Northern Exposure

Northern Exposure
Genre	Comedy-drama
Created by	Joshua Brand John Falsey
Starring	Rob Morrow Barry Corbin Janine Turner John Cullum Darren E. Burrows John Corbett Cynthia Geary Elaine Miles Peg Phillips Paul Provenza (1994–95) Teri Polo (1994–95)
Theme music composer	David Schwartz
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	110 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	1990–93: Joshua Brand and John Falsey 1994–95: David Chase, Diane Frolov, and Andrew Schneider
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	Approx 45 minutes per episode
Production company(s)	Cine-Nevada Productions (1990) Finnegan-Pinchuk Productions (1991-1995) Falahey/Austin Street Productions (1991-1992) Brand/Falsey Productions (1992-1995) Universal Television
Distributor	NBCUniversal Television Distribution
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	July 12, 1990 (1990-07-12) – July 26, 1995 (1995-07-26)

Northern Exposure is an American comedy-drama Northern television series that ran on CBS from 1990 to 1995, with a total of 110 episodes. It received a total of 57 award nominations during its five-year run and won 27, including the 1992 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, two additional Primetime Emmy Awards, four Creative Arts Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globes.^[1] Critic John Leonard called Northern Exposure "the best of the best television in the past 10 years".

Premise

Northern Exposure first concentrated on New York City native Dr. Joel Fleischman, with storylines revolving around his fish-out-of-water difficulties adjusting to Alaska, and his hot-and-cold romantic involvement with Maggie O'Connell. A recently graduated physician, Fleischman is set to practice in Anchorage for several years to repay the state of Alaska for underwriting his medical education. However, much to his chagrin, he is assigned to the much smaller, remote fictional town of Cicely, which is in need of a general practitioner. As the series progressed and the other characters were more fully developed, the show's focus shifted to delve more deeply into the lives of Chris, Ed, Holling, Shelly, Maurice, and Ruth-Anne (along with recurring characters such as Adam and Eve, Barbara Semanski, and Bernard).

Overview

The series was given a pair of consecutive Peabody Awards: in 1991–92 for the show's "depict[ion] in a comedic and often poetic way, [of] the cultural clash between a transplanted New York City doctor and the townspeople of fictional Cicely, Alaska"^[2] and its stories of "people of different backgrounds and experiences" clashing but who ultimately "strive to accept their differences and co-exist".^[2]

The series was created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, who also created the award-winning shows St. Elsewhere and I'll Fly Away.

Northern Exposure aired in South Africa under a different name; the first four seasons were broadcast in Afrikaans as Goeie Môre, Alaska!, Afrikaans for "Good Morning, Alaska!"

History

The show started as an eight-episode summer midseason replacement series on CBS in 1990.^[3][4] It returned for seven more episodes in spring 1991, then became a regular part of the network's schedule in 1991–1992. It ranked among the top 10 viewed by 18- to 49-year-olds,^[5] and was part of the network's 1992–1993 and 1993–1994 schedules. Its last season, 1994–1995, included a gap during the May 1995 sweeps when CBS broadcast other programming. "The show had a lot of life in it, and the move (Wednesday at 10pm) killed it," says executive producer Andrew Schneider. "This piddling out is sad."^[6]

Rob Morrow (Joel Fleischman) and his representatives spent much of Seasons 4 and 5 lobbying for an improved contract,^[7] and intermittently threatened to leave the show. The producers responded by reducing Fleischman's role in the storylines, and introducing characters such as Mike Monroe (season 4) and Dr. Phil Capra (season 6) to partially compensate for the absence of Morrow.

