Revival of Alaska-themed ‘Northern Exposure’ being developed by CBS, says report

A revival of the popular ’90s television series “Northern Exposure,” about a New York doctor who sets up a practice in a fictional Alaska town, is being developed by CBS, Variety reported this week.

“Rob Morrow will reprise his role as Dr. Joel Fleischman, who returns to Cicely, Alaska, for the funeral of an old friend. Once there, he finds a new set of quirky characters and reunites with old ones,” the entertainment business publication reported.

The original “Northern Exposure” ran between 1990 and 1995, receiving seven Emmy awards and two Golden Globes, according to IMDb. The show was filmed in Roslyn, Washington. Long before the days of reality television, it put a national spotlight on Alaska, but Alaskans groaned throughout its run about its inaccuracies.

“In a one-hour episode, (the show) was able to offend just about everyone I know or have ever heard of within our borders. It’s insensitive to its setting, naive in its judgments, and displays a pompous L.A. view of the world,” Tom Bodett, an Alaska humorist and author, said at the time. “In short, it’s a pretty good television program.”

In the years since the show went off the air, there was a boom in reality television set in Alaska, giving Outside audiences an education on the Last Frontier. Those shows began to dwindle as state subsidies disappeared, though several continue. including “Deadliest Catch” and “Alaska: The Last Frontier.”

The original series is not available for streaming, according to IMDb, but is available on DVD.