1 Best TV Series Ever: Season 3 on DVD is a Deam Come True!
I bought NE Season 1 & 2 and I have already pre-ordered Season 3 ... my wife and I were both blown away by the first two seasons. We love this series: it is intelligent, entertaining, at times even spiritually enlightening. The characters are engaging and complex. I don't know what more anybody could ask for...what are the odds that anything like this could ever make it into prime time? The odds approach infinity. I can't even think of that many movies that have the same level of intelligence.
Personally I am convinced that Universal is doing its best to safeguard the integrity of the original episodes and transfer this to DVD in 99.9% of its entirety, unless legally impossible. I am inclined to trust the person who was professionally involved in licensing (see his review) rather than the many who are not. If you are one of the ones griping about the music, I simply see no evidence that the integrity of Northern Exposure has been damaged in any significant way on Season 1 or 2. You are not only punishing yourself, but punishing others as well. Those who truly love this series are going to vote with their pocketbooks. And the result will be that Universal will keep releasing the series on DVD. I am truly grateful that Season 3 is coming out and hope the entire series makes it to DVD.
The only legitimate gripe that Universal needs to hear is: skip the damn Parka packaging and use the money for labels. Cripes, blank DVDs in volume is not that expensive and I'd be more than happy to cover the difference. This is the one pet peeve that chaps my ass, Universal!
...Otherwise, I salute Universal for coming this far!!!
2 The best show ever
I agree with the sentiments that NE is the best thing to come to TV, or DVD. I will buy every single season. But please, please enough with the cutesy DVD parkas and splurge on some labels!! The double sided discs and the lack of labeling makes it a crap shoot everytime you put in a disk, there's no telling what epsiodes will appear. Luckily every episode is great and a breath of fresh air, but if you are looking for a specific episode, may the luck be with you.
3 Loving It - Music or No
I have been on both sides of this debate - I helped secure a synch license for an obscure 45-second song in a Laugh-In DVD episode. That one song cost the DVD makers $10,000. And it wasn't even integral. Can you imagine the license or royalty cost for famous songs on a release of this size.
So, knowing how much it would cost to produce that "ideal" set, I'm totally enjoying NE in the meantime. Music may have been a "character" - but it isn't Joel, Maggie or Maurice. I haven't noticed anything missing yet - and I've noticed the inclusion of many famous well-known songs.
I truly believe this is a best they can do situation and we've got to live with it. There will not be a Criterion Edition. A million things to enjoy, maybe 50 to not.
So I'm enjoying. I might write a letter of protest, but I'll still buy it (at CostCo, to save money!)
4 Loving It Anyway.....
NEX, of course, gets 5+ stars.
I hadn't noticed the missing music. Thankfully, it was nothing that is truly integral to the episode(s). There is so much music in Northern Exposure that holds so much meaning and is chosen perfectly for the storylines. I had noticed the lack of labels, which has been endlessly frustrating. I don't want to have to squint or use a magnifying glass to tell which disc I'm using or which season it is. I would gladly trade the collectible sleeping bag packaging for some quality labelling. I have also noticed the sloppy way in which the first two seasons were put together. Neither one really requires two discs and the menus for season 2's cds are a little confusing. And yes, the first two seasons are overpriced -- let's face it, Universal has a captive audience.
So, I'll definitely keep buying all the seasons ...I just wish they'd all come out at once! Aurora Borealis is one of my faves , but even I'm getting tired of watching it (my VCR broke or I'd be watching my VHS tapes).
Looking forward to the 3rd season and the many wonderful episodes included.
5 Cold meals are better than starving
Next to St. Elsewhere (oh, whither my St. Elsewhere?), Northern Exposure was the best show yet to be released on DVD. Some music is missing, yes, but, guess what? The show still rocks. The music was wonderful, but the episode ending music all seems to be intact as far as I can tell. Specifically I am thinking of the wonderful song that accompanies the end of the Running of the Bulls episode. Man, that song and that scene cemented NE as THE SHOW at the time for me.
So, yeah, some music is missing, and, yeah, I'm bummed about that. But the show is so damn amazing that I would definitely rather have it sans some music than not have it at all. Why punish myself by not getting to see it again? Because that is who I would be punishing. Universal will get along just fine without my 30-40 bucks, and yours, too. You aren't punishing them by not watching these shows. You are only punishing yourself.
And while watching the episodes, never once did I think to myself, "Hey, where's that song?" Not once. The shows are just too good to obsess over some missing mystery music. Would they be better? Yeah. Are they still great anyway? Hell yeah. I'd rather have NE with a few missing songs than a 20 disc exhaustive set of some overrated show that I could care less about. X-Files perhaps?
