Universal Television
Let’s make on thing clear, straight from the top, Northern Exposure was and still remains off the streaming grid. The hold-out is another tragic case of expired music licenses. The only thing that has changed from my last post on Northern Exposure is my undeniable determination to escape to the wonderland that is the Alaskan wild.
Set in the fictional Cicely, Alaska, Northern Exposure follows the trials of a young, Jewish New Yorker, Dr. Joel Fleischman, who is required to practice in the small town as payment for his education. While the premise is standard fish out of water, this show is as rare as a duck flute. And while Dr. Fleischman and his love interest Maggie are the central characters to the show, I much prefer the eclectic townfolk, in particular, Chris Stevens and Ed Chigliak.
Chris Stevens, played by John Corbett, is the philosophizer, moral compass and by the powers of a Rolling Stone ad, clergyman to the people of Cicely. As resident DJ for the Minnefield Communications Network, he is also the literal voice of the community. The best episodes begin with, ‘This is Chris in the morning on K-BHR (K-Bear), coming to you from Cicely Alaska.’ As the 'voice of the last frontier’ Chris uses his airtime to read from Proust, Thoreau and Whitman, to name a few, followed by insightful gems like, ‘Be open to your dreams, people. Embrace that distant shore.’
While Chris is the voice of the community, Ed Chigliak is the heart. Played by Darren E. Burrows, Ed is an orphaned, half-native Indian, brought up by the people of Cicely. Now a twenty-something dreamer, he’s kind-hearted, with a wild, unbridled hope that could make my heart burst. As the resident movie buff/aspiring filmmaker, he shares his love of film by regularly likening the day’s challenges with premises and solutions from the golden age of cinema. When it comes to Ed Chigliak, I will patiently listen to whatever he has to say, heed whatever references he wants to make, and go wherever he chooses to wander–especially if it’s to help a bear cub find its mom.
In a TV landscape of shooters, schemers, philanderers, I’ll gladly take the philosophizers and dreamers of Northern Exposure. They spared us the plot twists for a state of being, of pondering life, death and primordial ooze. Innocent and intelligent, the townspeople of the 49th state enchanted viewers for six seasons, until not even Northern Exposure itself, could escape the universal truth – things become extinct (Season 3, Episode 13).
Fittingly, we parted ways to the track Our Town by Iris Dement who mourns her once small, simple town, forever changed by time and progress. I say, take a break from time, from the anti-heros, double crossers and backstabbers. Ponder the present – grab some gloves, flannels and a pair of wellies – Northern Exposure and the great wide open await.