What if anything would count as a predecessor of Northern Exposure?
June 29, 2009 4:03 PM Subscribe
I find that I have a fondness for "uptight fish-out-of-water professional is stuck practicing in small isolated town populated by eccentric characters" shows, as epitomized by Northern Exposure. Lots of this type of show followed NE, but what if anything came before it? Doesn't have to be TV.
So Northern Exposure is in my top 5 TV shows of all time, regardless of genre. Not all these types of shows are great, but I seem to watch them all.
Liking this type of story has led me to watch things like this shotgun selection of examples:
Key West - basically "Southern Exposure", aired right after NE was cancelled, only ran a few episodes, for good reason
Eureka - scifi version - "Joe Sixpack" type US marshall gets stuck playing Sheriff to a town of mad scientists
Doc Martin - UK version - uptight London surgeon gets posted as GP in a small village in Cornwall
So there are several programs that you might call descendants of Northern Exposure; are there any ancestors that the hive mind can think of?
So Northern Exposure is in my top 5 TV shows of all time, regardless of genre. Not all these types of shows are great, but I seem to watch them all.
Liking this type of story has led me to watch things like this shotgun selection of examples:
Key West - basically "Southern Exposure", aired right after NE was cancelled, only ran a few episodes, for good reason
Eureka - scifi version - "Joe Sixpack" type US marshall gets stuck playing Sheriff to a town of mad scientists
Doc Martin - UK version - uptight London surgeon gets posted as GP in a small village in Cornwall
So there are several programs that you might call descendants of Northern Exposure; are there any ancestors that the hive mind can think of?
You're looking for Twin Peaks. FBI agent in a small Pacific Northwest town. Are there eccentric characters? Yes, there are eccentric characters.
posted by mr_roboto at 4:11 PM on June 29, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by mr_roboto at 4:11 PM on June 29, 2009 [3 favorites]
The first thing I thought of was Baby Boom with Diane Keaton. According to IMDB, there was also a very short-lived TV version.
posted by diamondsky at 4:11 PM on June 29, 2009
posted by diamondsky at 4:11 PM on June 29, 2009
Can Twin Peaks count? Eccentric isolated town seen through the eyes of an also eccentric but still uptight visitor.
posted by galaksit at 4:11 PM on June 29, 2009
posted by galaksit at 4:11 PM on June 29, 2009
Best answer: Local Hero. The Northern Exposure vibe is so strong with that movie that it's clearly an influence. I love N.E. and I'm pretty confident that other who do will love Local Hero as well.
posted by bonecrusher at 4:13 PM on June 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by bonecrusher at 4:13 PM on June 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
BBC's "Doc Martin" is exactly the same thing, except in a seaside English town.
posted by GuyZero at 4:14 PM on June 29, 2009
posted by GuyZero at 4:14 PM on June 29, 2009
Regarding Twin Peaks (and not to get too nitpicky), but I wouldn't in a million years refer to Dale Cooper as "uptight."
posted by dhammond at 4:15 PM on June 29, 2009
posted by dhammond at 4:15 PM on June 29, 2009
There was Doc Hollywood (movie), though that might have come out at the same time as Northern Exposure.
Beverly Hillbillies could be considered part of the same genre.
By the way, if you like this sort of show, you should check out Corner Gas.
posted by necessitas at 4:15 PM on June 29, 2009
Beverly Hillbillies could be considered part of the same genre.
By the way, if you like this sort of show, you should check out Corner Gas.
posted by necessitas at 4:15 PM on June 29, 2009
Best answer: You seem to be after comedies or serio-comic pieces, but there's plenty of this in dramas, too. Gunsmoke portrayed Marshall Dillon as having a sordid past before cleaning up his act and coming to Dodge City, and contrasted his straight-arrow, uptight nature with the host of criminals that showed up in town each week, as well as the townsfolk, like Miss Kitty and Doc Adams.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 4:17 PM on June 29, 2009
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 4:17 PM on June 29, 2009
Also, "The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain" post-dates Northern Exposure, but has a very similar feel.
posted by bonecrusher at 4:18 PM on June 29, 2009
posted by bonecrusher at 4:18 PM on June 29, 2009
To be honest, I wonder if the ur-work for this genre isn't All Creatures Great and Small. Never seen the BBC show (despite the fact that Peter Davidson, AKA the Fifth Doctor, was the star), but the book is has that same premise. Also, it's an amazing book.
posted by bonecrusher at 4:22 PM on June 29, 2009
posted by bonecrusher at 4:22 PM on June 29, 2009
Your description reminds me of The Wicker Man (film, 1973) although it's I think it's a bit more sinister of a take on things than the other shows you mention.
posted by phoenixy at 4:22 PM on June 29, 2009
posted by phoenixy at 4:22 PM on June 29, 2009
Best answer: That was sort of the basis of "WKRP in Cincinatti". Andy Travis was the professional, brought into the station full of weirdos, to try to save it commercially and boost its ratings.
