# Northern Exposure



## bluebreezes (Oct 1, 2016)

Northern Exposure was one of my all-time favorite shows because of the well-written characters and the stories. It went off the air in 1995, but I figured it must be on one of the streaming services so I went searching last night for it. Nope, it's not on any of those services. I looked on Amazon and the series is available to buy on DVD for $149, which is beyond my budget. 

Then I looked on my statewide library system, and sure enough many of the libraries have the whole series on DVD. My state, like most states I imagine, has a statewide online lending system. You can request a book, e-book, audiobook or DVD and it will be delivered to your local library for pickup.

Hooray, I thought, this should be easy. Lo and behold, many others have the same desire to watch it again because there are holds on each season for at least a couple more weeks. I put a hold request on season 1 and will wait to get notified.

Was anyone else a fan of this show and have you watched it since it went off the air?


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## Buckeye (Oct 1, 2016)

I loved that show!  I had no idea that it has been over 20 years, though.


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## MarkinPhx (Oct 1, 2016)

I did a second viewing a couple of years ago the same way you did. I was at my local library and saw the first season and got hooked on the show again. I did watch the first couple of season when it originally aired but didn't remember it much. I went ahead an reserved the rest of the seasons at my library and enjoyed the ride. The show holds up very well. I agree with you regarding the stories and the characters !

Another similar show that aired at the same time that I can't find anywhere is Picket Fences. Not offered by our library and the "Just Watch" app on my phones only shows the only way I could stream it is to  buy the first season on Amazon. I've even checked the local used book stores to see if there was a DVD but no luck. Oh well ...at least I got my Northern Exposure fix


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## SeaBreeze (Oct 1, 2016)

We were fans of the show when it was on TV, but haven't watched it since it went off the air.


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## bluebreezes (Oct 1, 2016)

MarkinPhx said:


> Another similar show that aired at the same time that I can't find anywhere is Picket Fences. Not offered by our library and the "Just Watch" app on my phones only shows the only way I could stream it is to  buy the first season on Amazon. I've even checked the local used book stores to see if there was a DVD but no luck. Oh well ...at least I got my Northern Exposure fix



I don't know if this will help you Mark, but based on your location, I found two seasons of Picket Fences on DVD in the Maricopa County Library System by going to mcldaz.org, inputting Picket Fences, and selecting DVD as the format:

http://mcldaz.org/search/searchresu...ort=MP&limit=TOM=dvd&query=&page=0&searchid=1

Hope you can get this.


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## MarkinPhx (Oct 1, 2016)

bluebreezes said:


> I don't know if this will help you Mark, but based on your location, I found two seasons of Picket Fences on DVD in the Maricopa County Library System by going to mcldaz.org, inputting Picket Fences, and selecting DVD as the format:
> 
> http://mcldaz.org/search/searchresu...ort=MP&limit=TOM=dvd&query=&page=0&searchid=1
> 
> Hope you can get this.



Thank you very much


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## Butterfly (Oct 1, 2016)

I LOVED Northern exposure, and also Picket Fences.  I'd love to find a way to watch Picket Fences again!


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## MarkinPhx (Oct 1, 2016)

Butterfly said:


> I LOVED Northern exposure, and also Picket Fences.  I'd love to find a way to watch Picket Fences again!




Northern Exposure is a lot easier to find compared to Picket Fences. Check your local library first but if you can't find it, you can buy the first season on both Amazon and Vudu. Don't try the episodes on YouTube unless you want a laugh. The voices of some of the characters have been altered to avoid any bots looking for piracy. I wouldn't advocate anyone watching a show not in public domain on YouTube but it was worth watching for a couple of minutes for the laughs.

I loved all the characters on Northern Exposure but I always favored Ruth Ann. She's never seemed to get overly flustered like the rest of the citizens did at times.


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## Sunny (Oct 3, 2016)

That was my all-time favorite show. Part of the reason is that we moved from the east coast to Washington state (where the show was filmed; it wasn't really Alaska) around the same time that Joel Fleishman reluctantly came there. Everything about the show resonated with us. We lived about an hour away from Roslyn, WA, which was called Cicely in the show, and where it was filmed. A few times, we watched them filming it and got to talk with some of the cast, who were very friendly. I even have a picture of me chatting with Barry Corbin, who played Maurice Minnefeld.

