Northern Exposure: The Complete Third Season

Part comedy and part drama, this oddball series focusing on the quirky little community of Cicely, Alaska, really clicks in the 23 episodes of its 1991-92 third season, as convention is thrown to the winds and the creative team experiments with new concepts. Season three begins with “The Bumpy Road to Love,” which finds Dr. Joel Fleischman (Rob Morrow) a captive of the area's most eccentric couple, Adam (Adam Arkin) and Eve (Valerie Mahaffey, who won an Emmy for her performance). In “Oy, Wilderness,” Cecily's resident sawbones is stranded with plucky pilot Maggie O'Connell (Janine Turner) when her plane is forced down by mechanical trouble. And Joel receives a visit from his twin brother in “Jules et Joel,” an unusually interesting episode that's a real tour de force for Morrow, who plays both parts. Co-star Barry Corbin, playing Cicely's leading citizen, ex-astronaut Maurice Minnifield, grabs the spotlight in this year's Christmas episode, “Seoul Mates,” making the most of his brief encounter with a Korean family. The season finale, “Cecily,” brings Northern Exposure into previously uncharted territory, taking place primarily during the year 1909, with that year's tumultuous events being recounted in flashback by an old man reminiscing to Joel. Other episodes provide memorable showcases for the show's talented supporting players, including John Cullum, Cynthia Geary, and John Corbett. DVD extras include deleted and extended scenes, and a gag reel. Highly recommended. (E. Hulse)