As the show went on that aspect of it kind of faded out, though.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 4:22 PM on June 29, 2009
As the show went on that aspect of it kind of faded out, though.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 4:22 PM on June 29, 2009
I came in here to recommend Local Hero too, so i guess I'll just second it.
posted by Catch at 4:24 PM on June 29, 2009
posted by Catch at 4:24 PM on June 29, 2009
If you're looking for other recommendations to watch, Hot Fuzz is hilarious.
posted by backseatpilot at 4:27 PM on June 29, 2009 [5 favorites]
posted by backseatpilot at 4:27 PM on June 29, 2009 [5 favorites]
Best answer: New Orleans is hardly a small isolated town, but otherwise, the wonderful Frank's Place is right up your alley. Rumor is the DVDs are out soon
posted by IndigoJones at 4:28 PM on June 29, 2009
posted by IndigoJones at 4:28 PM on June 29, 2009
It's a pretty common theme, but I'm struggling to think of older films that apply.
Whisky Galore! may fit the bill.
posted by seanyboy at 4:51 PM on June 29, 2009
Whisky Galore! may fit the bill.
posted by seanyboy at 4:51 PM on June 29, 2009
La grande séduction. Small town needs a doctor, will do whatever it takes to keep him (in a heartwarming way).
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 4:55 PM on June 29, 2009
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 4:55 PM on June 29, 2009
bonecrusher beat me to the All Creatures Great and Small recommendation. I haven't read the book, but the TV show has a similar vibe. Well educated but unexperienced vet joins a small countryside veterinary practice and meets eccentric animal owners.
posted by jrishel at 4:58 PM on June 29, 2009
posted by jrishel at 4:58 PM on June 29, 2009
Bonecrusher's recommendation is worth trying. I have fond memories of All Creatures Great and Small from when I was a child watching it on the BBC. Definitely give it a spin.
posted by arcticseal at 4:59 PM on June 29, 2009
posted by arcticseal at 4:59 PM on June 29, 2009
NewsRadio? Dave Foley's character as the uptighty, most everyone else as varying levels of weirdo?
posted by namewithoutwords at 5:00 PM on June 29, 2009
posted by namewithoutwords at 5:00 PM on June 29, 2009
Best answer: "Love on a Branch Line"? -- there was a TV show, way after "Northern Exposure" but the book came way before.
It's something more like a lotus-eaters, idyll sort of a thing more than "Northern Exposure" though.
If we're listing descendants as well, there's always "Ed", sort of related, although the town was his hometown, and one of Australia's most popular shows, "Sea Change", both with lawyers.
posted by AmbroseChapel at 5:06 PM on June 29, 2009
It's something more like a lotus-eaters, idyll sort of a thing more than "Northern Exposure" though.
If we're listing descendants as well, there's always "Ed", sort of related, although the town was his hometown, and one of Australia's most popular shows, "Sea Change", both with lawyers.
posted by AmbroseChapel at 5:06 PM on June 29, 2009
Hamish MacBeth is sort of like this, but it leaves the viewer to be the uptight out-of-towner for the most part.
posted by cardboard at 5:20 PM on June 29, 2009
posted by cardboard at 5:20 PM on June 29, 2009
Definitely seconding Doc Hollywood; I have a weakness for this type of movie/TV show too, and Doc Hollywood is the one I keep coming back to.
I found the movie Big Eden to be a pretty charming gay-themed film in the same kind of vein.
posted by MrVisible at 5:35 PM on June 29, 2009
I found the movie Big Eden to be a pretty charming gay-themed film in the same kind of vein.
posted by MrVisible at 5:35 PM on June 29, 2009
So sorry-- I missed the part that you wanted predecessors of Northern Exposure. :(
posted by jschu at 5:39 PM on June 29, 2009
posted by jschu at 5:39 PM on June 29, 2009
Not a predecessor, but Picket Fences seems to fit the bill as well. Uptight sheriff surrounded by what can only be called a cast of of eccentric characters. IMDB's short summary: "An aging sheriff tries to keep the peace in a small town plagued by bizarre and violent crimes."
