Northern Exposure

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Anyone watched this? One of the forgotten gems of the 90's I reckon. It was out at the same time as Twin Peaks, which I think overshadowed it somewhat, but it still stands up as a great show. Doesn't help that it's completely unavailable on streaming networks, something to do with the music licencing. I ended up ordering and renting the DVD's from the library a few years ago.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Yeah! I started watching it around the time of the start of lockdown and probably got to around series 4 or so, when there's the hypochondriac lawyer living in a bubble. It's a nice easy watch, I found it quite comforting.

I do think it's underrated/forgotten in some ways. I also thought the on-the-nose Twin Peaks pisstake/homage was quite bold:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vE7egnEP6c

[mippy]

Keep hoping All4 will get the rights to it like they have for ER and St Elsewhere. Also, Thirtysomething, just because I'm curious as to why it was so much of a thing.

Murphy Brown isn't on DVD/streaming for similar rights reasons.

[Sonny_Jim]

IIRC the guy who played the Doctor kept asking for bigger and bigger salaries, hence why he's not in the last season.

Also because why not, I spotted yer man Darren E Burrows a.k.a Ed the slightly hippy one in a godawful b-movie the other day.

Did a rewatch a couple of years ago.  It's not bad, didn't get past season 3 though.  The May December relationship with the bartender seemed a bit wrong.

[MojoJojo]

Am I right in remembering that the love interest was a short haired cesna pilot running a sort of flying taxi business, and the actress played almost the same role in Cliffhanger?

[Gulftastic]

Am I right in remembering that the love interest was a short haired cesna pilot running a sort of flying taxi business, and the actress played almost the same role in Cliffhanger?

Yes. Extremely fanciable at the time, later became a tiresome libertarian, ending that.

[mothman]

Yeah, the most-recent photo of her on her Wiki page shows that she had her hair that particular weird yellow-blonde colour that all conservative American female nutjobs have.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

I just remember watching an interview on the DVD with the actress who plays Maggie and she had this really mental laugh. Sounded like a seal.

[Dex Sawash]

Yeah, the most-recent photo of her on her Wiki page shows that she had her hair that particular weird yellow-blonde colour that all conservative American female nutjobs have.

All I'm seeing is shoe pics

[studpuppet]

Yes. Extremely fanciable at the time, later became a tiresome libertarian, ending that.

Maybe that was the reason the series isn't as well-remembered? I once chopped this image out of a Sunday supplement at an age where I was way too old to have pin-ups on my wall.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

It was all about Shelly for me. I liked that she would describe things as "totally tits", meaning good. Plus she had an inexplicable attraction to men in their sixties, which gives me hope.

[mothman]

Was it Shelly who started singing while she was pregnant?

[Rev+]

It was out at the same time as Twin Peaks, which I think overshadowed it somewhat

It was a bit of a 'Turner & Hooch' / 'K-9' situation as I recall.  The channel got wind of what was going on with 'Twin Peaks', which had about a year between its pilot and first series, and wanted to get a bit of jump on it. 

I've not seen it since the first Channel 4 showings, but remember it as being loads of fun but not in the slightest bit compelling.  It's a load of stuff that happens with no through-line.  But still, loads of fun.  I've not been able to listen to 'Ed is Dead' by Pixies without imagining it being about that character since.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Yeah, it could be slightly aimless at times. There's bits that still stick in the memory though. Chris the DJ was plugging an Anglo Saxon night on his radio show that they were holding in the town, and he described it as celebrating "our muddy forebears from the sceptred isle", which I thought was lovely.

[Sonny_Jim]

That show does have some lovely people, doesn't it.  Lovely Chris the DJ, aaaah

[pigamus]

I thought this was Due South

Which is ironic when you think about it

[timebug]

I loved it when it was first shown,and tried a rewatch recently. I made it to around series 4 and just lost interest. It seemed to fall into the long running series trap of using the same story over and over, but focusing it on different people. Still think fondly of it in general, but doubt I will complete my 'rewatch'!

[phes]

It was lovely stuff but yeah I bailed around 4. As I recall it wasn't just because it became repetitive, but because it become shit.

[Sonny_Jim]

It was pre-Scrubs and the like, so all the fantasy/quirky bits made it seem really different and interesting.  I can't remember what stopped my rewatch last time but I suspect it's for the reason you mentioned.

Banging theme tune tho.

[gilbertharding]

I thought this was Due South

Which is ironic when you think about it

Me too.

[Famous Mortimer]

I remember the episode where they seemed to just get bored and broke the fourth wall, and like everyone else had a bit of a crush on Janine Turner. One of those shows (like "Due South") I really enjoyed at the time but have no interest in watching again.

[kngen]

Janine Turner turning into a right-wing loony was probably the last straw in my relationship with the concept of 'good in the world' as I stumbled my way through my increasingly bitter 20s.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Adam Ant is in one episode for some reason.

[mothman]

It was the 90s. Adam Ant was in everything... for some reason.

[Rev+]

There are three bits that specifically stick in the mind from the whole thing:  Adam Ant cropping up, Ed planning to fling a cow from a catapult but become dispirited on learning that Monty Python already did it, and a visiting character, in what must be a unique moment in an American comedy-drama, asking 'what, you've never heard of Einstürzende Neubauten?'

[Sebastian Cobb]

I watched that Pig film last night and I couldn't help feeling it was basically 'Adam, the cantankerous reclusive chef from Northern Exposure: The Movie'.

Incidentally he became like Q in TNG where you see him crop up again and mumble 'oh for fuck's sake'.

[idunnosomename]

Me too.

glad im not the only one

[dissolute ocelot]

Doctors going to quirky places is practically a genre: Doc Hollywood, that Martin Clunes thing, the confusingly titled Wild At Heart (which may have been vets), ok maybe it's not a big genre. But makes a change from detectives.

[studpuppet]

Doctors going to quirky places is practically a genre: Doc Hollywood, that Martin Clunes thing, the confusingly titled Wild At Heart (which may have been vets), ok maybe it's not a big genre. But makes a change from detectives.

All Creatures Great And Small must be the daddy of this? Not a doctor either, but that trope of an urban, highly-educated, slightly unworldly but at the same time essential-to-the-community interloper must have started with t'veterinary.

[phantom_power]

Anyone watched this? One of the forgotten gems of the 90's I reckon. It was out at the same time as Twin Peaks, which I think overshadowed it somewhat, but it still stands up as a great show. Doesn't help that it's completely unavailable on streaming networks, something to do with the music licencing. I ended up ordering and renting the DVD's from the library a few years ago.

There is even a weird reference to it in one of the first episodes. They go for a trip to the same waterfall as TP and look through a telescope and point out a lady holding a log and mug around about coffee and cherry pie