Northern Exposure

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

Shelly becomes mesmerized by TV when a satellite dish is installed at Holling's saloon; Dr. Joel reacts to a Dear John letter from Elaine.

Ed turns to an Indian spirit to learn who his parents are; Chris turns to a local beauty for a cure after he's rendered mute by a beautiful woman passing through town.

Holling elects to get circumcised to be "more in style" for Shelly; Maggie weaves a web of deceit to hoodwink her father; townsfolk stand watch over the corpse of Mr. Unknown Person.

Maggie's dream about Joel's death spooks him enough to consider canceling his visit home, especially after feeling suspicious about his substitute; Maurice welcomes a visit from an astronaut groupie.

Libidos run amok in anticipation of Cicely's spring meltdown: Maggie and Joel invade each other's dreams; Maurice falls for state trooper Semanski; Shelly can't get enough of D.H. Lawrence.

Celebrations with vodka, borscht and a reading of "War and Peace" greet Russian legend Nikolai on his annual visit; and Chris's poetic lines help Ed woo a lusty farm gal.

The curse of Maggie strikes again, and Rick is struck dead---by a falling satellite; newcomers have more in common with Maurice than he'd like to admit; Holling enjoys a reunion with an old gal from Nome.

Joel is in for a stormy night when Adam requests a house call for Eve; Maggie discovers Rick's unfaithfulness.

Maurice accuses Holling of snapping an unflattering photograph; Chris becomes fixated on a woman out of his reach.

An emergency landing in Maggie's plane sends Maggie foraging for food, while Joel blubbers about the menu; and a visit from Shelly's best friend triggers a tiff.

Maggie thinks that a reincarnated Rick is living a dog's life; Maurice sees himself as an ostrich-farm tycoon; Ed films the human landscape of Cicely.

Mental ghouls and goblins haunt Joel after a fall, bringing to Cicely Jules (Rob Morrow in a dual role), his slick twin brother who trades places with Joel.

Chris's discovery of a frozen century-old corpse has Joel rethinking the course of history, Maurice plotting a new enterprise, Shelly pondering fertility, and Holling reflecting on his own gene pool.

The widow Elaine shows up unexpectedly and gets a cold reception from ex-fiancé Joel, until Maggie unintentionally plays matchmaker; a new chef makes a culinary impression on patrons of Holling's place.

After grousing about the hunting frenzy sweeping Cicely, Joel joins Chris and Holling to experience the ritual first hand; Ed fears that Ruth-Anne is being stalked by the grim reaper.

A bus breaks down in Cicely, carrying a traveling troupe whose nonverbal "flying man" takes a fancy to Marilyn. But there's heartache in store for Shelly when Holling takes note of her "inordinately large" feet.

The holidays are celebrated with a pageant by the townsfolk, and bring mixed blessings for Maggie, a first Christmas tree for Joel, and a foreign family for Maurice.

Maurice tries to spice up his newspaper's coverage by hiring an unnamed reporter given to clandestine meetings; Maggie talks to the trees, but Joel won't listen; Chris becomes a partner at the Brick.

Joel reluctantly undergoes a cultural conversion after receiving a goat as a gift from a grateful village elder, who insists on "adopting" him; and a mysterious Holling shuts down the Brick, ostensibly to wax the floors.

Ed becomes immersed in the heritage of the resident elder he has chosen for the subject of a new film; Holling suffers a midlife crisis at age 63.

Tempers sizzle with the arrival of Maggie's "pathologically polite" mother, who brings alarming news; the creative process inflames Chris with an unusual vision for an art project.

Mayoral incumbent Holling has a formidable opponent---his friend Edna, who's got a bee in her bonnet over a promise never followed up on.

Holling and Maurice carry out a promise to bury a companion miles from civilization, but they're bogged down with problems, including the man's widow.

Joel hears the ghost of a loner who committed suicide in the house 40 years ago; Eve complains of new ailments; Maurice considers it an honor to do a favor for an old colonel.

An infant abandoned in Joel's waiting room gets plenty of TLC from residents; Shelly receives a surprise visit from her mother.

Spring has sprung in Cicely, and with it come crocuses, free eggs at the Brick, a rebirth for Shelly, a diagnostic refresher for Joel, and an awakening of passions for Maggie.

