thirty years ago there may be some moments that would be questioned now but not many. The fictional Cicely and its inhabitants are now a throwback to a time where everyone knew almost everything about anyone in the town but without the anger, outrage, talk of vengeance or desire to seek retribution that floods the collective American experience today. The writing in the series is superb and the breadth of humanity in the episodes is a treasure. Maybe I am wrong that it is not a white-washed version of the 1950s but instead a more hopeful exploration of the potential of life well lived in the United States of America.

Not a dumbed down show

[marley4 · 10/10 · 29 August 2003]

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.

No other show has brought as much love to the TV screen.

[Dickles · 16 February 1999]

Northern Exposure has been one of very few shows that have brought both laughter and tears to my eyes within each and every episode. There has never been a series as consistent in warmth and love as this one. I'm not sure if the writers were the same on similar (later) series like "Key West" and "Going to Extremes" but these did not last as long and seem to be unavailable in syndication. Perhaps I lean toward enjoying eccentricity more than some, but throughout any given episode's "quirky" moments there will always be an undercurrent for the common man, and a generous one at that. Having been a college DJ myself, I particularly appreciate the thoughtful summaries at the conclusion of most episodes with Chris' venting his mellow thoughts to the cold wilds of the Cicely (sp?) night.

If you don't have a fireplace, curl up with a Northern Exposure hour, and the effect will be much the same.

Better than ever

[kayhansen1 · 10/10 · 15 February 2024]

Northern Exposure is on Amazon.

I loved it back in the early 1990s pre-Columbine, pre-911 day. I loved the magical realism. So I decided to watch it.

Wow. We've changed. It's precious (we are cynical); it's hopeful (we are contemplating the apocalypse); it's a little bit sexually wicked, like 80s Prince or Madonna (we are ... pissed off).

+++

It's what we desire.

What Northern Exposure lays out is our longing for community ... and love ... where everyone belongs no matter their idiosyncrasies. And where the mundane coexists with the unexplainable ... and where all can be forgiven.

And nature's seasons are true and reliable.

It's better than I remember.

One of the BEST shows ever!

[TexasSleuth · 10/10 · 11 May 2002]

I am currently reviewing the episodes on Hallmark. This show is actually better the second time around! I had always believed that this was a 'smarter than the average view' kind of show as few people seemed to understand the subtle humor evoked from the characters and Alaskan setting. Alaska is, perhaps, the US of A's final frontier as we seem to have given up on our manned conquest of space. The Cold War was over, and we (at that time) seemed to harbor no serious threats - we embraced the Russians and Chinese, learned that we were a funny conglomerate of diverse identities making an attempt at universal peace and understanding. The characters were believable and the acting inspiring! After ten years I still feel the magic!

This will be a classic - if only in TV/Psych 101....

Still good!

[rickdugs · 8/10 · 14 January 2024]

Was a big fan of Northern Exposure when it started back in 1990. Always wondered if it would hold up and why it wasn't streaming. Fortunately Northern Exposure is now available (I saw it free on Amazon Prime) and indeed holds up close to 34 years later. I'm pretty sure I'm enjoying Northern Exposure as much now, an old man, as I did then. The stories are still good and the characters are like old friends. Ed is my favorite, then Ruth Ann, then Chris-who has the best job in the world. Yeah, Joel is still annoying...but it's key to the character. The age difference between Shelly and Holling is odd, but was 34 years ago as well. Forgot how good the music was also.

It's all about community

[TheDewdAbides · 10/10 · 22 December 2019]

Northern Exposure is about a New York doctor paying off medical school loans by signing a contract to work in a rugged Alaskan village.

To place an outsider into a world which is foreign to him and force him to integrate into a culture so unlike his own, via the very nature of his job-being a doctor, can be categorized as a standard fish out of water story like so many have been told before. The difference is, how do they tell that story? Character development, mood is how Northern Exposure does it.

As the shows progress you see there are times that the good doctor feels like he's part of a community. He holds onto his identity as tightly as he can yet he's sometimes eager to let go of the New Yorker inside him and embrace some of his more primal urges. He develops friendships that are genuine and of course finds a love interest who is the polar opposite of who he is.