(Some episodes are on Hulu if you care to dabble.)
posted by General Malaise at 5:55 PM on June 29, 2009
(Some episodes are on Hulu if you care to dabble.)
posted by General Malaise at 5:55 PM on June 29, 2009
Best answer: To be fair, the "fish out of water" scenario is quite beloved of screenwriters, and there are plenty of examples -- but you seem to want a specific subtype.
This shouldn't be entirely confused with the "straight man surrounded by crazies", basically the Bob Newhart Show premise also found in sitcoms like WKRP, but there is some overlap.
One example that immediately came to mind was Petrocelli^, a legal drama placing Italian-American from Boston Barry Newman in a fictionalized Tucson. It was based on a movie Newman had done, but the premise was basically upending that of Dennis Weaver in McCloud^, where he improbably played a cowboyesque marshal from the Southwest on "special assignment" in the NYPD. (Horses ensue.) At a certain level, this premise strains credulity.
I think the closest real antecedent might be Apple's Way^, a lighthearted drama starring Ronny Cox (and Kristy McNichol, for one season) that was created by Earl Hamner, Jr. of The Waltons. It explicitly dealt with the theme of city dwellers confounded (and educated) by rural culture.
I think there were some British movies along these lines that you might enjoy. Green Grow the Rushes has some staid London officials dropped into a rural quagmire of smuggling and customs regulation; the overall effect is to celebrate an only slightly still-extant Olde England with mysterious customs and bizarre governance.
For various reasons (see HIX NIX STIX FLIX), there weren't as many US movies like this. As a drama, of course, a number of Westerns used the setting of a man in a new town getting the feel for the place, à la High Noon. All of the spaghetti Westerns seem to be like this, with further antecedents such as Yojimbo. And yes, The Wicker Man has an upturned version of the English quirkiness, though I think for sinister it's beaten by Straw Dogs. But I think you're looking for lighter fare.
I do think you'll like it, but remember that the quite likable Peter Davison was merely the third lead of All Creatures, after Christopher Timothy and Robert Hardy. Timothy's James Herriot (in a biographical role) is the fish out of water. (All the roles were originated by other actors, with Anthony Hopkins playing Herriot, for the movie that preceded the series.)
posted by dhartung at 6:06 PM on June 29, 2009
This shouldn't be entirely confused with the "straight man surrounded by crazies", basically the Bob Newhart Show premise also found in sitcoms like WKRP, but there is some overlap.
One example that immediately came to mind was Petrocelli^, a legal drama placing Italian-American from Boston Barry Newman in a fictionalized Tucson. It was based on a movie Newman had done, but the premise was basically upending that of Dennis Weaver in McCloud^, where he improbably played a cowboyesque marshal from the Southwest on "special assignment" in the NYPD. (Horses ensue.) At a certain level, this premise strains credulity.
I think the closest real antecedent might be Apple's Way^, a lighthearted drama starring Ronny Cox (and Kristy McNichol, for one season) that was created by Earl Hamner, Jr. of The Waltons. It explicitly dealt with the theme of city dwellers confounded (and educated) by rural culture.
I think there were some British movies along these lines that you might enjoy. Green Grow the Rushes has some staid London officials dropped into a rural quagmire of smuggling and customs regulation; the overall effect is to celebrate an only slightly still-extant Olde England with mysterious customs and bizarre governance.
For various reasons (see HIX NIX STIX FLIX), there weren't as many US movies like this. As a drama, of course, a number of Westerns used the setting of a man in a new town getting the feel for the place, à la High Noon. All of the spaghetti Westerns seem to be like this, with further antecedents such as Yojimbo. And yes, The Wicker Man has an upturned version of the English quirkiness, though I think for sinister it's beaten by Straw Dogs. But I think you're looking for lighter fare.
I do think you'll like it, but remember that the quite likable Peter Davison was merely the third lead of All Creatures, after Christopher Timothy and Robert Hardy. Timothy's James Herriot (in a biographical role) is the fish out of water. (All the roles were originated by other actors, with Anthony Hopkins playing Herriot, for the movie that preceded the series.)
posted by dhartung at 6:06 PM on June 29, 2009
Fish outta water story in general -
first thing i thought of:
Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, the initial Narnia book.
posted by Sully at 6:54 PM on June 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
first thing i thought of:
Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, the initial Narnia book.
posted by Sully at 6:54 PM on June 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
In The Milagro Beanfield War, the former lawyer / newspaper editor is this kind of character
posted by canoehead at 6:59 PM on June 29, 2009
posted by canoehead at 6:59 PM on June 29, 2009
The Irish R.M. should fit the bill nicely.