Japanese tourists converge on Cicely to perform a ritual under the Northern Lights; Holling goes looking for Jesse the bear; and curiosity gets the best of townsfolk when a package arrives with postmarks from around the globe.

Joel looks forward to a weekend in Juneau, hoping to spend it with attractive female physicians. But, instead, he winds up in a hotel suite with Maggie who clearly cramps his style. Meanwhile, Chris is flustered when Bernard, his "karmic doppelganger", returns from Africa.

The wedding of Adam and Eve reveals a secret about the bride; at the Brick, the menfolk guzzle and puzzle over the gulf between men and women; and Joel and Maggie want to finish what they started in Juneau.

An elderly visitor recounts Cicely's beginnings with tales of what was once a cultural mecca, known as "the Paris of the North," settled by a free-thinking pioneer and her companion.

Fear of aging grips Maggie on her birthday. Her solution: a native ritual for laying the past to rest.

The midnight sun warms Joel's libido and brings to town an adventure-seeking salesman. Meanwhile, Shelly's cheerleading outfit arouses Holling.

Chris runs over a dog and events add up to romance for him and its mathematician owner; Maurice purchases a magnificent timepiece, fine-tuned by a punked-out master craftsman.

Adam Ant plays a rock star who cooks up a gig with Native American drummers and becomes the subject of Ed's film. Meanwhile, Chris muses over the proper burial for a friend.

Cicely's wholesome environment beckons the hyperallergic Mike, who lives in a geodesic dome, and Ruth-Ann's yuppie son Matthew.

Silent "Flying Man" Enrico Bellati returns to Cicely with a group of whimsical mimes. Meanwhile, finding a ruby ring inside a fish conjures up Fellini-esque imagery for Ed.

Valerie Perrine plays the daughter Holling never knew he had, and---after she appears out of the blue---wishes he'd never met, for Holling sees her as a bad seed who's corrupting Shelly. Meanwhile, Ed befriends a migrating crane.

Cicely's Day of the Dead Parade and Thanksgiving feast evoke phantasmagorical figures and the colors and aromas of fall. Meanwhile, Cicely's holidaymania doesn't impress Joel; Chris recalls Thanksgivings past.

A KGB spy claiming to have a dossier on Maurice shakes up Cicely; a health inspector puts in his two-cents worth at the Brick; the death of another friend has Maggie on her best behavior.

When the law catches up with Chris, his extradition hearing becomes an arena for philosophical discourse.

After unearthing Native American artifacts in her yard, Maggie wages war against men, particularly Maurice, who sees dollar signs in the discovery; a nightmare has Ed contemplating the end of life on Earth; a youngster is struck by the love bug.

Feeling caught up in the secular world, Chris seeks rejuvenation at a monastery; and landlord Maurice fumes after Ruth-Anne pays off the store.

Ed gets another visit from his invisible spiritual guide, who again claims to have tracked down Ed's father; a blind piano tuner strikes a dissonant chord with Holling.

Maggie's family wreaks havoc on Joel when he accompanies her home for her grandmother's birthday.

A headstrong schoolteacher clashes with Maggie and gives Holling little hope of gaining his high-school diploma; mother hen Joel fusses when Marilyn goes on an adventure in Seattle.

Ill winds blow in, bringing with them metaphysical bumps and bruises for Joel, who asks for trouble and gets it from Maggie. Meanwhile, Chris and Maurice have a windswept encounter with fate; and Ed dwells on thoughts of death.

Joel blows up at Maggie for forgetting their romp in the hay; Uncle Anku urges Ed to marry; birdwatchers Holling and Ruth-Anne head for the woods.

The winter solstice opens Chris to new creative pursuits, but it encourages Joel to betray his Hippocratic oath after he's denied a vacation. Meanwhile, residents muster empathy for a down-on-his-luck veteran.

The unveiling of the Whirlwind family's totem pole by Leonard prompts a family feud; Shelly marries to stop a barrage of hallucinations.

The romantic mood of Maggie's dinner for Mike is doused by his announcement that he's leaving; Shelly's redecorating takes its toll on Holling; and Maurice brings north the family home.

To celebrate KBHR's silver jubilee, Maurice throws a soiree, which brings Adam and Eve to town and leaves an uninvited Joel feeling miffed.

