Northern Exposure (1990-1995)

Just finished rewatching the pilot episode. Honestly, no matter how many times I see it, Joel still makes me laugh. 😁 I’m just glad they’re finally rerunning it. It’s about time a network showed some actual taste. 🙂 I don't really mind that they're jumping straight from the finale back to the beginning. 🙂 Personally, I wouldn't be able to get through life without those breaks. 🙂 I'm pretty happy about it. 🙂 Though, if we're being honest, most of us weren't exactly thrilled with how things wrapped up, or even with season 6. Things just weren't the same without Joel. Maybe I'm just too much of a dreamer, because I can't quite wrap my head around nothing coming of Maggie and Joel, but whatever. It's fine as long as it's ON. 🙂

Since they couldn't wrap things up with Fleischman, I honestly think the writers actually made the best of the situation once he left. They introduced some genuinely fresh, interesting characters, Chris and Maggie had that unexpected romantic spark, and seeing Barbara reunite with Maurice was great. It wasn't quite the same era as the Fleischman years, sure, but I certainly wasn't bored. In fact, that last episode hit me right in the feels—it was surprisingly poignant and bittersweet.😍Maybe that’s just because I’m such a sucker for this show that I find it hard to nitpick. 🤷

I’m thrilled they're rerunning it. This will probably be the first and last time I tune into CNN 🙏 for something like this. I just really hope they don't decide to pull the plug on the series out of nowhere just to make room for some mindless TV garbage like Nikita or Ezo TV, which is exactly the kind of nonsense they've pulled before. 🙄

That pilot episode is absolute legend!!! Watching him roll into Cicely and acting totally baffled every single time he meets a new local... I grew up watching this show as a kid and it hooked me instantly 😍 And honestly, like Matthew Nguyen2 says, I could probably binge this thing for the rest of my life 🙂

fadedcanyon482 said:okay, I haven't watched a ton of episodes lately, so could someone maybe explain why Joel went back to New York City?...

I think Rob Morrow wasn't really happy with how his character was being handled in the show—he apparently wanted to be more of the lead—so he ended up leaving. There was some talk about putting Provenza in his spot, but they probably didn't want to upset Rob's fans, so they scrapped that idea, and then things just kind of spiraled toward the series getting canceled, I guess.

The early episodes are actually a pretty nice change of pace compared to how things wrapped up at the end.

Ugh, I haven't seen the last one yet. 😢

Kenneth Taylor80 said:Rob Morrow wasn't happy with how much screen time his character actually got—he wanted to be the lead. They considered making Provenza the main focus instead, but they didn't want to alienate Rob's fanbase, so they backed off. Naturally, that led to the inevitable: the show getting canceled.

The early episodes are actually decent compared to the slog at the end.

plus he was asking for more money!

Originally, they only planned an 8-episode run to fill a gap in the summer schedule, but the fans kept demanding more until it turned into 6 seasons (1990-1995).

If you ask me, this was basically the first New Age series.

granitecrane87 said:I actually liked the show—until they started sidelining the lead actor due to contract disputes and management issues—which resulted in a large chunk of the series proceeding without him.

Not quite. Fleischman left during the episode The Quest-15 (season 6, episode 15)—meaning there were roughly 8 or 9 episodes left in the run, if I'm reading this right. (per IMDb). 🤷

They ought to air this series earlier—only the lucky few can actually afford to stay awake until 3:00 AM. Most people won't even realize such a beautiful show exists if they're asleep.

If you have an American cable package, they started airing weekdays at 6:00 PM Northern Exposure. I caught episode 7 yesterday.
Finally, a timeslot this show actually deserves 🙏

The show is honestly incredible—it’s got some truly legendary episodes under its belt—but I have to admit, Chris kills the vibe for me sometimes with those pseudo-intellectual tangents of his... everything else about it is just fantastic...

Benjamin Thompson66 said:The show is honestly fantastic and features some truly legendary episodes... but I have to admit, Chris really gets under my skin sometimes with those pseudo-intellectual rants of his... everything else about it is just wonderful...

I totally get that; he can definitely be a bit much at times, but I honestly don't think I could ever picture the series without him, and there’s actually a certain charm to the way he dives into all that philosophy.

Just finished the episode. This series is a masterpiece compared to the endless stream of American garbage we’re forced to watch. Every single character actually serves a purpose; everything feels simple, yet there's this underlying complexity to it all. I had this dream that one day I'll finally head out there, just wandering down those streets with the soundtrack playing on my iPod. It's something you just have to experience for yourself. As for Marilyn, she’s always rubbed me the wrong way. I can't stand her. 😁
By the way, the town where they filmed it is called Roslyn, and it's actually in Canada. We wouldn't even need a visa. Maybe one day I'll make it happen.

I’ve heard some rumors that they were actually filming out near Seattle! Personally, I find Marilyn to be quite an interesting character, don't you think?

I was just browsing online, and yeah, it's actually located in Washington state. Brick is still working there, and the town looks exactly like it did in the series.

stormygull22 said:I was actually just browsing around online, and it turns out that setting is indeed located in the state of Washington. Brick is still up and running, and the town itself looks exactly like it did in the series.

And for the record, Seattle is also located in the state of Washington! 😉

Kate Brown33 said:Well, Joel spent five whole years pining away for New York while stuck in Cicely, so it really made sense for him to head back. He didn't owe Alaska anything anymore since his scholarship was up. I mean, the way he left was a bit goofy, but hey, that’s just how Northern Exposure rolls. 😍

I think Maggie and Chris are such a great couple... honestly, the way he was trying to force her out of his head today was just too sweet. 🤣😍 Such a great episode.

Wait, hold on—he leaves by playing a round of golf with the new doctor in season 6, episode 15, and then suddenly in episode 16, he's just gone???
Did he not say goodbye or something?

Jason Foster7 said:Wait, so he just walks out like that? He plays a round of golf with the new doctor in episode 15 of season 6, and then by episode 16, he’s just gone???
Did he not even say goodbye or anything?

Are you talking about tonight's episode?

He didn't leave, you'll still be seeing him... just less and less. Honestly, once he's finally gone, the show wraps up shortly after anyway.

Honestly, the show was so much better when he was still part of the cast—once he left, everything just felt watered down, so I’ve pretty much stopped watching.

This series is absolutely top-tier. I recently picked up the first three seasons on Amazon because there was a solid discount, so I figured, why not? It’s such an incredible show... just the perfect thing to unwind and relax with. Honestly, they should air this more often on TV.