posted by corey flood at 9:39 PM on June 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by corey flood at 9:39 PM on June 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Oh, I can't believe I forgot A Very Peculiar Practice, absolutely classic '80's show, has that touch of whimsy and surrealism in a bleak Thatcher Britain.
posted by Catch at 10:16 PM on June 29, 2009
posted by Catch at 10:16 PM on June 29, 2009
Best answer: Royal Pains is on Thursday at 10:00 PM on the USA Network. Talented NYC doctor gets fired and blacklisted from working in NYC, so he and his brother move to the Hamptons to work as a concierge doctor.
posted by jedrek at 11:10 PM on June 29, 2009
posted by jedrek at 11:10 PM on June 29, 2009
Aw, dang - Necessitas beat me to the Corner Gas recommendation. The whole 6 series are on Youtube and I've been totally absorbed by it - the "outsider comes to a small town" motif is there in every episode, but with the great twist of celebrating the small-towners way more and using the outsider as a kind of foil/fall-person for most of the jokes she's involved in!
posted by KMH at 4:54 AM on June 30, 2009
posted by KMH at 4:54 AM on June 30, 2009
PS. Sorry my link doesn't work but play around with the URL / username and you'll find it!
posted by KMH at 4:55 AM on June 30, 2009
posted by KMH at 4:55 AM on June 30, 2009
Best answer: There's The Darling Buds of May; the books were written from 1958 onwards; though I have to admit I've not read them. It's set in 1950's Kent.
There was a TV series based on the books which started in 1991 compare to NE's 1990, but NE didn't hit british screens for some time after that, so from my point of view, Buds of May was first!
It's about a tax accountant who comes to do the tax returns of a very rural farmer and falls in love with the farmer's daughter - Catherine Zeta-Jones in the role that made her famous. Very much a city boy experiencing life amongst the easy-going bumpkins.
posted by ArkhanJG at 5:51 AM on June 30, 2009
There was a TV series based on the books which started in 1991 compare to NE's 1990, but NE didn't hit british screens for some time after that, so from my point of view, Buds of May was first!
It's about a tax accountant who comes to do the tax returns of a very rural farmer and falls in love with the farmer's daughter - Catherine Zeta-Jones in the role that made her famous. Very much a city boy experiencing life amongst the easy-going bumpkins.
posted by ArkhanJG at 5:51 AM on June 30, 2009
Response by poster: Ah, so many WINs, so many Best Answers....
Thanks to everyone for your recommendations - hope you saw some others to try out.
Now for some @s:
@ necessitas - thanks, I hadn't heard of Corner Gas (we get a lot more BBC than CBC here in the US, can't see why)
@ Cool Papa Bell - Dillon's a good point, but not quite what i'm looking for. But if you like similar radio westerns, you might like "Frontier Gentleman" - Englishman traveling around the west; I think Bill Conrad did some voiceover work on that too.
@ Chocolate Pickle - I hadn't thought of WKRP, and if they had kept up the Travis angle, it would have fit better. As it stands, all I really remember from that show is Bailey Quarters (who still causes me to make yum noises 30 years later)
@IndigoJones - oh, that's a good one, bonus points for hard-to-find. You might like the short-lived John Larroquette show.
@Ambrose Chapel - you get bonus points for the previously empty Antipodean category!
@ dhartung - it's not so much the "a stranger comes to town" plotline which you point out is a common one, as the "very different people are stuck with each other and forced to cope" subset. In the "Listen, we need a doctor, and you need patients; it doesn't mean that we all have to love each other" situation, I like the stories that get told - both sides often end up learning something without the show being too preachy or earnest.
artdrectr - bonus points for Most Brave Admission That You Watched It More Than Once (I think there were 4 of us, at least one of which was a recapper for TWoP)
@catch - OMG, I had totally forgotten about Very Peculiar Practice, which I only caught once or twice but I loved and promptly forgot!...must go hunt down video...
@Jedrek - win for Most Contemporary Example, and
@ArkhanJG - I'm vaguely aware of DBoM - does Charley continue to be a stick-in-the-mud, less so as the stories go on? Then you win for Oldest Predecessor!
posted by penciltopper at 3:06 PM on June 30, 2009
Thanks to everyone for your recommendations - hope you saw some others to try out.
Now for some @s:
@ necessitas - thanks, I hadn't heard of Corner Gas (we get a lot more BBC than CBC here in the US, can't see why)
@ Cool Papa Bell - Dillon's a good point, but not quite what i'm looking for. But if you like similar radio westerns, you might like "Frontier Gentleman" - Englishman traveling around the west; I think Bill Conrad did some voiceover work on that too.
