Northern Exposure
Northern Exposure is an American Northern comedy-drama television series about the eccentric residents of a fictional small town in Alaska, that ran on CBS from July 12, 1990, to July 26, 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. Critic John Leonard called Northern Exposure "the best of the best television in the past 10 years".
History
The series was created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, who also created the award-winning shows St. Elsewhere and I'll Fly Away. The show started as an eight-episode summer midseason replacement series on CBS in 1990. 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, 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 killed it," says executive producer Andrew Schneider. "This piddling out is sad."In 1994 writer Sandy Veith won a suit in a jury trial against Universal, alleging that the series was based on his idea, yet he received no credit or compensation. Veith won $10,000,000 in damages and legal fees on appeal in 1997. His suit was against the studio, not the credited creators of the show, Brand and Falsey. In 1994 the LA Times reported that jurors seemed to believe the studio came to Brand and Falsey with the basic concept for the show, rather than that the latter knowingly stole his idea. Some Universal executives had worked with Veith and Brand and Falsey. Veith's script was about an Italian-American doctor who moves to a small town in the South.
Rob Morrow and his representatives spent much of Seasons 4 and 5 lobbying for an improved contract, 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 and Dr. Phil Capra to partially compensate for the absence of Morrow.
Premise
native Joel Fleischman is a adjusting to Alaska. A recently graduated physician, Fleischman is sent 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.Cast and characters
- Joel Fleischman is a neurotic young Jewish physician from New York City. Fresh out of family medicine residency, he is legally contracted 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.
- Maurice Minnifield is a multi-millionaire businessman, retired fighter pilot and celebrated former astronaut who moved to the area decades before upon retiring from the military. Maurice owns Cicely's newspaper and radio station and 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. Beneath a thin veneer of gentility, he is pompous, overbearing, and openly bigoted, leading to conflicts with other residents, such as the gay couple Ron and Eric. Despite his habitual demeanor, Maurice can 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 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 is the Canadian-born sexagenarian owner and operator of The Brick, a popular local bar and restaurant and mayor at the beginning of the show. 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 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.
- Chris Stevens is a philosophical free spirit and 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. The first of these conflicts came when Chris read Leaves of Grass over the air and Maurice stormed the studio, decked Chris and fired him, not over the reading, but for suggesting that Whitman was homosexual. Chris is also a non-denominational clergyman and occasionally officiates at weddings.
- Ed Chigliak 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 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, a fur trapper and retired stockbroker. She too is a film buff and, along with Holling, a keen birder. She has two adult sons, one of whom is a stock broker. He comes to see her in one episode.
- Marilyn Whirlwind 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.
- Phil Capra, a doctor from Los Angeles who is recruited as Joel's replacement after Joel takes to the wilderness.
- Michelle Schowdowski Capra, Phil's wife. She also works as a reporter for a newspaper owned by Maurice.
Production
Although the town of Cicely is widely thought to be patterned after the real town of Talkeetna, Alaska, the main street of Cicely and the filming location was that of Roslyn, Washington, located in the Cascade Mountains. "Northern Exposure II" 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.
Episodes
Notable episodes in the series include the pilot, the third season's last episode, "Cicely", 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.Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of Northern Exposure has a score of 100% based on six reviews, with an average rating of 7.0/10. On Metacritic, which uses a weighted score, the first season is rated 80 based on seven reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews," while the second season received an 83 based on nine, indicating "universal acclaim".Entertainment Weekly’s Ken Tucker gave the first episode a B+, writing that the show “may well prove to be summer television’s most likably eccentric series”.
Ratings
- Season 1 : 12.4 rating
- Season 2 : 15.5 rating
- Season 3: 16.3 rating
- Season 4: 15.8 rating
- Season 5: 14.5 rating
- Season 6 : 11.2 rating
Accolades
The show's other awards include:
- Emmy Award, Joshua Brand and John Falsey, Outstanding Drama Series.
- Emmy Award, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Valerie Mahaffey.
- Emmy Award, Andrew Schneider and Diane Frolov for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Drama Series for "Seoul Mates".
- Emmy Award, Thomas R. Moore for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Series for "Cicely".
- Golden Globe, Best Drama series.
- Golden Globe, Best Drama series.
- Directors Guild of America Award, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Shows, "Cicely"
Nominations
- 1994 - 3 Nominations, 1 win
- 1993 - 16 Nominations
- 1992 - 16 Nominations, 6 wins
- 1991 - 3 Nominations
- 1994 - 3 Nominations
- 1993 - 4 Nominations, 1 win
- 1992 - 3 Nominations, 1 win
Additional awards and nominations
- American Cinema Editors – Eddie nomination for Best Edited One-Hour Series for Television – Briana London – for episode "Lovers and Madmen"
- Environmental Media Awards, USA – Award for Ongoing Commitment – Josh Brand and John Falsey
- Screen Actors Guild Awards – Nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
- BMI TV Music Award: Northern Exposure – David Schwartz
- Casting Society of America, USA – Artios nomination for Best Casting for TV, Dramatic Episodic – Megan Branman
- American Cinema Editors – Eddie nomination for Best Edited One-Hour Series for Television – Thomas R. Moore– for episode "Cicely"
- American Society of Cinematographers, USA – ASC Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series – Frank Prinzi
- BMI TV Music Award: Northern Exposure – David Schwartz
- Casting Society of America, USA – Artios nomination for Best Casting for TV, Dramatic Episodic – Megan Branman
- Directors Guild of America Award – Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Shows – Night – for episode "Cicely"
- * Robert Loeser
- * Patrick McKee
- * Jack Terry
- * Robert C. Thompson
- Directors Guild Award – Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Shows – Night – For episode "Kaddish for Uncle Manny"
- * Michael Lange
- Electronic Media Critics Poll – Best Television Series
- Environmental Media Awards, USA – EMA Award TV Drama – for episode "Survival of the Species"
- Retirement Research Foundation, USA – Wise Owl Award – Honorable Mention Television and Theatrical Film Fiction – Joshua Brand John Falsey – for episode "Three Amigos"
- BMI TV Music Award: Northern Exposure – David Schwartz
- Casting Society of America, USA – Artios for Best Casting for TV, Dramatic Episodic – Megan Branman and Patricia Carnes Kalles
- Electronic Media Critics Poll – Best Television Series
- Grammy Award Nomination: Northern Exposure Theme – David Schwartz
- Peabody Award – Presented to Falsey-Austin Street Productions for Northern Exposure, for presenting episodic drama on television with intelligence, sensitivity and humor.