It can and has been labeled a Dramedy and for good reason. A constant theme in Northern Exposure is loss. How a community comes together to mourn those who have passed but also to come together to face its inevitability. It's a thread that ties numerous episodes together.

It's a love story. The doctor and his love interest (a local bush pilot from a wealthy midwestern family) have a definite love/hate relationship. A competitive one. It may not be a relationship as much as it is a friendship. The tone of it keeps you guessing as to what or when something is going to happen. There's constant tension and some competition for both at times throughout the series.

It's a collection of characters. As with all communities it has its core locals and those who play a more part-time role. Those who come and go from the community but still belong. The doctor from the big city is constantly thrown cultural curveballs from these characters that contradict what he perceives to be normal. As his character develops we see his own perceptions change as he proves again and again he may seem stubborn, but is willing to understand, to learn.

It's a comedy. Sometimes you're laughing at something genuinely funny. Sometimes your laughing at something not so funny, like one of the doctor's temper tantrums or a satellite falling from the sky and taking out one of the locals.

More than anything it's about community. Something we all wish we had and so very few actually do. For every particle of us that wants to go build that cabin in the woods and shut the world out, there's a particle that identifies that as being anti social and we are social beings. In a world where we don't know our neighbors last name and we live in ever expanding sprawl, void of any kind of identity and feeling of place, Northern Exposure illuminated the importance of "place".

Still awesome!

[neonblade-2 · 10/10 · 28 June 2020]

My partner got so sick of me telling her how good this series was that she decided to check it out. She was hooked right from the first episode. I rewatched it with her, we binged all the seasons. 20 years after I first watched it and I think I enjoyed it even more the second time around. Characters that you'll remember forever. Witty, intelligent dialogue. The town of Cicely has it's own surreal sensibility.

First three seasons were stellar

[safenoe · 7/10 · 12 February 2022]

Northern Exposure was a breath of fresh air to kick off the 90s. It was fresh, sublime and of course fresh. Anyway, the first three seasons were stellar but after that the series kind of lost its way unfortunately. But that happens with stellar series where the first three seasons were stellar but then it kind of goes downhill on a slide sadly.

Possibly the best TV show ever made

[postmanwhoalwaysringstwice · 10/10 · 17 October 2007]

Seventeen years have passed since the quirky comedy-drama of "Northern Exposure" premiered and it seems to improve with age. Time will tell, but it may stand as one of the best, if not the best, shows television has ever seen.

The show originally began as a fish out of water comedy about an acerbic New York doctor fresh out of school, forced to become the physician for the sleepy town of Cicely, Alaska that is full of a wide array of unique characters. The strengths of the show quickly came to the forefront as it became far more of an ensemble piece that easily blended small town reality with the fantastical, native spirituality with Jungian philosophy, and intelligent writing with strong performances.

"Northern Exposure" was an Emmy and Peabody Award winning sleeper hit in its time that continues to gain a cult audience. The show's greatest achievements were always its sense of location and character development, even within frequent surreal circumstances, that hold together as a pure one of a kind gem.

An escapist, nice series

[miaalike · 7/10 · 22 February 2021]

Somehow all Alaska based series come with this escapism aura (at least this is what comes to mind, due to also having seen Men in Trees). It must be the snow. Once the cold sorted and the array of characters get along with each other, this kind of setting brings on the life lessons, the solidarity and the introspection. As a premise, we have a new yorker, medical graduate, forced to take up a small city doctor position. Around him (the outsider, the permanent rebel waiting to go back to "civilisation") we get to meet the locals, great characters. And we get a lot of musings about life, soul, destiny, relationships, writers and musicians, via the Chris character. I liked it better when the actual stories within episodes were clearly structured, and less when it was foggy and fantasy-land-ish. It captures a certain trait of the 90s, that is for sure. TV entertainment that funneled into classic culture and life questions, for example. It may also be sad at times, and the love to be or not to be story simply does not stick. But it can display some chemistry here and there. And the characters are so likeable that it will not matter, after all, if you can see it happening or not, for Rob and Maggie.