@ Chocolate Pickle - I hadn't thought of WKRP, and if they had kept up the Travis angle, it would have fit better. As it stands, all I really remember from that show is Bailey Quarters (who still causes me to make yum noises 30 years later)
@IndigoJones - oh, that's a good one, bonus points for hard-to-find. You might like the short-lived John Larroquette show.
@Ambrose Chapel - you get bonus points for the previously empty Antipodean category!
@ dhartung - it's not so much the "a stranger comes to town" plotline which you point out is a common one, as the "very different people are stuck with each other and forced to cope" subset. In the "Listen, we need a doctor, and you need patients; it doesn't mean that we all have to love each other" situation, I like the stories that get told - both sides often end up learning something without the show being too preachy or earnest.
artdrectr - bonus points for Most Brave Admission That You Watched It More Than Once (I think there were 4 of us, at least one of which was a recapper for TWoP)
@catch - OMG, I had totally forgotten about Very Peculiar Practice, which I only caught once or twice but I loved and promptly forgot!...must go hunt down video...
@Jedrek - win for Most Contemporary Example, and
@ArkhanJG - I'm vaguely aware of DBoM - does Charley continue to be a stick-in-the-mud, less so as the stories go on? Then you win for Oldest Predecessor!
posted by penciltopper at 3:06 PM on June 30, 2009
Penciltopper - I'm in the US too! You're right, we don't get much CBC here, which is a shame because they make fantastic shows. I use surf the channel for most of my TV watching, so when I click on most recent, it's usually a mix US, CA and UK shows. I wouldn't have known about it otherwise. KMH is right, they are all on youtube (yay!).
Another Canadian show you might like, which has the professional/small town fish-out-of-water vibe going on is Little Mosque on the Prairie. It's about a lawyer from toronto who comes from a wealthy family that can best be described as, well, if they were jewish, they'd be reform, I'm not sure what the muslim equivalent of a bit more religious than "cultural muslim" without following the majority of the religious laws. Anyway, he quits his high paid position and studies to become an Imam, and then gets lured by a "euphemistic" job ad to a small town to be the imam of a tiny muslim community (that rents a church social hall for their mosque). So, there's fish-out-of-water from many angles. It's a great show. Sort of like BBC's old show The Vicar of Dibley (which you might enjoy as well). Pretty sure Little Mosque is on youtube or veoh, not sure about Vicar.
posted by necessitas at 3:25 PM on June 30, 2009
Another Canadian show you might like, which has the professional/small town fish-out-of-water vibe going on is Little Mosque on the Prairie. It's about a lawyer from toronto who comes from a wealthy family that can best be described as, well, if they were jewish, they'd be reform, I'm not sure what the muslim equivalent of a bit more religious than "cultural muslim" without following the majority of the religious laws. Anyway, he quits his high paid position and studies to become an Imam, and then gets lured by a "euphemistic" job ad to a small town to be the imam of a tiny muslim community (that rents a church social hall for their mosque). So, there's fish-out-of-water from many angles. It's a great show. Sort of like BBC's old show The Vicar of Dibley (which you might enjoy as well). Pretty sure Little Mosque is on youtube or veoh, not sure about Vicar.
posted by necessitas at 3:25 PM on June 30, 2009
Regarding DBoM - it's been nearly 20 years, but I do remember some bits. Charley does indeed remain rather prim and proper, and is often unhappy with Mariette flirting with other men, and pop Larkin's easy-going atttitude, especially with regards to money - causing a number of arguments. Ma Larkin is the mother hen type who often smoothes things over. Still, his financial skills do come in handy, and he does save the day a few times. It is often played for laughs, especially in the earlier series - David Jason (pop Larkin) is most well known for his comedic roles, and he definitely plays to type, making a good foil for the uptight lost-at-sea charley.
There was a film of the book - The Mating Game - in 1959, transposed to rural Maryland, that has recently come out on DVD, but it's supposedly a much less faithful version of the story than the british TV version.
posted by ArkhanJG at 4:47 PM on June 30, 2009
There was a film of the book - The Mating Game - in 1959, transposed to rural Maryland, that has recently come out on DVD, but it's supposedly a much less faithful version of the story than the british TV version.
posted by ArkhanJG at 4:47 PM on June 30, 2009
Disney Pixar's "Cars" is all about this famous racecar that
gets stranded in a small hick town. He learns from them,
they learn from him. I really liked it.
posted by Sully at 7:08 AM on July 3, 2009
gets stranded in a small hick town. He learns from them,
they learn from him. I really liked it.
posted by Sully at 7:08 AM on July 3, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by amyms at 4:08 PM on June 29, 2009