This was the only show that ever inspired me to become a "fan." I was part of a discussion group on the Prodigy forum, people all over the country who were in love with the show. We called ourselves the Mooseketeers, and had an annual Moosefest in which we visited Roslyn, had lunch at the Brick, etc. We hosted a few of them at our home and we all kept in touch for years. At least one marriage resulted from that group.

When the show ended, some of us attended the final auction of costumes and props from the show. They sold everything. I bought a little statue of an elk that stood in Maurice's study. It looks like bronze, but is really just a heavy plastic. It stands on my dresser now, and (sorry, Maurice) it serves as a jewelry holder! A friend of mine tried to win Chris' Harley, but lost out at $20,000.

The series is available from Netflix. I think they have all the episodes. Have you tried that, Bluebreezes?


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## bluebreezes (Oct 4, 2016)

Sunny, this is a wonderful story and I'm delighted to know how much this show means to you. To have watched the filming and met some of the cast, wow, lucky you! That sounds very fun. Did you have a favorite?

I opted for the library option for the DVDs because my streaming Netflix plan doesn't have Northern Exposure available. The DVD option does have it and that was a good suggestion. I also searched on YouTube and found what Mark described, although there are some outtake videos that are fun to watch.


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## MarkinPhx (Oct 4, 2016)

bluebreezes said:


> Sunny, this is a wonderful story and I'm delighted to know how much this show means to you. To have watched the filming and met some of the cast, wow, lucky you! That sounds very fun. Did you have a favorite?
> 
> I opted for the library option for the DVDs because my streaming Netflix plan doesn't have Northern Exposure available. The DVD option does have it and that was a good suggestion. I also searched on YouTube and found what Mark described, although there are some outtake videos that are fun to watch.



I meant to send you a message to let you know that I was able to acquire Picket Fences via the library exchange . Thanks again for making the suggestion


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## bluebreezes (Oct 4, 2016)

MarkinPhx said:


> I meant to send you a message to let you know that I was able to acquire Picket Fences via the library exchange . Thanks again for making the suggestion



I'm a big believer in our library systems so I'm happy to hear this worked well for you. Enjoy!


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## MarkinPhx (Oct 4, 2016)

I use an app on my phone called "JustWatch".  After I type in the name of a show or movie it will let me know if what I typed in is available for streaming and where it is being streamed. User can pick which services they are using so the results can be filtered if you wish. Comes in handy for me.


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## Ameriscot (Oct 4, 2016)

MarkinPhx said:


> I use an app on my phone called "JustWatch".  After I type in the name of a show or movie it will let me know if what I typed in is available for streaming and where it is being streamed. User can pick which services they are using so the results can be filtered if you wish. Comes in handy for me.



I'll have to check that out!


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## Ameriscot (Oct 4, 2016)

Sunny said:


> That was my all-time favorite show. Part of the reason is that we moved from the east coast to Washington state (where the show was filmed; it wasn't really Alaska) around the same time that Joel Fleishman reluctantly came there. Everything about the show resonated with us. We lived about an hour away from Roslyn, WA, which was called Cicely in the show, and where it was filmed. A few times, we watched them filming it and got to talk with some of the cast, who were very friendly. I even have a picture of me chatting with Barry Corbin, who played Maurice Minnefeld.
> 
> This was the only show that ever inspired me to become a "fan." I was part of a discussion group on the Prodigy forum, people all over the country who were in love with the show. We called ourselves the Mooseketeers, and had an annual Moosefest in which we visited Roslyn, had lunch at the Brick, etc. We hosted a few of them at our home and we all kept in touch for years. At least one marriage resulted from that group.
> 
> ...




How cool for you!


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## bluebreezes (Oct 4, 2016)

I JustInstalled (sorry, couldn't resist) JustWatch and it looks good. I'm having fun testing with some searches now.


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## MarkinPhx (Oct 4, 2016)

bluebreezes said:


> I JustInstalled (sorry, couldn't resist) JustWatch and it looks good. I'm having fun testing with some searches now.



