Northern Exposure (1990-1995)

graniteotter6 said:Not really. The Stevensons aren't known for long-lasting relationships, and she tends to "kill off" her boyfriends. It makes perfect sense.

Granted, there was an episode in an earlier season where Chris was crushing on Maggie—it actually bordered on being creepy—but it’s obvious the writers just moved past it later on.

That’s what I love about older shows; they tend to let things slide. First off, they don't take themselves quite as seriously as modern series do. Secondly, if you think about it, those supposed "plot holes" are actually pretty realistic. Today's shows are textbook—every single one follows a strict set of rules—whereas these older ones feel much more grounded in how life actually works. After all, isn't life just one big walking contradiction? We're all inconsistent, no matter how hard we try not to be. If we tried to map out our own lives, we'd find so many instances where we thought one thing a week ago and something entirely different today. Why we changed our minds is a whole other debate. There's plenty of philosophy to dig into there. I bet Chris could pull a quote from some philosopher to explain it perfectly.

That's exactly why this show is special. I miss how new shows just march blindly from point A to point B without any deviation. They lack those "holes" that aren't actually holes at all, but rather the pure reality we deal with every single day.

Nathan Murphy said:You’ve completely misunderstood the show.

The series is timeless and truly one of the greatest ever made. When you look at the screenplay itself, it's rare to find another show that can compete with its depth of philosophy and complexity of subject matter.

And yes, I believe Chris is actually the most vital character in the series, not Joel. While I personally find Joel to be an incredibly endearing character, back in the day, everyone wanted to be Chris. His persona and his radio program had such a profound impact on our culture, and honestly, on a global scale as well. Many of our own local radio hosts would tell you that Chris was their primary inspiration. If you observe closely, the entire series unfolds through Chris's perspective. He serves as the central philosopher of the show; everything happens because he poses those fundamental questions, much like how Freud might describe the driving force behind a psyche.

In all honesty, there isn't a single series that possesses the same unique charm as Northern Exposure. I still find myself enjoying it every day whenever I have the chance.

I didn't misunderstand the show; I simply stated that I was a massive fan of it. It's just that I'm seeing it in a slightly different light now.
Chris isn't really the axis upon which the series rotates. That role belongs to Joel—at least, that was the original writer's intention at the start. As the seasons progressed, other characters began to take center stage, and I suspect this shift played a significant part in Rob Morrow's friction with the producers and his eventual decision to leave before the series concluded.
As for Chris, I'm not quite as captivated by him as you seem to be; he essentially acts as a vessel, reading and transmitting that philosophy. Sure, he learned a few things along the way, but then again, so did all the other characters.
I certainly agree that the show is unique—perhaps even the best of all time since nothing else comes close—but that doesn't stop me from being critical of it.
All those life philosophies and bits of wisdom it imparts, along with the timelessness you mentioned... it's all perfectly fine, and at first glance, it can be absolutely fascinating. Even on a second viewing, it holds its charm. But by the third time around, I find myself feeling somewhat indifferent. Once you look past the surface, you realize there isn't actually anything new being said.
What irritates me lately is the impression that those few residents of Cicely have somehow managed to collect all the wisdom in the world for themselves.
Unlike you, I don't enjoy seeing facts and logic ignored; the contradictions in the characters bother me because I find it impossible to compare them to real life.
It isn't even close. Real life isn't Cicely, and a place like that simply doesn't exist anywhere. It would be wonderful if it did; I'd move there in a heartbeat.

The show holds its own when it comes to charm, depth, and raw emotion—but let’s be honest, the momentum dips the second you aren't following the triangle between Joel - Maurice - Maggie.

Every now and then, Holling and Shelly manage to pull the quality back up. There’s plenty of those funny, naive little sermons too, but you have to remember this was the era when the big hits were The X-Files and Beverly Hills—shows that, if you try watching them today, feel like absolute trash compared to something like Life.

The absolute best parts of the series—true little masterpieces—are Chigliakov's "short films" about Cicely.

brighteagle39 said:...it’s all fine, and at first glance, the show might fascinate you—maybe even on the second watch—but by the third time, I'm just indifferent. If you look closer, you realize there isn't actually anything new there.

I can't stand when facts and rules get ignored. Character contradictions really bug me, and I just can't relate them to real life.
Not even close. Real life isn't Cicely, and a place like that doesn't exist anywhere. It would be lovely if it did, though; I'd move there in a heartbeat.

