Northern Exposure

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N1095A · #1 Post by **N1095A** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 6:52 pm

I rented season 1 and 2 of Northern Exposure yesterday. I loved this show when it was on, but to be honest, I don't know if it's because I'm older now, or if it just doesn't hold up, but I just couldn't get through it. It just seemed so contrived.

Frodoleader · #2 Post by **Frodoleader** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:00 pm

I loved Northern Exposure! Made me want to move to Alaska (or at least the seattle area, where it was filmed). Sorry to hear that it does not hold up now: I haven't seen anepisode since it went off the air.
The final scene of the final episode to me was a classic: it was a shots of cast members to the tune of "Our Town", by Iris DeMent.

N1095A · #3 Post by **N1095A** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:14 pm

I don't know for sure. It may be just me. I have followed very few TV shows faithfully through their whole run. In fact, I think Magnum ans Simon & Simon may be the only ones. I watched Northern Exposure faithfully, but in later seasons I worked nights and didn't bother taping it. Yesterday was the first I'd seen it since it ran on CBS. It just didn't do anything for me. By all means check it out for yourself. Don't take my word for it. Like I said, it may just be me.

#4 Post by **Styles Bitchley** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 12:42 pm

Still holds up for me. I really enjoyed the show when it first aired and then in syndication on A&E. However, the show totally jumped the shark when Rob Morrow left.

I love the way this show played with deep philosophical ideas and but stayed light and fun.

IKnowWhatYoureThinking · Thu Jul 23, 2009 12:48 pm

I would catch it every now and then when it was on, but I haven't seen it in ages. It was be interesting to see what my opinion of it would be in modern day.

rubber chicken · #6 Post by **rubber chicken** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 6:33 pm

I was a dedicated viewer of Northern Exposure, and I think it holds up very well. Unlike Magnum P.I.'s consistency throughout it's run, in the beginning episodes of Northern Exposure they were still finding the exact tone for the show and characters, Ed for instance was a little different than he was later. But those episodes were still very good, and the feel of the show quickly settled into a grove.

I got frustrated with the show when they brought in the new doctor and his wife (although I didn't mind Teri Polo so much!). And at the same time Fleischman went on his vision quest or whatever, and those things changed the show when there was no need too. Fleischman was the anchor character of the show after all, and at that point he had much less airtime and interaction with the rest of the show's characters. But if I remember correctly that was because some of the actors and the producers had compensation disagreements etc. I wouldn't say the show "jumped" but just changed out of necessity due to the those disagreements, resulting in the characters being shuffled around and new ones coming in. I didn't like they way the final episode ended either, it seemed to contradict much of what the show stood for.

My friend has the dvds and we've watched some episodes, and I've watched some more myself. For me the show feels just the way it did when new. All in all I still love it, and there's only a small number of tv shows I've been so involved in. My favorite episode may be Three Amigos, in which Maurice and Holling venture into the woods to bury an old friend, with a voiceover by Chris reading from The Call of the Wild.

lutherhgillis · #7 Post by **lutherhgillis** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 7:10 pm

It was a good show. Very quirky but good. As a matter of fact, the quirkiness made it very enjoyable to watch. The part about Fleischman discovering Bigfoot (Adam) and going to his home for a gourmet meal was hilarious.

This show never jumped. Rob Morrow wanted out of his contract and they had to find another doctor. This type of defection of a major character is hard to overcome. I did not like the shows where Fleischman went on his vision quest but all of the other shows were very good.

NE came out right around the time Twin Peaks was popular. I always figured they copied the quirky character idea but the rest was all original.

Steve · #8 Post by **Steve** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 9:20 pm

Any TV Show and or Movie with Barry Corbin in it is a must see for me. I could listen to his Texas drawl all day long..........

#9 Post by **Styles Bitchley** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 10:06 am

Speaking of Texas drawl, the only thing that bugged me about the show was trying to pass Holling off as a French Canadian. While I really liked his character, I was always pulled out when they reminded you that he was supposed to be from Quebec...with that southern drawl?

Still, it's one of my all time favourite shows.

As far as the phasing out of Fleishman, I think I read that Morrow thought the show's writers had run out of good material and the characters had developed to a point that they couldn't grow any more.

I think it also suffered a bit from the 'Sam and Diane' effect when they allowed Joel and Maggie to get together. All that sexual tension...fizzled.

#10 Post by **J.J. Walters** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 10:53 pm

Absolutely love Northern Exposure!

I watched it from the beginning, but basically stopped watching when Rob Morrow left. I think I saw one or two episodes in syndication, that's it.

Danno · #11 Post by **Danno** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 10:36 am

I bought all six seasons the other day on sale. Used to watch it as a kid in the early 90s.

Northern Exposure is up there with Magnum P.I. as my two favorite TV shows.
Some of the best writing I've ever enjoyed in a TV show!

The landscape seemed to play an important role, just like in Magnum- it's almost a character.

N1095A · #12 Post by **N1095A** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 7:25 pm

Steve wrote:Any TV Show and or Movie with Barry Corbin in it is a must see
for me. I could listen to his Texas drawl all day long..........

'nuff said. Barry Corbin's Maurice Minnifield was by far my favorite character.
I wish there was more of him.
http://www.barrycorbin.com