Funny   There are similar apps out there but I like this one the best.


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## QuickSilver (Oct 4, 2016)

I remember that show..  I enjoyed it.


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## bluebreezes (Oct 8, 2016)

I've just picked up the NE season 1 DVD from the library. That wait time wasn't too bad, about a week. I should probably request season 2 now, which is easy to do online. I'm going to wait until this evening to start watching. It's fun when enough time has passed that you don't remember every detail about a show.


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## MarkinPhx (Oct 8, 2016)

bluebreezes said:


> I've just picked up the NE season 1 DVD from the library. That wait time wasn't too bad, about a week. I should probably request season 2 now. I'm going to wait until this evening to start watching. It's fun when enough time has passed that you don't remember every detail about a show.



I hope you enjoy your visit back to Cicely as much as I did !


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## Sunny (Oct 8, 2016)

Bluebreezes, congrats on finding it! I'm sure you'll enjoy the series at least as much the second time around.

Favorite character?  I don't know, maybe Adam, the crazy chef played by Adam Arkin. But they were all wonderful. Unfortunately, the show went downhill after Rob Morrow left. The story really needed Joel Fleishman.


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## bluebreezes (Oct 9, 2016)

I agree, I thought the character of Adam Arkin's Adam was great and I'm looking forward to those parts.


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## MarkinPhx (Oct 9, 2016)

Now that I think about it, it's hard for me to pinpoint my favorite. I think it depends on the mood I'm in.


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## bluebreezes (Oct 10, 2016)

I am eating up Season 1! It's all those small moments that I'm enjoying the most and plenty that I didn't remember. 

But really, is there no way to get away from Trump, really? Here I am trying to escape the news by watching this great '90s show about keeping it weird in Alaska, so it should be a total Trump-free zone, right? But noooo. There's a scene where Chris and Joel play a scene in NY from Midnight Cowboy as part of Ed's writer's block daydream. At the end of the short scene, Joel turns to Chris and says, "Hey do you know Trump? He's a good friend of mine." Oy.


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## MarkinPhx (Oct 10, 2016)

bluebreezes said:


> I am eating up Season 1! It's all those small moments that I'm enjoying the most and plenty that I didn't remember.
> 
> But really, is there no way to get away from Trump, really? Here I am trying to escape the news by watching this great '90s show about keeping it weird in Alaska, so it should be a total Trump-free zone, right? But noooo. There's a scene where Chris and Joel play a scene in NY from Midnight Cowboy as part of Ed's writer's block daydream. At the end of the short scene, Joel turns to Chris and says, "Hey do you know Trump? He's a good friend of mine." Oy.



NO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess there is no escape. Sigh. I am thrilled that you are enjoying watching it again and you are right about the small moments


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## bluebreezes (Oct 19, 2016)

Whoa, another Trump reference in Northern Exposure, this time season 3, episode 1. Maurice is talking with Officer Barbara Simanski about why she's leaving, which she explains is because she believes Maurice is breaking the law after hearing a phone message from his accountant.

Maurice says: Besides it's not the law, it's the tax code. I bet Donald Trump doesn't pay a dime! 

This was filmed in 1992. Seriously, who would have imagined where things would be today.


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## MarkinPhx (Oct 19, 2016)

I had forgotten about that one !  You just can't escape it all , can you ? 

Maurice is an interesting characters. Not sure if the writers knew what to do with him at times but he was always fun to watch.


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## bluebreezes (Oct 23, 2016)

I'm still watching season three, and I'm noticing how much Janine Turner mugs for the camera, which now I'm finding a bit annoying. Funny how you see different things on subsequent viewings.

The other thing I read recently that was apparently quite controversial is that the DVDs left out a lot of the original music soundtrack because of copyright issues, and instead substituted more generic music. I'd forgotten how much great music was in the original.


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## MarkinPhx (Oct 23, 2016)

I had forgotten about the music issue also until I watched it again. It does change the vibe of the station some. I had the same feeling when watched The Wonder Years on Netflix. Music is different on that version also.


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