Cast and characters

Cynthia Geary, Rob Morrow, and Janine Turner at the 1993 Emmy Awards

Peg Phillips and Barry Corbin at the 1993 Emmy Awards

• Joel Fleischman (Rob Morrow) is a neurotic young Jewish physician from New York City. Fresh out of family medicine residency, he is bound to practice medicine for four years in Alaska according to the terms of a student loan underwritten by the state. Expecting to work in a relatively large, modern hospital in Anchorage, he is unexpectedly reassigned to the small town of Cicely, where he is a proverbial fish out of water. His struggles to adjust to his very unfamiliar new environment drive the plot in many episodes, especially in the early seasons. Morrow left the show midway through its final season due to a contract dispute. His character's departure was handled by having him "go native", abandoning Cicely for a remote fishing village and embracing the wilderness in a search for spiritual enlightenment.^[8]
• Maurice Minnifield (Barry Corbin) is a multi-millionaire businessman, fighter pilot and celebrated astronaut who moved to the area decades before upon retiring from the military. Maurice owns Cicely's newspaper and radio station (KBHR 570 AM) and 15,000 acres (61 km²) of land near the town which he hopes to develop into the "Alaskan Riviera". It is Maurice who arranged to bring Joel to the town, which previously did not have a physician. He can be pompous, overbearing and openly bigoted, leading to conflicts with other residents, such as the gay couple Ron and Eric. Despite his gruff demeanor, Maurice can also be generous, and he aids almost every other major character in some way during the show's run. He brings the much younger Shelly Tambo to Cicely, but it is his best friend Holling Vincoeur who wins her heart.
• Maggie O'Connell (Janine Turner) is a tomboy-ish Grosse Pointe debutante turned Alaska bush pilot. Maggie and Joel quickly develop a love-hate relationship, with their opposing views on most subjects coupled with unacknowledged attraction resulting in sexual tension during the series' early seasons. They become romantically involved later in the show's run, and it is their breakup that is the impetus for Joel to leave Cicely during the last season. A running theme through the series is that all of Maggie's romantic partners die strange deaths, leading her to believe that she suffers from an "O'Connell Curse". The character of Maggie was inspired by the real-life aviator Norah O'Neill, who wrote the book Flying Tigress, about her experiences flying in the Alaskan bush in the 1970s.
• Holling Vincoeur (John Cullum) is the Canadian-born sexagenarian owner and operator of The Brick, a popular local bar and restaurant. He and Maurice are old friends, though their relationship was strained at one time by their mutual romantic interest in Shelly Tambo, whom Holling ends up marrying. Though at least forty years older than Shelly, he looks much younger than his age, and he fears that he will eventually outlive her since most men in his family live well past 100 and spend their final years as heartbroken widowers.
• Shelly Tambo (Cynthia Geary) is another Canadian expatriate and former Miss Northwest Passage. She was brought to Cicely by Maurice, who had hoped to marry her. Instead, she chose Holling and became a waitress at The Brick. Though seemingly naive and flighty, she regularly shows flashes of unexpected wisdom. The character was planned to be of Native American descent until Geary was selected for the role.^[9]
• Chris Stevens (John Corbett) is a philosophical ex-convict who works as the disc jockey at KBHR 570 AM. Between songs, Chris offers comments on events in Cicely and on more intellectual and controversial subjects, often leading to conflict with station owner Maurice Minnifield, who fires and rehires him several times during the series run. Chris is also a non-denominational clergyman and occasionally officiates at weddings.
• Ed Chigliak (Darren E. Burrows) is a mild-mannered, half-native Alaskan foundling raised by local Tlingits. Ed does odd jobs for Maurice and works part-time at the local general store. He is a film buff and would-be movie director.
• Ruth-Anne Miller (Peg Phillips) is the elderly and level-headed owner of the local general store and a 30-year resident of Cicely. A widow, Ruth-Anne lives alone until late in the series, when she becomes involved with Walt Kupfer (Moultrie Patten), a fur trapper and retired stockbroker. She too is a film buff.
• Marilyn Whirlwind (Elaine Miles) is Joel's remarkably patient Native Alaskan receptionist. Her few words and calm demeanor are a strong contrast to her employer's loquaciousness and high-strung temperament.

In the show's last season, two new characters were introduced to try to fill the void left by Morrow's departure:

• Phil Capra (Paul Provenza), a doctor from Los Angeles who is recruited as Joel's replacement after Joel takes to the wilderness.
• Michelle Schowdowski Capra (Teri Polo), Phil's wife. She also works as a reporter for a newspaper owned by Maurice.

Major recurring characters include Apesanahkwat as Lester Haines (a native millionaire), Anthony Edwards as Mike Monroe (a severe allergy sufferer and ecological activist), Richard Cummings Jr. as Bernard Stevens (Chris's Afro-American half-brother and "spiritual doppelgänger"), Graham Greene as Leonard (the local shaman), Diane Delano as Officer Barbara Semanski (and Maurice's love interest), Adam Arkin as mysterious, obnoxious master chef Adam, and Valerie Mahaffey as his hypochondriac and very wealthy wife Eve; Mahaffey was the only actor from the series to win an Emmy Award.^[1]

Production

Although the town of Cicely is widely thought to be patterned after the real town of Talkeetna, Alaska,^[10][11] the main street of Cicely and the filming location was that of Roslyn, Washington, located in the Cascade Mountains. "Northern Exposure II" (the main production facility) was located in Redmond, Washington, in what is now the headquarters of Genie Industries, behind a business park.

According to The Northern Exposure Book, the moose in the opening titles was named Mort and was provided by Washington State University, where he was part of a captive herd. To film the opening sequence, the crew fenced off Roslyn, set Mort loose, and lured him around with food.^[12]

Episodes

Notable episodes in the series include the pilot (nominated for an Emmy for "Outstanding Writing"^[1]), the third season's last episode, "Cicely" (which won a Peabody Award,^[2] three Creative Arts Emmy Awards, and a Directors Guild of America Award), and the fifth-season episode "I Feel the Earth Move", which featured the second same-sex marriage story arc on U.S. prime-time television.^[14] (Fox's Roc aired the first U.S. prime time television episode depicting a same-sex marriage, "Can't Help Loving That Man", on October 20, 1991.)