Well, obviously there's nothing new in a show you've already seen! 😁 There aren't many movies or series you can binge three times over. I'm actually watching it for the third time right now after a long break, and I'm loving it. I love Friends and Seinfeld too, but it'll take me a while before I feel like revisiting them. If a show was good the first time, then it's a good show. Just because it doesn't hit the same way again doesn't mean anything at all. A joke rarely lands twice! 🙂

When it comes to movies and shows, the last thing I expect is total realism. Actually, I want them to veer away from reality as much as possible to give the creators the freedom to actually tell a story. So, I don't have any complaints about that. It's an imaginary world—fiction! Sometimes I'm in the mood for fiction, and other times I want to watch documentaries to see how the world actually works since I can't see it from my armchair.

I love the world they built and the characters they created, and I'm not going to nitpick every little imperfection.

Anthony Nelson3 As I was reflecting on this earlier, I couldn't help but think about how much weight we often put on these small interactions. It reminds me of a quiet afternoon I spent in a small town outside of Seattle, just watching the world go by, realizing that most things aren't as complicated as we make them out to be. When you really sit with an idea, you start to see the nuances that others might overlook in their rush to reach a conclusion. There's a certain peace in taking one's time to process everything properly.
Of course, there was absolutely nothing new to be found in that series you were watching. It felt like I had seen every single beat before, much like when I sat through those endless reruns on ABC back in the day. 😁 It is quite rare to find a film or a television series that truly stands up to a third viewing. I actually find myself revisiting one right now for the third time after a significant hiatus, and I must say, it still holds up beautifully. While I have a deep appreciation for classics like Friends or Seinfeld, I suspect it would take me a very long time before I felt the urge to dive back into those worlds again. In my opinion, if a series resonates with you during your initial encounter, then it was a success. If it fails to capture your interest upon a second look, that doesn't diminish its original quality at all. After all, a joke rarely hits quite as hard the second time around. 🙂

When I sit down to watch a film or a series, the last thing I expect is a frame-by-frame recreation of real life. In fact, I actually prefer when a director takes liberties with reality; I think they need that creative breathing room to truly hammer home a message or an emotion. So, I certainly don't view artistic license as a flaw. At the end of the day, we are dealing with an imaginary world—pure fiction. There are nights when I am perfectly content to lose myself in those invented narratives, but there are other times when I find myself craving a documentary instead. On those evenings, I want to see the world exactly as it is, especially when I can't get out from behind my armchair to witness it firsthand.

I truly find myself enamored with the world and the characters they’ve brought to life; I tend to avoid nitpicking over those tiny, insignificant imperfections that others might dwell on.

When I mentioned that there was nothing truly new to be found, my intention was to speak about those core pieces of wisdom and profound realizations—those universal truths about life that the characters in the series gradually uncover. It feels as though all of these insights have already been documented somewhere, perhaps written in an old book, captured in a classic film, or etched into our collective history. Everything we learn through their journeys has been laid out before us at one point or another.
I am currently sitting through my third viewing of this series after quite a long hiatus. I first encountered it back in the late nineties when it made its big debut on American television, and then again about fifteen or sixteen years ago. To be honest, I can't quite put my finger on it, but perhaps I was simply holding this third viewing to too high a standard. It seems that I have changed more than the show has, because for some reason, it just isn't resonating with me the way it used to. Regardless of that shift in perspective, I am pressing on; I believe I am currently somewhere around the halfway point.
I certainly don't expect every film or television series to be a perfect mirror of reality; that’s hardly the point of entertainment. My grievance was actually directed toward the inconsistency of the characters themselves. It's quite jarring when you observe them; one moment, a character is portrayed as the most brilliant person in the room, and by the next episode, they've regressed into being a complete and utter fool.
I certainly agree that there is no need to be overly pedantic when it comes to movies and television series. One should simply relax and enjoy the experience, though I personally don't see any harm in engaging in a bit of thoughtful discussion about them.

The folks over at Fox just skipped the first five episodes of the final season. Honestly, pretty rude, though I can't say it was a total surprise.

I don't think they actually are, because last night's episode was originally supposed to be the big Season 5 finale, but they couldn't wrap up production in time. So, they just tossed it into the start of Season 6 and aired it as the sixth episode instead. I suspect when they do reruns, they'll probably slot it back into its original intended position.

If tonight turns out to be that Shofar so good episode, then we can assume the order is moving forward as planned.

EDUT: My mistake, I got mixed up—it wasn't Shofar, it was actually Dinner AT Seven thirty. Since that's the first episode of season six, I'm assuming they'll end up showing the full run anyway.

frozenbadger32 said:Correction: my bad, it wasn't Shofar... it was Dinner AT Seven thirty. That's the first episode of season 6, so I think they'll end up showing all the episodes after all.

Yeah, you were right. Thanks for clearing that up. Honestly, I'm relieved—tonight's episode is actually one of my favorites.

So, I just finished watching the latest episode on Fox. It looks like they’re starting the whole thing over from scratch tomorrow. Even though the last four or five episodes felt a little thin—kind of lacking that old spark, you know?—the show is still honestly top-tier. As much as Joel used to drive me absolutely insane, I actually found myself missing him during these final few episodes.
Fox skipped an entire episode, though—you know, the one that was supposed to continue Anastasia's story.

