Northern Exposure - The Complete First Season

Northern Exposure is the one T.V. Series that my wife and I will watch--on DVDs--over and over again. All considered, it's the very best.

In Denver, they're broadcasting this series on the local PBS station. They're using it as a centerpiece of fundraising, in fact. That made me buy this collection to view in order.

It's a very innovative show, and brilliantly written, with some completely new-for-its-time approaches to TV.

After watching disk one, though, I turned to my wife and said, "How do you like it?" Her response was, "I cannot find anything to like about the characters."

She's right.

We loved "Frasier" because, for all their quirks, there is something downright likeable in every character. That's not the case here. The quirks and foibles of each character are really funny, but it's tough to empathize with any of them because the characters seem to be trying hard not to be likeable.

The early 1990s saw a major public interest in the bizarrity of smalltown shows, clearly evidenced in three shows: TWIN PEAKS, PICKET FENCES, and NORTHERN EXPOSURE. Each was very different and completely unlike anything on television before or after. NORTHERN EXPOSURE was the lightest and most wacky of the bunch. The series revolved around Dr. Joel Fleischman (Rob Morrow), a young New Yorker fresh out of medical school. His tuition was paid by the state of Alaska, on the condition that Dr. Fleischman be stationed in Alaska after his graduation. Expecting to be positioned in Anchorage, Fleischman happily accepts. But to his immense dismay, he finds himself thrown into the middle of nowhere, also known as Cicely, Alaska, a town with a population of 215. At first Fleischman wants nothing more than to escape from the bizarre town and its even more bizarre inhabitants, but as time goes on he comes to appreciate the town and the individuals living there. Those individuals include cocky pilot Maggie O'Connell (Janine Turner), burly ex-NASA pilot and "owner" of the town Maurice J. Minnifield (Barry Corbin), amiable young aspiring filmmaker Ed (Darren E. Burrows), and peaceful early-morning radio DJ Chris Stevens (John Corbett).

NORTHERN EXPOSURE is a show like no other. The first season contains a mere 8 episodes, but is as charming as any series in history. The simplicity of life in Cicely, the beauty of the scenery, the companionship between the town's inhabitants, fills one with love and warmth, and was no doubt a major factor in what made the show so attractive to viewers when it debuted in 1990. The acting is wonderful all-around, the writing is witty and often absurd, and though the first season has not one dramatic scene, it's profoundly moving and irresistably enjoyable. For TWIN PEAKS fans like myself, I warn that NORTHERN EXPOSURE has little in common with that show, although the fifth episode of this season contains a very silly and funny spoof of it. Still I would highly recommend this show for anyone willing to try a new flavor of television.

As for the DVDs, the NORTHERN EXPOSURE sets are probably the most infamous TV DVDs ever released. On subsequent seasons, almost all music contained in the show was replaced with generic tunes (save for the theme). I personally find this despicable, but Universal has no intention of re-releasing the seasons with the original music at the moment. Season one, however, contains all the original music. The picture and sound quality are excellent, and the menus are very nice. It can be a little confusing to watch the series in order, however, as the first side of disc 1 actually contains the second batch of episodes, and the episodes are not numbered, nor is there any booklet for easy navigation through the season. I recommend tv.com for a chronological episode listing. Lastly, the packaging. Consumers have complained about the parka packaging used for the first two seasons, but I myself believe it is the most charming and wonderful TV-DVD packaging ever. I absolutely adore it, and I'm very sad that Universal did not continue doing this for the rest of the series. Nevertheless, this is a fine set, and it's better to have a lightly toyed-with release of the series than none whatsoever.

One of TV's smartest and most original series I've ever had the pleasure to watch. And owning it gives me FULL pleasure because now I get to watch the deleted scenes & the sleeping bag dvd cover with the moose zipper pull is a fantastic finishing touch & just shows their originality & playfulness until it's very end. My husband & I and even my children love to watch again & again. We still laugh out loud & enjoy every minute.

This is one of the best TV shows ever created. The DVD's look and sound great. Much better than my VHS tapes with all of the recorded episodes. The ensemble cast really get their feet moving during the short 1st and 2nd seasons. You can actually feel the chemistry b/w Joel and Maggie and it starts to boil over onscreen. Such a great cast with exceptional writing.
The DVD's them selves are a little short on content. For one I was surprised to see only 8 episodes for season 1 and 7 for season 2. I bought the two seasons combined and still think there are some shows missing. There is plenty of lost footage and outtakes but nothing amazing to write about. You do a get a little insight from the actors by their outtakes. I was hoping for a little more just based on the quirkiness of the show.
Overall this is a great series to own and cherish. I would definitely look for on sales though. In my opinion $50 is a little much.