Set in the fictional town of Cicely, Alaska, Northern Exposure was one of the first shows that could be called 'quality television'. Like most great TV shows, the strength was in the writing and the performances from the principle characters. In the beginning, Northern Exposure focused on Joel Fleischman, a Jewish doctor from New York who is forced to work in Cicely after the City puts him through medical school as he tries to adapt to his new surroundings. Moving away from the fish-out-of-water aspect, the show began to focus on a number of the supporting cast in later seasons when Rob Morrow, the actor who played Fleischman, intermittently threatened to leave the show. Northern Exposure frequently referenced high art as well as low culture in a way that perhaps only Twin Peaks had previously. As such, it is a truly postmodern television show and is supremely underrated.
