stevenmcglinchey Once you visit Cicely Alaska, you'll find yourself returning again and again to this little gem of television drama. You first arrive in the company of a very unhappy Dr Joel, who finds himself 'sentenced' to this wilderness very much against his will as part of his contract with the State of Alaska for putting him through medical college. Through long hot summers and long dark polar winters, guided by the philosophical meanderings of local KBHR radio host and ex con Chris Stevens, you gradually fall, as Joel does, under the spell of this little town and it's eclectic people, which was founded by lesbian couple Roslyn and Cicely in the early 1900s. It has no equal in television either before or since. So what are you waiting for? Move to Cicely Alaska, the Riviera of the North and start your life all over again

Katerina Robertovla Don't believe the hype. This show is overrated. I could only watch a few episodes. What turned me off the most was the constant bickering between Maggie O'Connell and Dr. Fleischman. Why didn't they make a show about people from Alaska? I would love to have seen that show. Why did they have to put this whining Dr. Fleischman next to all these (mostly) content townspeople? You don't need a spoiled New Yorker to make the show interesting. Maybe Maggie would have been more appealing if that kvetch the doctor was out of the picture. The characters I would have enjoyed seeing more of were Ed. What a terrific actor. What hair that guy had. I also enjoyed the radio announcer, Chris. He was believable and had a terrific voice. Marilyn's character was delightful also. See? Would these characters make a great TV show? Maybe after all these years they'll do a real character-driven show in Alaska. And, maybe they should do a sitcom with Dr. Fleischman as a stand up comedian.

mw1561 I have only begun to watch this show recently, as a local PBS station has been showing reruns of it. The good news is that because it is on PBS, I get to see it without commercial breaks.The show is original and quirky and, as a result, interesting. This is not your standard run-of-the-mill show with cardboard characters and stereotypical plots. That in itself is a great achievement. While I am not enthralled with the show, as some people are, I respect it for its originality and I do enjoy watching it.It is both a serious comedy and a light-hearted drama. The show made more of an attempt at striving for a higher common ground than most shows, and that is about as high a compliment as I can give any show. I would recommend Northern Exposure to anyone who is tired of the standard, typical show that permeates mainstream TV.

wlb I have just watched an episode on DVD for the first time since the series left the network. It reminded me why I liked the series so much - they had some serious topics presented in such a way to be funny - yet informative.And talk about characters! One poster couldn't stand Rob Morrow - I don't understand that - each character was a bit eccentric yet contributes so much to the series - I would say that like the strength of Seinfeld combining all these characters brought a synergy and power to the series.The episode I just watched - Rob Morrow's character is lamenting the fact that there are so few Jews where he lives - feeling like he was alone. In the same episode Ed Chugliak is filming another character "last of his breed" - an Indian knowing how to make flutes passed down from generation to generation - now the last. And finally Holling Vincouer is contemplating death with a mid life crisis - It was brilliant writing dealing with serious subjects in a humorous and lighthearted way. Too bad there aren't more shows of this caliber.