Hasn't aged well.

[apparentlysomeguy · 4/10 · 31 January 2022]

I watched this in High School andmade a point of watching every week. Returning to it 25 years later...yeesh. The pilot is enjoyable and the first season is OK before running out of steam half way through. The second season is uneven but has enjoyable moments. Move over to season three and it's just brain dead soap opera. Pretty scenery but low on calories.

Genuinely timeless

[matlock-6 · 19 August 2001]

Northern Exposure is, without a doubt, one of the best television series of all time. Almost every episode was a wonderful creation that brought an unusual look at life into the homes of its viewers. The unique humor, sensitivity, and absolute professionalism of the creators, directors, and actors combined to make a show the likes of which will never be seen again. The show took an unusual approach in its presentation. Although Dr. Joel Fleishman was presented as the main character in the first episode, the show soon grew outside the main storyline of the New York doctor stuck working in a tiny, hole in the wall town in Alaska. Viewers got to know every character on the show, and as such, the premise was based more on the plot and storylines rather than the star quality of one or two actors. One week, we would see the ongoing love/hate relationship between Joel and Maggie, and the next week an episode about Ed finding his birth father would be presented. The characters themselves were brilliantly cast. The "louder" ones, like Maggie and Maurice sharply contrasted to others like Marilyn, who although a main character, made her impressive presence known more through silence and eye language than words. Few characters can make an audience laugh out loud with nothing but a facial expression (In some cases, even less!) The final season, when Joel is replaced by Dr. Capra, is substantially weaker than the previous seasons, except for the last two episodes, which are exceptional. Reruns continue on cable, and if you want to see a show that is still fresh and lively (as it will probably be for many years to come) see this one.

Best show ever!

[joannneballerini · 10/10 · 2 February 2024]

Just watching the show for the first time. Streaming now on prime video. Don't know how I missed it but I think this is one of the best shows ever written directed and acted. Simply love everything about it. Incredibly heartfelt, tremendous humor. Just stories of life and community. Joel- main character is perfect. And the entire season cast of characters and how they develop their stories is terrific. Surely needed at a time like this in our world. Love it!

Grateful to the people at prime video for bringing it back. I do hope the writers, directors and actors are able to share in any of the revenue it generates. It's so well deserved.

Great show but not for everyone.

[paulhboyer · 10/10 · 17 February 2024]

I've read the reviews. You either get it or you don't. Perhaps the finest American show ever. Most tv shows are easy to follow because there's little subtext. It isn't always what you see, it's what you don't see in this gem. Quirky characters with quirky story lines. Rugged individualism, community, a sense of belonging. The love of these disparate characters thrown together makes magic. Native Americans and transplants alike. People with a love of the outdoors, young folks and older folks making a life in a small town and thriving. I suspect some of the poor reviews are from individuals who don't like the political underpinnings. The show can be downright subversive. An American astronaut who can be bigoted but you like him anyway. A Jewish doctor who is a republican. A women bush pilot from Grosse Point Michigan who is a democrat. Today in a tv show or movie these characters would be mocked. It dares to use stereotypes and treat differences with respect. These people love one another because of their differences. Each episode gives you just enough to keep you coming back for more.. I hadn't seen the show in thirty years and because of work schedules and missed most episodes. The cast of this show may be the finest ever. Please take a look.

Great show -- hopefully someday a great DVD set

[freesharon · 10/10 · 27 May 2005]

For me, this series tied with the X-Files as 'Best of the Decade: 90's' and I miss it terribly (but I'm not willing to buy the DVD package that is out now -- I'm waiting for the owners to give this program the kind of presentation it deserves.)

I don't mind paying for quality and this show had that in premise, setting, plotting, characterization, acting, and don't forget music -- the works. Humor, drama, introspection, surrealism, dream-scapes. Characters young and old, native and transplant, cynical and naive, material, mystical, and misanthrope -- and all (eventually) lovable.

