Northern Exposure
Season 1
8 listed hours · 1990–1995 · CBS
From the desk
How this season is filed
A Manhattan doctor indentured to Cicely, Alaska, where townsfolk out-weird his culture shock and moose have better agents than most guest stars. Brand and Falsey's CBS dramedy mixes magical realism, small-town philosophy, and fish-out-of-water comedy with prestige softness. Gentle-weird quality TV — the aurora, the radio station, and the town as character.
TV Flash files Season 1 of Northern Exposure (1990–1995) on CBS as the first listed season of 6 — 8 listed hours, 1990-07-12–1990-08-30 from “Pilot” (S01E01) to “Aurora Borealis- A Fairy Tale for Big People” (S01E08). Titles, dates, and synopses on file — no invented recaps.
Desk essentials in this season
- S01E01 Pilot
Manhattan doctor indentured to Cicely: moose, townsfolk, and fish-out-of-water prestige with a surprisingly soft landing.
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S01E01 Pilot
Yuppie New York doctor Joel Fleischman accepts a job in picturesque Alaska, unaware he's assigned to a remote village, where he experiences culture shock among eccentric townsfolk.
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S01E02 Brains, Know How and Native Intelligence
A self-reliant Maggie chides Joel for being helpless when he's beset by problems; Ed's uncle Anku, a medicine man, refuses medical treatment; and Chris reads Walt Whitman over the airwaves, angering Maurice, who prefers show tunes on his station.
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S01E03 Soapy Sanderson
A hermit goes to extremes when Dr. Joel suggests that he think about the future; Maggie becomes Joel's partner in a land deal in which a Native American chief is also interested.
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S01E04 Dreams, Schemes and Putting Greens
Joel is asked to be Holling's best man, but his mind is on helping Maurice sell Alaska to two Japanese businessmen in hopes of playing golf at their proposed resort.
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S01E05 Russian Flu
Flu-stricken townsfolk and the crafty Maggie unwittingly do their part to sabotage Joel's plans for a romantic respite with Elaine, his visiting fiancée.
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S01E06 Sex, Lies and Ed's Tapes
A man from Saskatchewan puts Shelly in a pickle and leaves Holling unable to turn his head; Ed's vision for a blockbuster movie is blurred by writer's block; Rick blames his medical problem on Maggie's "curse."
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S01E07 A Kodiak Moment
Maurice's choice for an heir results in a father-son squabble; Shelly tags along when Holling and Ed go after the elusive brown bear; Maggie takes over Joel's childbirthing class.
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S01E08 Aurora Borealis- A Fairy Tale for Big People
Anticipation of the aurora borealis illuminates dreams for Chris and his soul mate Bernard but the same northern lights bring nightmares for Joel, who must make a house call in the woods amid rumors of a Bigfoot-like creature there.
More from the 1990s.