very well written, and just "real" a show you can escape into. This is one of those rare shows like the x-files that you are so absorbed into it that after the hour is up you wonder where the time has gone. Loved it.

One of the more original shows of the era.

I never got it. Was it supposed to funny? it wasn't. The characters were all unlikable, and it just looked so cold up there. stupid show

does anyone know in which season a piano is thrown into the water? much appreciated

Northern Exposure really captures the north. The funny and quirky of it all. I know it is sexy on the beach, but this show is truly fun and loving.

Too cute for its own good.

Created by Joshua Brand & John Falsey, "Northern Exposure" was one of the freshest and most exciting dramatic comedies during its run from 1990 to 1995. The concept of a fish out of water wasn't new, namely a New Yorker (Rob Morrow) who is forced to practice medicine in a small, eccentric town in Alaska. The other primary characters were well cast (e.g. Barry Corbin and John Corbett), and the storylines used the natural eccentricity of the characters, the natural settings in Alaska, and Native-American mysticism to great effect. Moreover, the comedy was cerebral and never slapstick. Nevertheless, notwithstanding the fact that the first few seasons of the series were great, eventually the writers tried too hard to make the characters odd and unpredictable, and the plots became convoluted. The bottom line is that the show felt too forced at the end, ruining what would have been an unmarred gem.

The 1st two series were great but by series three it began to tire a bit, but then even they it was still more watchable then 99% of the sh*te that passes for TV drama, US, British, Aussie and Canadian. PS i've seen most European TV. It's not even worth thinking about.

The best hour-long series of the 90's and possibly one of the best ever. The weekly trio of intertwining stories always represented a nice meditation on a very general theme and the characters were so wonderfully real, and off-centre. Most of the actors were seasoned character actors as opposed to glamorous Hollywood types (except for Chris, Joel and Maggie). One of the greatest ensemble casts ever.

Could John Corbett have been any more anoying though. The whiny Fleishman was the best part of this show.

It began very well. They nailed it at the beginning of the series. I went to high school in a town like Cicely. Somehow the story got away from the town I remember. The Native American girl, Elaine, spoke in monosyllables. Believe me, the average Alaskan native girl is able to speak English very well. Elaine comes across as a Southwestern USA, Native American. If any Alaskan girl is as out of shape as Elaine, she would have a hard time trudging through the snowdrifts that would be prominent in that area come wintertime. They feature pow-wow dancing. Perhaps that has come to a town like Cicely, but it's not in the Southwestern Alaska I knew. Pow-wows are normally in the Lower Forty Eight! The scene with an igloo must have caused hearty laughs from Alaskans. That belongs in Northern Alaska, and are used mainly for hunters out in the frozen sea, for shelter and camouflage. Darren Burrows couldn't get the Alaskan native just right. But then, who could he have modeled it after? But he, at least, didn't make him absurb. The caucasians were recognizable. The acting was excellent! I lived in a town like Cicely. I realize the producers had to use some artistic license. But they could have done more research. I liked the Jewish doctor a lot. Rob Morrow was terrific! His interaction with Elaine was priceless, to me. Some storylines are memorable like the time the leading lady's character had would be lovers who kept dying.

Without a doubt the best TV show ever. Entertaining and thought provoking. I miss the atmosphere of it.

Really one of the best shows of all time, though I'd never put any show as #1, that's just too hard. However, this was a creative wonder of odd personalities that were very believable and scripts that just came out of nowhere to utilize the characters. Lots of subtle philosophy & subtle humor. You need to watch a few to get into the rhythm of their environment, then go along for the ride. I think this show will prove to be ageless in its appeal should someone start watching the reruns anytime in the future.

Pretentious, ludicrous garbage. Yeah, like I really want to see a show about a New York doctor, some chick who flies an airplane, and an assortment of quirky J***offs living somewhere in the Northwest. Give me a break.

I always found the quirkyness of this show entertaing. I didn't watch it much, but I don't remember seeing an episode I disliked. Well acted.

Maybe the best show ever. Definately the most underrated show ever. Highly recommended for people who like to think while they watch TV (I know there's got to be a few of you out there).

The best show ever! Never since it went off the air has there been anything to equal it. They've recently put out the 1st and 2nd seasons on DVD. I highly recommend them and can't wait for the others!

I never got this show and I could never watch it. I no it was supposed to take place in Alaska but I never really knew what the point of the show was.

Rob Morrow got a big head, and he left the show, which is very unfortunate...but this show was one of the best. They simply needed a much better replacemeent for Morrow, and the writers should have focused much more on several of the very interesting characters. It never should have been cancelled.

Without a doubt the best show ever! I remember watching and thinking this is way too good to actually be on television. Television needs more shows like Northern Exposure, but nothing, absolutely nothing has come close!!

I really like this show because it is relatively slow-paced and thoughtful. Doesn't follow the beaten-path. Really great cast of quirky characters.

A great show....unique as hell without trying too hard.

5 stars up to when Joel left. 2 stars for after he'd gone and they got that couple in. Big mistake. Joel was the lynchpin of the show which the other characters bounced off. The great thing were the quirky plotlines and offbeat characters like Ed the Indian wannabee fim director and Chris the mellow ex con DJ. The biggest star for me though was the Alaskan scenery so much so that it is the #1 placew I want to visit before I die..or before Bush and co ruin it with oil pipelines.

