Northern Exposure: The Schitt's Creek of The 90's.

Hopefully, over the past few years of the pandemic and generally dark times, you’ve been able to binge the gem of the television series that is Schitt's Creek.

If you haven’t, stop reading this and go watch it now. It’s on Netflix, but I think it’s moving over to Hulu soon.

Schitt’s Creek is an absolute delight of a show. From its quirky, absolutely lovable characters, to the messages about love, acceptance, and unity it sends; it has been a definite feel-good rewatch for me since it became available in the United States a few years ago.

Hopefully, you have watched it and know what i’m talking about, if not, it's so very worth your time.

After the end of my latest Schitt’s Creek binge watch, I felt the sense of sadness and television wanderlust I often feel after finishing a series. With the state of the world as it currently stands, visiting a town like Schitt’s Creek fills my desire to escape the current reality. So, I found myself wondering, where should I visit next?

Overwhelmed by the amount of options my various streaming services offered me, I glanced down at the pile of dvds (you guys, do you remember DVD’s?) recently gifted to me by my mother as she downsized. A stack of television series I had loved so much as a child that I just had to have them on DVD so I wouldn’t have to wait for the reruns to air. (Writing this makes me feel very, very, old) I skimmed over the titles, and a sense of calmness washed over me as I read the familiar title, Northern Exposure. Yes, Yes, absolutely yes. What I needed was a trip to Cicily, Alaska, Right on The Cusp of The Alaskan Riviera.

I popped in the DVD, and held my breath, as Joel Fleischman popped up on my screen. If you aren’t familiar with the show, Northern Exposure follows a fresh faced Rob Morrow, who plays New York City doctor Joel Fleischman as he takes a post as the general physician in the remote Alaskan town of Cicily. With a Population of 880, Cicily is about as different as you can get from the Big Apple, and Joel feels it keenly at first. You’ll quickly fall in love with Cicily, just as you fall in love with Schitt's Creek. The entire town, with it’s quirky characters like Marilyn, Joel’s assistant; Maggie, his landlord, pilot, and general bane of his existence; Ed, the lovable, artsy teen; Holling and Shelly, the bar owners; Maurice, the town owner and thorn in the side of many; Ruth Ann, the sweet, feisty grandmother who runs the general store, and my personal favorite, Chris in the Morning, the attractive, eclectic, philosophical radio DJ.

Beautifully written, and fairly progressive compared to a lot of 90’s television. Northern Exposure holds up. Is it perfect? Of course not, but it’s pretty damn close. Northern Exposure leaves you with a warm and fuzzy feeling. It’s a genuinely lovely show, with low stakes drama and more heart than just about anything I’ve watched in a very long time. It’s a slice of life, a still moment, in a fictional version of what could be, and what many would love to be reality. Northern Exposure shines a light on all that is a little different and shows the viewer not only why those differences are okay, but why they should be celebrated.

Northern Exposure deserves a revival. It is currently not streaming on any platforms, due to some right’s conflicts, but you can find it for purchase on Amazon, find it for resale at Half Price Books, or you can borrow it from your local library. Trust me, it is so very worth the trouble.