On top of that, the sheer tonnage of deleted scenes and unexposed footage is a true treasure. A lot of what ended up cut for time purposes is every bit as good as what made it into the episodes, especially as the show progressed. Getting to see so much new material was a real treat.
So why only 4 stars? I want more. I want some commentaries, and I want some making of/retrospective material. That stuff, more than the missing music, is what bumps it down to a 4 star release for me. The shows are still 5 star (hell, 10 star) stuff, but I would like a bit more in the extra department.
6 Northern Exposer Season 3
I am concurring with Anthony. Its about quality and the integrity of the orginal series. Since it took this long to get produced, why not do it right.
PS The 5 stars reflects my feeling on the entire show, not this
particular release.
7 Get a Grip People. It is Only a TV Show.
Backbone? Please.
Look folks, I really don't care if Universal replaces some song that was playing faintly in the background on the Brick jukebox while Chris and Shelly are having a conversation. What on earth difference does that make? Thus far all the music that has been replaced has been for situations such as this and I, and the vast majority of "Northern Exposure" fans would not even notice the change (...).
If, at some point, Universal replaces music that is pivotal to the plot, say Procoul Harem's "A White Shade of Pale," which Chris flings the piano, or Iris DeMent's "Our Town" which closes the show's final episode, there would be cause for complaint. But for now the whiners come across as little more than "Star Trek" geeks who argue for hours which captain is superior or just how something should be properly translated into Klingon, or "Star Wars" nerds who camp out for weeks in line to be sure they get tickets for the first showing of a movie that will play at their local cineplex for six months.
Don't like the "Northern Exposure" DVD packages to date? No one is forcing you to buy them and no one can prevent me from doing so. That's life.
8 Wonderful TV show, but I won't buy any of the DVDs
The reviews so far are split between (1) those who will pay whatever is charged for NX on DVD, even without all of the original music, (2) those who rip Universal left and right because of the missing music but buy it anyway, and (3) those who loved the show but won't buy the DVDs because of the music issue (and perhaps because of the shoddy packaging for the first two seasons). I am one of those who love the show -- it's one of my all-time favorites, if not my favorite -- but won't accept a mediocre product for a substantial amount of money.
As someone else said, if those of you who love NX are willing to accept a product that does not include all of the original music, isn't packaged well (episodes on both sides, poorly-labeled DVDs, etc.), and costs over $40 for less than ten episodes (for seasons 1 and 2), then why should Universal do anything different? You're basically taking what you can get, rather than asking for quality at a reasonable value.
I haven't purchased either season 1 or 2, and won't purchase season 3 if it's more of the same crap. If Universal tried to license all of the original music but couldn't, they haven't told us that. Someone else's review said that all of the original music is on the Spanish option on the DVDs; I find that hard to believe, because if so, why wouldn't Universal also include that music on the English soundtrack? I might never get NX on DVD, because I doubt Universal will improve the quality of the product with all of the die-hard NX fans willing to pay whatever it costs for whatever they can get. If so, that's life. I love the show, but I won't pay my hard-earned money for sub-par quality. Too bad that more of you don't have the backbone to do the same.
9 So Happy!!
I am so happy that Season 3 is finally being released and cannot wait!! I am so excited! To all those who are complaining about the music, I refer you to S. Cullam's review here. Northern Exposure is pure, marvelous delight and I am so glad that we have the opportunity to buy DVDs so we can see it again. I resent those who complain and criticise the DVD-producers because I worry that those nay-sayers will put off buyers which will in turn cause the DVD-producers to stop producing or to slow production down in a very protracted way. Be grateful for the show and for the DVDs, people!! ANY Northern Exposure is better than no Northern Exposure and ANY Northern Exposure is better than anything on TV now. I agree that in an ideal world, everything would be perfect, but think about it: would you really rather wait forever for Northern Exposure to be available on DVD to satisfy your music issues? If so, I am glad you are not making the decisions for the rest of us. I am so excited that Season 3 is soon to be available. It has many of my favorite episodes and I have very fond memories of them. My only complaint is that I wish they would release the DVDs on a faster schedule.
10 Two Different Shows
"Moonlighting" and "Northern Exposure" were two different shows (for one thing "Northern Exposure" was vastly superior) and did not use the exact same music. Sometimes the copyright owner simply says NO in which case there is no choice but to change the music or not release the show at all. Any complaints about the lack of original music, shoddy packaging etc. belong on the first two season sets not this one as it has not even been released yet and we have no way of knowing if any of those flaws exist on this set.
In any case I agree with others that season three has some of the best episodes "Northern Exposure" had to offer. I'll be saying "yes."
11 no more customer abuse
The apologists who think we should line up and bend over for Universal should take a look at Amazon's reviews for Moonlighting, another show with difficult-to-license music. It can be done right, it just takes someone who cares. And the problem isn't just the music, but the shoddy packaging and lack of information. This show set a highwater mark for imagination, and the marketing of the DVDs sets one for customer exploitation. It's time to say no.