Funny,surreal. I loved it. Who'd thought a show set in alaskian sleepy town would be so worth while watching. Excellent 5 stars.

Just...boring.

Maggie O'Connell. Wow!

My wife loves this show. I like it OK. Have to give it credit for being different and having interesting characters. Also, that Maggie O'Connell chick was hot as hell! I don't normally go for chicks with short hair, but she rocked. I just wish she didn't wear all that clothing, ya know what I mean? I realize it's cold in Alaska, but c'mon, break out a sundress or show off those sweater puppies some more. I can even live with that mole on the side of her face. At least it's not in the middle of her face like Cindy Crawford.

One of the really great, most totally original series ever made - until the last two seasons which were such crap they broke my heart.

Great show. All of the characters (with the exception of Dr. Fleischman and Maggie, the two main players in town) were very well written and entertainingly eccentric (Maurice the bigoted and chauvinistic ex-astronaut bartender, Eddie the unintelligent but thoughtful townie, Ruth-Ann the chain-smoking moral centre of Sicily, Chris the hunky but laid-back radio personality, and the still-waters-run-deep secretary whose name escapes me at the moment. I guess Fleischman and his love interest were necessary to give some kind of anchor to play the other personalities off of, but they truly were the most annoying and least likable people in town, preventing me from giving a full five-star rating.

This was a favorite of mine during the early seasons it ran.Like many comedies it wore out its welcome as success came.I still catch it occasionally on the reruns late at night.A great fish out of water premise and a good cast.I never saw the appeal of Shelly as a sexpot,but Chris and Maurice were great.A very quirky show and the final episode with Joel leaving as he found New York should have been the last episode.This seems to be another series where the cast either did remarkably well with their money or they were severly typecast as John"Chris" Corbett is the only cast meber who still seems to be working.

Without question my all-time favorite--smart, funny, metaphysical--this show never pandered to the 8th grade reading level which is the common denominator in most TV writing. The little town of Cicely, Alaska became a sort of ideological oasis for the show's audience. The producers really blew it in the final season, but the legacy of this rare jewel will live on for fans like me.

a rare gem

not a lot of flash, but a lot of class

This show wa definitely in a world of it's own, but it was funny in a weird sort of way and I liked it alot, it kept me glued to the T.V.

The first several seasons of this were great. You never knew what to expect, and they always managed to keep it fresh and surprising every week. Then, Rob Morrow got the big head and decided television was beneath him, and of course that spelled doom for the show. Too bad. It deserved better than that.

Loved this show, sort of a 90's Green Acers.

The characters in this series could have been part of a novel. I think that's why I like the show so much, it had the depth of a decent work of literature.

Not a show for everyone, but I loved the quirky characters and off-beat story lines. People who needs their humour to be obvious would find this show boring -- but there are a million sitcoms in the TV listings for them to watch. For me, I'd like to see another "Northern Exposure" on the screen.

Most weeks this show was both a tribute and a parody of great works of literature and film. That's just the kind of extra stimuli some of us are looking for in our television viewing. What other show could manage a omage to Oedipus Rex and still make you laugh? The talking dog = Eli's donkey from the Bible- get it?!? By the way, those quirky characters were necessary within its given framework.

Northern Exposure offers some of the best, most creative and thought-provoking material ever produced for television. Each of the regular characters are truly original, especially the supporting actors, who develop into complex, charming and unusual people as the show develops (like Chris, the poetic d.j.; Ruth Ann, the unflappable storekeeper; Ed, the young half-Indian film-buff; Marilyn, the wise and stoic Native American doctor's assistant; I could go on). I cherish these characters for their eccentricity and unique point of view. Compared with 99% of tv characters, these people are truly memorable. Writers with vision, flair and a wonderfully refined sense of humor were obviously at work on this show. I have been touched more times by watching this than by any other program on tv. The endings/climaxes on some of the episodes feel just like epiphanies: touching, life-affirming, haunting, tear and tingle-provoking. I am very glad to see it being rerun on A&E.

This show is so boring. There's never any plot to this. If is was set on Mayberry, there would have been more action. The characters are so weird and eccentric that the actors got weird and eccentric and ruined their lives with this show.

The only weak element of this show was the main character,Dr.Fleishman.

"Northern Exposure" is an excellent show. I've been watching the reruns on A&E, and I'm really enjoying them. I like the way all of the characters are quirky in one way or another, including some that are downright bizarre, such as Adam (the temperamental chef), Eve (Adam's hypochondriacal wife), and Sergeant Barbara Semanski (Maurice's straight-as-an-arrow love interest). These "loose cannons" really shake things up sometimes, which can be very entertaining. For example, I loved the episode where Eve kidnapped Joel and held him hostage at her home so that she'd have access to a medical opinion 24 hours a day. The plots are fresh, unpredictable, and complex, and the dialogue is fast-paced and includes lots of interesting references to history, literature, philosophy, etc. Since I still haven't seen all of the episodes of "Northern Exposure," I'm hoping that A&E will continue airing it.

Usually it would be a little too quirky for my taste, but for some reason I come out of every episode liking the series more

Northern Exposure is one of the all-time great shows: superb writing, quirky characters, wonderfully acted, funny too. Each episode leaves you feeling a little better about the world than when it began. Thank you A&E for reviving the reruns!

Cute show, kinda like the michael j. fox movie (doc holiday?)...here it is late march and it is snowing, maybe that is why the show depressed me?