Reception: awards and reviews

Popular culture

The TV series The Librarians (2014) paid tribute to Northern Exposure by setting its final episode of Season 2 in the quirky small town of Roslyn, Washington.

Indie rock band Bon Iver is named after a phrase, meaning "good winter", used in an episode of the show ("First Snow").

Soundtracks

Northern Exposure: Music From The Television Series (USA, original soundtrack, 1992)
MCA Records, Inc. MCAD-10685^[20]

1. "Theme from Northern Exposure" – David Schwartz (Pilot, Kodiak)
2. "Jolie Louise" – Daniel Lanois (Pilot, The Body in Question, Old Tree)
3. "Hip Hug-Her" – Booker T. and the MG's (Animals R Us; My Mother, My Sister)
4. "At Last" – Etta James [Slow Dance]
5. "Everybody Be Yoself" – Chic Street Man (Spring Break)
6. "Alaskan Nights" – David Schwartz (It Happened in Juneau, Our Tribe)
7. "Don Quichotte" – Magazine 60 (Jules et Joel)
8. "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" – Nat 'King' Cole and His Trio (The Big Kiss)
9. "Emabhaceni" – Miriam Makeba (Roots)
10. "Gimme Three Steps" – Lynyrd Skynyrd (My Mother, My Sister)
11. "Bailero" from Chants d'Auvergne – F. VonStade, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Antonio de Almeda, conductor (Wake-Up Call)
12. David Schwartz Medley:

"A Funeral in My Brain" (Things Become Extinct, Our Tribe, Ill Wind,...)

"Woody the Indian" (Sex, Lies, and Ed's Tape)

"The Tellakutans" (Seoul Mates, The Body in Question)

More Music From Northern Exposure (USA, 1994)
MCA Records, Inc. MCAD-11077

1. Ojibway Square Dance (Love Song) – Georgia Wettlin-Larsen
2. Theme from Northern Exposure – David Schwartz
3. Stir It Up – Johnny Nash
4. Mambo Baby – Ruth Brown
5. Someone Loves You – Simon Bonney
6. The Ladder – David Schwartz
7. If You Take Me Back – Big Joe & His Washboard Band
8. Un Marriage Casse (A Broken Marriage) – Basin Brothers
9. There I Go Again – Vinx
10. Lay My Love – Brian Eno/John Cale
11. Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (and Dream Your Troubles Away) – Les Paul & Mary Ford
12. Mooseburger Stomp – David Schwartz
13. I May Want a Man – Joanne Shenandoah
14. Our Town—played during the closing scene of the last episode (July 26, 1995) – Iris Dement

Ausgerechnet Alaska (German covers, 1992),^[20]
Distributed by IDEAL Vertrieb, Wichmannstr. 4, 2000 Hamburg 52 (Out of Print)

1. The Moose – Northern Exposure Theme-Mix
2. The Kingsmen – Louie Louie
3. Little Milton – Stand by Me
4. Lee Dorsey – Ya Ya
5. Billy Stewart – Summertime
6. Little Richard – Good Golly Miss Molly
7. Coasters – Little Egypt
8. The Drifters – On Broadway
9. Dolly Parton – It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
10. Guy Mitchell – Singing The Blues
11. Patsy Cline – Crazy
12. Paul Anka – My Way
13. The Marcels – Blue Moon
14. Showaddywaddy – Who Put The Bomp
15. Trini Lopez – This Is Your Land
16. Jerry Butler – Moon River
17. Andy Williams – Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing

DVD releases

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has released all six seasons on DVD in Regions 1, 2 and 4. The Region 1 DVD releases have caused controversy among the show's fans due to their high prices and the changes to the soundtrack introduced in order to lower their costs.^[21] The release of Season 1 contained the original music, but retailed for $60 due to the cost of music licensing. Subsequent seasons replaced most of the music with generic elevator-style music, resulting in a lower-cost release. The first and second seasons were also re-released together in packaging that matches the third through sixth seasons.

Blu-Ray releases

On March 19th, 2018, Fabulous Films released the entire series on Blu-Ray in the UK. Unlike the DVD releases, all of the original music is intact.

Potential revival

In 2016, Darren Burrows and his production company, Film Farms, held a crowdfunding campaign to fund a development project with the goal of creating more episodes of Northern Exposure. The working title for this project is "Northern Exposure: Home Again" according to the "More Northern Exposure Now" website.^[22] Despite not meeting the original $100,000 goal, Darren decided to continue forward with the project.^[23]

On June 17, 2016, Film Farms announced on their Facebook page that writer David Assael had been hired to write for the project. He previously wrote several episodes of Northern Exposure, including "Russian Flu," "Spring Break," and "It Happened in Juneau," among others. Originally envisioned as a two-hour "visit to Cicely," a 10 episode format is currently being pitched for network, cable, or streaming venues.^[24]

References and footnotes

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Northern Exposure.

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Northern Exposure

• Northern Exposure DVDs at Universal Studios
• Northern Exposure at AllMovie
• Northern Exposure on IMDb
• Northern Exposure at TV.com