12 Here is how you get the music!
Everyone is complaining about the missing music in season two of Northern Exposure. I don't know why because it's really there - you just have to know how to navigate the menu, really! Instructions: When you know the music is different, hit the pause button ond your dvd remote, then the menu button, go to languages and hit Spanish, then hit resume play and PRESTO! You will now have the original music (in English.) The rest of the dialog is in Spanish... But what the hey, you can always go back to the English version with the music replacement.
13 Glad to see season 3 is on the way!
I am extremely glad to see that the third season of Northern Exposure is scheduled for release. I have already ordered my copy, and I anxiously await the release of the subsequent seasons as well. True fans will continue to buy these sets, and that is the best incentive for the studio to continue to release seasons. Stop complaining about what has been released so far, and offer positive comments about how great the show is so that others who have never seen the show will be encouraged to discover Northern Exposure for themselves.
14 Enough with the music complaints already
I wish everybody would quit whining about the music. I'm a huge Northern Exposure fan, and saw every episode when they originally aired on TV. Unless you're an obsessive-compulsive hermit with no social life who watched the episodes over and over and over and memorized every word of every episode and probably dressed up your 19 cats like the residents of Cicely, then you can't even notice the music changes. It's not even like they changed the prominent songs that Chris plays in his radio station. They just changed the subtle background score on certain scenes, that you shouldn't really be listening to anyways because you should be listening to the characters' dialogue. So don't be nerds, and buy the DVDs. I'm sure universal is doing all they can to get all the music licensed. And if the Season 3 DVDs don't sell good, they won't release future seasons on DVD, and then what will you and your 19 cats have to watch every single night?
15 Some of the Best Episodes of the Series
For those wondering the third season contains the following episodes:
The Bumpy Road To Love
Maggie discovers the late Rick was unfaithful and proceeds to distrust all men; Maurice's tax indiscretion could destroy his relationship with Officer Semanski; while Joel is toted off to the woods to play marriage counselor to wildman-chef extraordinaire Adam and his hypochrondiacal wife, Eve.
Only You
Chris emits a scent which attracts all women to him. Maurice once again accuses Holling of stealing Shelly from him, leaving only Shelly to set the record straight.
Oy, Wilderness
Joel and Maggie become stranded in the wilderness. Shelly's best friend Cyndy comes to Cicely asking Shelly to divorce Wayne.
Animals R Us
Maggie is confronted with the possibility that Rick has been reincarnated as a dog; Maurice sees big profits learns that Marilyn owns an ostrich herd; and Ed seriously considers getting out of show business.
3.5 Jules et Joel
Joel's twin brother, Jules, a charming but conniving rogue, creates a stir when he arrives in quiet Cicely to visit his sibling.
The Body In Question
A frozen body discovered in the local river could cause a world-wide historical revolution: was Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo or was he ice fishing near Cicely and fathering a tribe of French-speaking Native Americans?
Roots
Joel grapples with the possibility of a new start when his ex-fiancee Elaine visits Cicely; Bernard brings Chris his inheritance from their father, giving Chris the opportunity to go to Africa, as his dreams have told him to; and Adam becomes the chef at the Brick.
A-Hunting We Will Go
After grousing about the hunting frenzy sweeping Cicely, Joel sees firsthand what it's all about by joining Chris and Holling in the wilds. Holling, however, prefers the home fires to the campfire, while, back in town, Ed fears that Ruth-Anne is being stalked by the Grim Reaper.
Get Real
Marilyn becomes romantically involved with The Flying Man when the circus comes to Cicely, while Holling fears his passion for Shelly may be waning when he realizes her feet are big.
Seoul Mates
Maurice, dreading being along for the holidays, gets a big surprise when his gift is an instant family of his own. Meanwhile, Maggie, dreading being with her family, gets a big surprise when her parents opt for a Cariibean Christmas without her.
Dateline: Cicely
Maurice goes atempts to spice up his newspaper's coverage by hiring an unnamed reporter given to clandestine meetings. Maggie talks to trees, but Joel won't listen, and to ease Holling's tax debts, Chris become a partner at the Brick.
Our Tribe
Joel reluctantly undergoes a cultural conversion after receiving a goat as a gift from a grateful village elder, who insists on "adopting" him into her tribe, and a mysterious Holling shuts down the Brick, ostensibly to wax the floors.
Things Become Extinct
A study in self-examination brings on a mid-life crisis for Holling, opens up another door for Ed, and leaves Joel feeling culturally isolated.
