Northern Exposure (TV series)
"Northern Exposure" is an acclaimed television series that premiered on CBS in 1990, initially as a summer replacement before becoming a regular series in 1991. Set in the fictional town of Cicely, Alaska, the show follows Dr. Joel Fleischman, a Jewish doctor from Manhattan, who is reluctantly assigned to the town to fulfill a medical school debt. The series is notable for its unique portrayal of rural life, featuring diverse and multidimensional characters, such as a former astronaut turned land developer and a bush pilot from a prominent family.
"Northern Exposure" gained critical acclaim and an enthusiastic audience, finishing among the top twenty shows in the U.S. for its first three seasons. It received multiple prestigious awards, including two Peabody Awards and three Emmys. The series was groundbreaking for its time, including storylines involving LGBTQ+ characters, such as a same-sex marriage, and highlighting the experiences of Native Americans in a thoughtful manner. The character of Ruth-Ann, a strong and independent septuagenarian, further challenged stereotypes of elderly individuals. Overall, "Northern Exposure" is remembered for its blend of humor, philosophy, and social commentary, making it a distinctive piece of television history.
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Subject Terms
Northern Exposure (TV series)
Producers Joshua Brand (c. 1952- ) and John Falsey (1945- )
Date Aired from July 12, 1990, to July 26, 1995
This series was an early example of the “dramedy”—a realistic blending of sitcom and dramatic series—but mixed with a dose of Magical Realism. Its characters were an exceptionally diverse mix of ages, ethnicities, and sexual orientations. Aging and death were presented as natural parts of life.
Northern Exposure first appeared on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) network as a summer replacement in 1990 and resumed in the spring of 1991. Well accepted by critics and audiences, it became a regular series in the fall of 1991. For its first full three seasons, it was among the top twenty shows in the United States, was honored with two Peabody Awards, and won three Emmys, two Golden Globes, and one Directors Guild Award.
The show found Dr. Joel Fleischman (Rob Morrow) unexpectedly assigned to the isolated town of Cicely, Alaska, to fulfill his debt for a medical school loan. Fleischman, a Jew from Manhattan, is angry about the assignment and unable to relate to the town’s 215 residents. The townspeople, however, accept his churlishness nonchalantly.
The townspeople are not the typical “rubes” commonly depicted in shows that mix urban and rural characters: Maurice Minnifield (Barry Corbin), a former astronaut, is a wealthy land developer; former felon Chris Stevens (John Corbett) has started over in Cicely as an artist and the radio station’s morning disc jockey, mixing eclectic musical selections with philosophical musings and readings from Walt Whitman, Carl Jung, and others; Maggie O’Connell (Janine Turner), a former debutante from a prominent family in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, is a bush pilot; widow Ruth-Anne Miller (Peg Phillips) retired to Cicely and is now the town’s postmistress and runs the general store.
Impact
Northern Exposure featured many scenarios that were unusual or daring for network television in the early 1990’s. Two homosexual couples were featured in several episodes: Ron (Doug Ballard) and Erick (Don R. McManus), proprietors of a local inn, were married on the show, a first for prime-time television. This was not accepted in many quarters: Two network affiliates refused to air the episode, and one sponsor pulled out. Other episodes discuss the town’s founding by a lesbian couple, Roslyn and Cicely.
Ethnic diversity on a show starring white characters was also uncommon. Northern Exposure featured two Native Americans—naïve, loveable Ed Chigliak (Darren E. Burrows) and Marilyn Whirlwind (Elaine Miles), Fleischman’s receptionist—and Chris’s half brother, Bernard Stevens (Richard Cummings, Jr.), was African American. Ruth-Ann was another unique character for television: a feisty, independent septuagenarian who interacted with the townspeople as an equal, not a frail, doddering senior citizen.
Bibliography
Chunovic, Louis. The “Northern Exposure” Book. New York: Citadel Press, 1993.
Williams, Betsy. “’North to the Future’: Northern Exposure and Quality Television.” In Television: The Critical View, edited by Horace Newcomb. 5th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.