Residents search for other Jews to join in a kaddish for Joel's dead uncle; Chris and Bernard join in a blood feud with the West Virginia Miller boys; Marilyn picks Holling as a dance partner.

The arrival of a truffle-hunting pig and the onslaught of mosquitoes signal springtime in Cicely, which also finds Holling obsessed with the urge to plant and Maggie discovering her new-found healing powers.

Memories of Maurice's wartime archenemy surface after Duk Won arrives and asks permission to marry; Ed has a plan to keep his ancestors' Tlingit language alive; and Holling's thirst goes unquenched.

Maurice sounds the death knell for Cicely's 300-year-old tree, as Joel looks for a way to save it; Shelly spontaneously breaks out in song, much to the annoyance of Holling; and Maggie nearly kills Joel with "niceness."

While Joel is afflicted with "glacier dropsy," Leonard cares for his patients, including Ed, who's been "sleepflying," and Shelly, who's stopped singing.

A baffling experience at an antique shop entangles Maggie in a Nancy Drew-like mystery; Maurice refuses to grow old gracefully; and Joel discovers a link between his cultural heritage and Marilyn's.

Maurice's likeness is cast in wax; Chris discovers he'll be on the planet for the long haul; and the dentist comes to town.

Chris faces a metaphysical conundrum when Bernard's girlfriend, who once lived with Chris, can't tell the brothers apart.

A randy high-schooler asks Maggie to be homecoming queen; a by-the-book IRS agent scours Ruth-Anne's accounts; and Maurice wheels and deals in real estate with a Native American.

When Joel's parents first visit Cicely, his mother soars with the eagles, while his dad outshines Joel at the Brick. Meanwhile, Holling confesses his distaste for TV sports.

Ed organizes Cicely's first film festival; Leonard searches for "the white collective unconscious" in Western folklore.

Ed diagnoses a patient who then falls for him, but his low self-esteem brings a visit from the Green Man; Holling ridicules pregnancy and gets thrown out of Shelly's childbirth class.

Ed discovers an alarming tale of cannibalism that later gnaws at Holling and Ruth-Anne; anxiety eats at Chris over his written pilot's exam.

Residents anticipate winter's snow. But for Joel, an elderly patient's claims that she's dying bring guilt and self-reproachment; and Shelly believes that her little white lie about love is making her nose grow.

Maggie throws a shower for Shelly; a Hollywood agent takes an interest in Ed's script; Chris tries to get in touch with his "inner woman."

The aurora borealis brings a strange lucidity---and dream swapping---to Cicely residents, sending Holling into psychotherapy and creating friction between Maurice and B&B owners Ron and Erick.

A violinist begs Maurice not to lock a prized Guarnerius away; dust mites awaken fear in Maggie; and Chris reaches an artistic impasse.

Adam has some wacko ideas about the fireworks experts Maurice hired; a ranger loses his job but refuses to leave his post; and Ed is struck by lightning.

Shelley has second thoughts about delivering her baby in Anchorage; Walt endures frostbite just to be with Ruth-Anne; and Joel outstitches Maggie at Marilyn's knitting workshop.

At Joel's first dinner party, friends suffer the consequences of his hospitality; Shelly returns to her Canadian roots; and townsfolk grouse over changes in Chris's radio playlist.

Caribou run amok on Main Street during cabin-fever season, which finds Walt abusing his prescription for seasonal affective disorder, Joel and Maggie snowbound at the airport and Ruth-Anne trying to learn Italian so she can read Dante's "The Divine Comedy" in the original language.

Joel tries to reel in a monster fish; Ruth-Anne abandons the store and takes off on a Harley.

Joel finds a kindred spirit with whom to exchange "doctor talk"; the Tambo-Vincoeurs take in Maurice following an explosion at his home; and Chris puzzles over a series of meaningful coincidences involving a deer.

Shelly is confronted with a loss of faith on the eve of Miranda's baptism, while Ed contemplates redemption after spreading details of Ruth-Anne's private life.

Only Maurice is aghast over the nuptials of Erick and Ron. Meanwhile, Maggie feels stomach-turning dizziness around Joel.

Wheelchair athletes converge on Cicely; the Green Man of low self-esteem pays Ed another visit; Ted discovers that the rich really are different.