It made me care about real people I had already written off as too something -- too neurotic, too caustic, too silly. I helped me see the flaws in people I had been too easily persuaded by -- intellectuals, philosophers, and mystics, with clay feet in mud that I had never noticed.

It made me want to fling pianos, and dance on my own grave. I can't wait to get it into my permanent collection.

UPDATE: I did buy the DVDs, used, and I haven't been sorry. There are scenes where the generic music is SO WRONG -- in particular the Flying Man dancing with the scarf -- but even so, the quality of the material outweighs the problems with the package.

Never has been or ever will be another show like NE!

[towe-51620 · 10/10 · 12 September 2021]

I have watched every episode of NE at least 15 times. It came out when I was 22 and ended when I was 26. It impacted my life like no other show ever. During the time it was on TV I traveled around the country and have managed to get in 41 of the 50 states. I've met John Corbett. Nice guy but he is Chris in the morning. Huge guy. I'm 6' 225 and he made me feel small. This show changed the way I thought and looked at things. It made me want to experience life in every way possible. It made me want to read and learn! My favorite show of all time hands down. It was so quirky and sharp. Everyone was interesting and led interesting lives in a super small town. It made me live life to the fullest! That show could run today and be as relevant as any of this "woke" crap. Adam is one of if not the most eccentric and fascinating characters ever on a movie or TV show! Maybe Mr. Spock or Mulder and Scully but that era of TV broke us out of 80s cookie cutter clean family shoes into a world where you had to think & watched with fascination at every episode. The writers struck gold with that show snd as far as I'm concerned it was the Beatles of TV! It made me think outside the box snd realize that TV was not reality, that life was infinitely more complicated and sometimes there is just no explanation for some things. There will never be a show like NE again but I have all 6 seasons snd I used to want a 25 years later return to Cicely but it's perfect as is! 99% of tv is trash, this is the 1% that changes your life!

Lighthearted humor with serious topics

[wlb · 9/10 · 22 July 2008]

I have just watched an episode on DVD for the first time since the series left the network. It reminded me why I liked the series so much - they had some serious topics presented in such a way to be funny - yet informative.

And talk about characters! One poster couldn't stand Rob Morrow - I don't understand that - each character was a bit eccentric yet contributes so much to the series - I would say that like the strength of Seinfeld combining all these characters brought a synergy and power to the series.

The episode I just watched - Rob Morrow's character is lamenting the fact that there are so few Jews where he lives - feeling like he was alone. In the same episode Ed Chugliak is filming another character "last of his breed" - an Indian knowing how to make flutes passed down from generation to generation - now the last. And finally Holling Vincouer is contemplating death with a mid life crisis - It was brilliant writing dealing with serious subjects in a humorous and lighthearted way. Too bad there aren't more shows of this caliber.

Perfect show that finished when I was born

[brunobms-27558 · 10/10 · 9 February 2018]

I am not sure how I stubbed upon this show since I come from the place called Croatia and here we only get to see the most popular recent tv shows. But I am so happy that my parents have a great taste that brought this show to my attention.

If you are looking for a fast paced show full of twists and scandals then this show is not for you. However if you want to see a show filled with the most interesting characters, slow building plot, amazing monologs and dialogs and of course the most beautiful landscapes, visit the magical show that Northern Exposure really is.

This is one of the show where is hard to pick your favorite character, the show where is hard to understand any character until you finish the whole show, the show that will live you speechless nad fully judgmental over the other shows that own our tv screens today.

If I had to name a tv show that is as rich as a fine book I would say Northern Exposure in a split second!

Give it a shot, its unique, its great, its Norhern Exposure

Didn't Know What it Wanted to Be

[lavaside-60237 · 6/10 · 10 August 2023]

It's not really a comedy. And it's not really a drama.

It's just 'cute'.

And in its 'cuteness' - it's truly something special.

You can see why it was successful; but at the same time, you can see why it was short lived.

It's very telling when NO ONE from a property, that was reasonably big in its time - ever became big, themselves.

Watching this 30 years later, I don't know if any of the characters are likeable now; when they all were, back then.

