Northern Exposure

Northern Exposure was a Syndication network comedy\drama series created by Joshua Brand & John Falsey.

The show aired from July 12, 1990 to July 26, 1995, lasting for six seasons and 110 episodes.

Plot
The series centered on Dr. Joel Fleischman who is assigned to work in the tiny, remote Alaskan town of Cicely to pay for his education after finishing up medical school.

Cast

 * Rob Morrow as Dr. Joel Fleischman
 * Barry Corbin as Maurice Minnifield
 * Janine Turner as Maggie O'Connell
 * John Cullum as Holling Vincoeur
 * Cynthia Geary as Shelly Tambo
 * John Corbett as Chris Stevens
 * Darren E. Burrows as Ed Chigliak
 * Peg Phillips as Ruth-Anne Miller
 * Elaine Miles as Marilyn Whirlwind
 * Paul Provenza as Dr. Phil Capra
 * Teri Polo as Michelle Schowdowski Capra

Production
"Northern Exposure" began as an eight-episode summer midseason replacement series on CBS in 1990. It returned for seven more episodes in the spring of 1991 and then became a regular part of the network's schedule in 1991–1992.

The show ranked among the top 10 viewed by 18- to 49-year-olds and was part of the network's 1992–1993 and 1993–1994 schedules.

During its last season, the show included a gap during the May 1995 sweeps when CBS broadcast other programming. According to executive producer Andrew Schneider, "The show had a lot of life in it, and the move (Wednesday at 10pm) killed it. This piddling out is sad."

Rob Morrow and his representatives spent much of Seasons 4 and 5 lobbying for an improved contract and intermittently threatened to leave the show.

The producers responded by reducing Morrow's role in the storylines, and introducing characters such as Mike Monroe (season 4) and Dr. Phil Capra (season 6) to partially compensate for the absence of Morrow.

Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of "Northern Exposure" has a score of 100% based on six reviews, with an average rating of 7.0/10.

On Metacritic, which uses a weighted score, the first season is rated 80 based on seven reviews (indicating "generally favorable reviews") while the second season received an 83 based on nine (indicating "universal acclaim").

Entertainment Weekly’s Ken Tucker gave the first episode a B+, writing that the show “may well prove to be summer television’s most likably eccentric series”.

Accolades
"Northern Exposure" received a total of 57 award nominations during its five-year run and won 27, including the 1992 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, two additional Primetime Emmy Awards, four Creative Arts Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globes.