- PGA Golden Laurel Awards – Television Producer of the Year Award – Joshua Brand and John Falsey
- Retirement Research Foundation, USA – Wise Owl Award – Honorable Mention Television and Theatrical Film Fiction – Joshua Brand, John Falsey – for episode "A Hunting We Will Go"
- Television Critics Association – Program of the Year
- Viewers for Quality Television – John Cullum, Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
- Viewers for Quality Television – Adam Arkin, Best Specialty Player
- Young Artist Awards – nomination for Best Young Actor Guest-Starring or Recurring Role in a TV Series – Grant Gelt, for episode "Goodbye to All That"
- Casting Society of America, USA – Artios win for Best Casting for TV, Dramatic Pilot – Megan Branman, Patricia Carnes Kalles and Lynn Kressel
- Casting Society of America, USA – Artios nomination for Best Casting for TV, Dramatic Episodic – Megan Branman and Patricia Carnes Kalles
- Electronic Media Critics Poll – Best Television Series
Soundtracks
MCA Records, Inc. MCAD-10685
- "Theme from Northern Exposure" - David Schwartz
- "Jolie Louise" - Daniel Lanois
- "Hip Hug-Her" - Booker T. and the MG's
- "At Last" - Etta James
- "Everybody Be Yoself" - Chic Street Man
- "Alaskan Nights" - David Schwartz
- "Don Quichotte" - Magazine 60
- "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" - Nat 'King' Cole and His Trio
- "Emabhaceni" - Miriam Makeba
- "Gimme Three Steps" - Lynyrd Skynyrd
- "Bailero" from Chants d'Auvergne - F. VonStade, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Antonio de Almeda, conductor
- David Schwartz Medley:
MCA Records, Inc. MCAD-11077
- Ojibway Square Dance - Georgia Wettlin-Larsen
- Theme from Northern Exposure - David Schwartz
- Stir It Up - Johnny Nash
- Mambo Baby - Ruth Brown
- Someone Loves You - Simon Bonney
- The Ladder - David Schwartz
- If You Take Me Back - Big Joe & His Washboard Band
- Un Casse - Basin Brothers
- There I Go Again - Vinx
- Lay My Love - Brian Eno/John Cale
- Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams - Les Paul & Mary Ford
- Mooseburger Stomp - David Schwartz
- I May Want a Man - Joanne Shenandoah
- Our Town—played during the closing scene of the last episode - Iris Dement
Distributed by IDEAL Vertrieb, Wichmannstr. 4, 2000 Hamburg 52
- The Moose - Northern Exposure Theme-Mix
- The Kingsmen - Louie Louie
- Little Milton - Stand by Me
- Lee Dorsey - Ya Ya
- Billy Stewart - Summertime
- Little Richard - Good Golly Miss Molly
- Coasters - Little Egypt
- The Drifters - On Broadway
- Dolly Parton - It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
- Guy Mitchell - Singing The Blues
- Patsy Cline - Crazy
- Paul Anka - My Way
- The Marcels - Blue Moon
- Showaddywaddy - Who Put The Bomp
- Trini Lopez - This Is Your Land
- Jerry Butler - Moon River
- Andy Williams - Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
Home media
DVD releases
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. 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 19, 2018, Fabulous Films released the entire series on Blu-Ray in the UK. Unlike the DVD releases, all of the original music is intact. This Blu-Ray release is a Region "B" release and a Region-Free Blu-Ray player is required to play it in the United States .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. Despite not meeting the original $100,000 goal, Darren decided to continue with the project.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.
On November 20, 2018, it was reported that a revival series is in development at CBS, with Joshua Brand, John Falsey and Rob Morrow executive producing. Falsey died in January 2019. Morrow would return as Dr. Joel Fleischman. John Corbett was named as producer but his appearance as performer was not confirmed.
On May 19, 2019, Josef Adalian, an editor from the New York City-based magazine that several studio sources of his let him know that plans for the revival were cancelled by CBS. Although Adalian subsequently tweeted that the rights holder, Universal Studios, could pitch the revival elsewhere no subsequent report ever surfaced about the studio attempting to do so much less being successful in any re-pitch effort.
On November 15, 2019, Rob Morrow revealed in an interview on the radio station WGN 720AM in Chicago that revivial efforts were ongoing and presumably being undertaken by Joshua Brand and Morrow himself in light of Falsey's passing.