Outside of Ed, whose charms are timeless.

If it was funny back then, that aspect has evaporated.

And the lead now comes off as a total jerk. Lol Like I said, only watch this if you're looking for something cute. For comparison, think the vibe of Christmas entertainment.

Hands down, the best TV show of all times

[Myati · 10/10 · 29 August 2020]

I'm watching it now for the third time, first time over 20 years ago. There is no show like it, nothing on TV has ever come close to it. It may not be a show for our times but for those who can appreciate it and understand it, it is, hands down, the best show ever written and performed on TV. There never was, and maybe never will be, a show like it. Watch it. Timeless and forever.

An aged and boring once cutting edge hour show.

[jkd15-1 · 7/10 · 26 July 2008]

I used to watch this with some frequency. Unfortunately, time has not helped this once great program.

This show has gone into a time warp and reappeared 20 years later without the same punch it once had.

I find it now to be slow moving and not very engrossing as it once was.

I think the evolution of TV shows and their quick scene changes and edge of seat action has ruined this show.

I was somewhat bored watching and found myself drifting off into doing other things while it played in the background and then eventually turned it off without finishing.

Maybe it was the episode I was watching. The one where the doctor got a dear john letter. Lots of dream and imaginative scenes that left me snoring.

Chris's narrative and psycho babble seemed corny and assumptive to me 20 years later.

Maybe I need another 20 years and then give it another view.

Early '90s pseudo intellectual yuppie fantasy... FROM HELL

[wedigclassics-77336 · 2/10 · 1 September 2017]

I remember seeing the pilot episode air for the first time back in 1990. It started out as the strongest show on TV. The setting and characters were fresh and outside of the box.

In a world before the internet where NOTHING existed on TV but cop shows, sitcoms and soap operas; Northern Exposure was like something from another planet. I think it was the very first network TV show that wasn't completely dumbed down to the level of a 5th grader.

It seemed clear to me that in the first season, the entire thing was still very experimental. I don't believe the writers, actors or anyone else knew exactly what direction they were going to go in or exactly where the show would end up. It started out fresh and exciting to watch.

Some time after the first season, they switched writers or directors or maybe decided EXACTLY where they were going with it... straight to your typical early '90s network drama.

Maybe it was just the time period? This show started at the end of the '80s (1990) and finished in the mid-'90s (1995)... two very different eras.

It got to a point where the entire thing became so contrived, predicable and politically correct, I couldn't stand it anymore. The plot-lines and characters got so ridiculous they could no longer suspend my disbelief. The entire thing I once loved, I now loathed.

When the "new and original" spin started to fade, it just desenegrated into typical network television. The characters ALL started doing things so "completely unpredictable" that it became COMPLETELY PREDICTABLE and totally out of touch with reality. NOBODY in Alaska talks, thinks or acts like anybody in this show... thank God. Shortly into the series, Alaska got completely swapped out with Manhatten. The set didn't change but everything else did.

The character who stood out to me the most was "DJ Chris". He went from an open minded, free thinking, down-to-Earth type, to a self- righteous mouth piece of all things PC. At times I swear he was reading his lines straight out of a '90s Socialogy textbook that he purchased at a community college book store.

All of the characters except for Joel started out as semi backward, small town "country folk". As the show progressed, they all became the pseudo intellectual yuppie know-it-all types you would find in Soho, Grenech Village or Berkley. Simple minded morons with great vocabulary and speaking skills... nothing more.

Looking back at it now, it's simply embarrassing how stereo typical and "canned" the cast was. Joel was your typical "New York Jew Doctor". Maurice was your typical "old rich Republican white guy". Magie was your typical "strong independent woman" and Chris was your typical "Full of BS Hippy Guru"... Rinse and repeat.

Pretentious dialouge and an Alaskan setting really fooled a lot of people into believing there was something original about Northern Exposure... there wasn't. It was basically a slightly less depressing, well worded rehash of "40 something".

Northern Exposure isn't completely useless though. It's a great view into the idealistic, out of touch with reality, fantasy land that the yuppies of the early '90s lived in... and still do.