During the annual blood drive, Ed is alerted to a Cicely resident with his same rare blood type; Joel may be losing Maggie to an old beau.

Cal gets a pass from the asylum to help Maurice entertain Off. Semanski; Chris's image of an old flame is a distorted one; Joel stumbles upon a frozen woolly mammoth.

Joel's herb-induced dream transforms Cicely's folksy regulars into New York sophisticates.

PI-in-training Ed spies on Hayden Keys, who may be faking injury; the purchase of an antique dollhouse sets Shelly to dreaming on a grand scale; and Maggie's and Maurice's charity donations bring regrets.

Joel must atone for his sins when he's visited by a rabbi---the ghost of Yom Kippur past, present and future; Maurice welcomes an honored guest for a fox hunt.

Joel finds a strange lump on his head; Shelly has bad luck after chucking a chain letter; a barber parks his pole in Cicely; and Maggie receives a letter she'd written at 15.

Shelly makes a deal with the devil; Ed bungles Joel's tests on a pill for the common cold; and Chris introduces a co-host.

Marilyn's tale of her grandfather's encounter in Alaska with Russian princess Anastasia unfolds on-screen in filmmaker Ed's vision of Cicely's early days. It involves a secret meeting that took place with Lenin and the princess.

Electricity generates a new art project for Chris; sparks fly between Joel and Maggie on a Russian flight bound for St. Petersburg; Maurice welcomes his cousin to Cicely, hoping to groom him to take over the family business.

A conflict with Maggie over firearms drives Joel to the outback to live in a remote village; a contractor destroys Chris's way of life; Ruth-Anne surrenders to love.

Paul Provenza and Teri Polo join the cast as Cicely's new doctor Phillip Capra and his journalist wife Michelle, who feel that they've stepped back in time in their new environs. Meanwhile, Ed sees into the future; and Holling wants to join the Sons of the Tundra men's club.

Maggie finds herself in the seat of power as Cicely's mayor but must contend with Chris's screwball fixation; Marilyn buys a champion stud husky that's more of a dud husky; and Phil is invited to play golf in the wilderness with Joel.

Maggie treks into the Manonash village to visit Joel, who she fears is in imminent danger; an elderly couple asks to stay the night at Phil and Michelle's; and Ed thinks the information highway looks cold and forbidding.

Marilyn shatters Joel's inner peace on a visit to Manonash; Ed takes advantage of Maurice's hospitality; and a house is not Holling's idea of a home.

Cicely's new bottled water alters gender behavior and causes women to display an overactive sex drive; violinist Cal becomes a fugitive; and Joel is freed to return to New York.

A visit from Maggie's mom reveals that the two O'Connell women have a lot in common; Ruth-Anne clashes with new employee Walt over canned goods; Maurice pouts when Holling gets chummy with Phil.

Joel enlists Maggie to join him on a quest for the mythical Jeweled City of the North; Chris slaps Phil with a malpractice lawsuit; and critic Michelle reviews the Brick.

While Cicelians honor Founders Day, newcomers Phil and Michelle experience buyers' remorse over purchasing a big spread; Maurice claims that Randi is his reincarnated Uncle Elvy; and Chris and Maggie find a common bond.

Chris's visiting professors get into an argument over his master's dissertation; Maggie buys Cicely's neglected movie house; and a young man stops by the Brick to meet his father.

Phil gets caught up in a feud between two of Cicely's Italian families; Ruth-Anne begins a series for National Public Radio; Holling finally vents his anger toward Shelly.

During a bowling invitational, Phil and Michelle seem headed for splitsville. Meanwhile, Ed sets his sights on the sophisticated Heather.

Michelle mounts a production of "Bus Stop," which infects Cicelians with the acting bug but sparks creative differences and petty jealousies.

"Parenthood" sours for Ed after he brings home a cuddly bear cub to nurture; and Chris's dream experiments entangle him with a saucy hotel manager.

Fugitive violinist Cal wants to turn himself in with help from Maurice and Off. Semanski; Phil offends the locals; Chris pairs up with a judgmental youngster at a cotillion dance class.

The sun sets---one last time---on the town of Cicely as friends gather at Maurice's summer lodge for relaxation, renewal and reflection.