Michael Nelson said:They just aired the final episode on Fox Kids. Looks like they're starting from the beginning tomorrow. Even though the last few episodes felt a bit thin, the show is still great. As much as Joel used to get on my nerves, I actually missed him toward the end.
Fox didn't air that one episode—the part where Anastasia's story continues. Zarya.

Yeah, you can see a couple of posts above mentioning that. It was meant to be at the end of season 5 (how it was originally planned, even if they never got around to filming it).

Michael Nelson said:They just aired the final episode on Fox Family. Looks like they're restarting the whole run from the beginning tomorrow. Even though the last four or five episodes felt a bit thin, the series is still great. As much as Joel used to get under my skin, I actually missed him in those final chapters.
Fox didn't even air one episode—the part where Anastasia's story continues. Zarya.

Back to square one, then.👍
Fox stays true to form.
The final episodes were mediocre, though I have to admit the bowling one was quite good. And honestly, those last five minutes of the finale featuring ‘Our Town’ were absolutely perfect. It makes the rest of them forgivable.

Dana Anderson4 said:Yeah, you're right—there are actually about two posts up there covering that! It turns out she was supposed to show up at the end of season five—that's how it was originally written, anyway—but they just didn't get around to filming her in time. Such a bummer, honestly!

No way in hell that I missed it—I mean, seriously, I was glued to the screen every single night it aired! I made it my personal mission to catch every single episode live, so there’s just no chance I skipped over anything.

Robin Grant said:Everything's going back to square one—starting all over again! 👍
Fox really knocked it out of the park with that one—they definitely didn't let us down!
The latest episodes have been... okay, I guess? Just kind of middle-of-the-road—though, honestly, that one with the bowling was actually pretty great! And man, those last five minutes of the finale where they bring in "Our Town"... absolutely perfection. Seriously, it was so good I can pretty much forgive them for everything else.

Honestly, out of everything we've watched lately, the absolute highlight has gotta be that scene where Chigliak starts guarding the house from Morris—it’s just hilarious how he totally starts acting exactly like him! 😁.

Michael Nelson said:No way she was shown. I watched every single episode live as they aired, so there's no way I missed it.

.

🤦
Here's the episode list. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...osure_episodes

Basically, it's listed as the sixth one in the final season, making it 93 overall. But if you look at the end of season 5, it's actually the 25th episode—the finale. That's the episode called Zarya. It isn't some sequel about Anastasia; it *is* the story. It's when Lenin comes to Alaska to negotiate with Anastasia, while Morrow plays his doctor who falls for Anastasia's assistant (played by Turner, of course). The series ends with them meeting in the dark on a street, even though they didn't realize they both stayed in Alaska. That’s the Anastasia episode I remember watching, because I saw them all. There isn't a sequel to her story. If there is, please tell me which one from this list it is, because Zarya definitely happened.

One of my absolute favorite moments from the entire series has to be those final frames of the last episode, featuring Iris Dement and Our Town. It’s such a beautiful sequence, though I can't help feeling a tiny bit of bitterness about it. I really wish they had included Joel in that closing scene. I realize he wasn't part of the cast anymore and wasn't filming, but they could have easily pulled in a quick retro clip from the earlier episodes. Leaving him out makes it feel almost as if he was never even there, despite the fact that he was a staple in a hundred different episodes.

Michael Nelson said:There is absolutely no way it was aired because I watched every single episode live as they came out, so skipping one was never an option for me.
Out of the recent ones, the absolute standout for me is when Chigliak is guarding the house from Morris and starts acting just like him. 😁.

It definitely aired; we aren't hallucinating here.

We all caught it at home once it hit streaming, since they decided to slot it as the final episode of season five. You likely missed it because they were messing with the broadcast schedule—they suddenly started airing episodes on Fridays in January for a few weeks before switching back to the usual Monday through Thursday lineup.

frozenbadger32 said:It was definitely shown—we aren't just seeing things.

We actually watched it here at home, though they basically just tacked it onto the end of season 5. You probably missed it because—get this—they kept messing with the schedule! One minute it’s airing on Fridays in January, then suddenly they switch it back to the usual Monday through Thursday thing. It was all over the place for a few weeks.

I guess I was wrong after all... I didn't finish the whole thing.😁 . You guys are totally right.
One reason I thought that "missing" episode didn't exist is because CBS has this annoying habit of skipping stuff—like, remember when they skipped those episodes of Mick where Rodney marries Cassandra or that one about the Dutch diamonds? I'm pretty sure back in season three, Fox aired episodes 3, 4, and 5 before they even got to 1, 2, and 3.