Burning Down The House
Maggie visting mother accidentally burns down her house after announcing she is divorcing Maggie's father. Meanwhile, Chris searches for the "right" cow as part of his new piece of performance art.
Democracy In America
Mayoral incumbent Holling is challenged by Edna Hancock, who's upset over a promise he never kept. The election also finds Shelly testing the aphrodisiac of power, Chris waxing patriotic, Ed anticipating his first time voting, and Joel and Maggie arguing party politics.
The Three Amigos
The death of a rugged hunting companion sends Holling and Maurice into the wilderness to make good on a promise to bury him miles from civilization. Chris reads from Call of the Wild and it reflects Holling and Maurice's adventure.
Lost And Found
Joel discovers his cabin is haunted, Eve is worried that she is suffering from an exotic illness, and Maurice is disappointed when his old friend from Korea turns out to be less than perfect.
My Mother, My Sister
Shelly's mother drops in unexpectedly with her new husband, a baby abandoned in Joel's waiting room is temporarily adopted by the townspeople, and Adam undergoes the same changes as his pregnant wife.
Wake-Up Call
The coming of spring brings love to Maggie, a new skin to Shelly and a reminder to Joel of the importance of blending compassion with his scientific knowledge.
The Final Frontier
Ed discovers that Jesse the bear has died; Japanese tourists infiltrate Cicely; a package that has traveled the world arrives in Cicely addressed to an unknown person.
It Happened In Juneau
Things heat up between Joel and Maggie when they are forced to share a hotel room; Chris and his brother Bernard for the first time are not in perfect synch with each other.
Our Wedding
Adam and Eve decide to wed for the baby's sake; Maggie avoids Joel, still believing that they slept together in Juneau; Officer Semanski serves Maurice with an official complaint.
Cicely
Joel stumbles upon an elderly sage who tells him the story of Cicely's creation.
16 Northern Exposure
Yeah, I'd be willing to pay more for fully intact episodes of this phenomenally great TV series, but I'm also realistic enough to know that there are probably not enough people like me out there who are. During the peak of its popularity during its five year run "Northern Exposure" was a solid ratings hit, but its ratings were never through the roof. Add to that a certain number of its fans have since moved on than having DVD sets with full music could well price the sets so high that there are priced out of the market for all but the diehards and there probably aren't enough of us for expensive sets to be profitable. Sad, but that's they way things are.
Besides, licensing costs could well be only part of the problem. It is well within the realm of possibility that Universal simply cannot get the rights to every single song because the copyright holder is not interested in granting permission no matter what the price. Why? There could be any number of reasons. Maybe they did not like the way the song ended up being used in the original episode, maybe the copyright holder is somebody else from when the song was originally licensed, maybe they changed their mind.
So, with all of that let me just say that I'll be looking forwarded to adding this set to my DVD collection which already includes seasons one and two. It would be great to have all the original music, but missing a song here, and a song there cannot distract from the fact that this remains one of a handful of greatest TV shows in broadcast history.
As for season three itself, it is an excellent season. This is the seasons in which Chris' philosophy begins to take better shape, in which Ruth Ann moves from being merely the nice lady who runs the general store to a well defined character, in which both Joel and Maggie start showing more nuance and in which Marilyn, well who doesn't love everything about Marilyn?
17 Please Write More Reviews
If you are willing to pay whatever it costs to have the ORIGINAL MUSIC in tact please post a review here that says so. In addition go to universals website, then DVD/VHS and tell them as much. LET YOUR VOICES BE HEARD!!!!
NOEXFREAk you are an idiot. If you think removing a few songs here and there doesn't take away from the overall experience then you don't get the show. You may have liked it, but you didn't fully get it. Say whatever you want back to me, but your just dead wrong on this one.
18 PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Universal!!!
It is so unfair of Universal to put fans of NE in this position. I was gutted when watching the second season of this series on DVD only to realise that it was full of pappy generic music where REAL music should have been. It didn't destroy the episodes in question, it just took some of the soul away from them. While it is great that this stunning series is finally being released on DVD, I can't help but feel that, without all the fabulous music, it is somewhat the poorer. So many memorable and moving scenes are made all the more so by the perfectly-chosen music that accompanies them, so it is sad to think that we are being made to choose between a compromised DVD version of NE on one hand, or no NE at all apart from the old videotapes and reruns on the other. So my plea goes out to whoever is responsible for these things - I will pay whatever it costs, an unreasonable amount if necessary, to have these episodes with all the original music, and I am sure that many other fans of Northern Exposure feel the same.
19 Seoul Mates
This is the one I've been wating for! The 3rd seson of NORTHERN EXPOSURE was the best and it also contains the single best episode of the entire series -- the Christmas show "Seoul Mates" in which Maurice meets the son he never knew he had, and Joel has a specil gift for the lonely Maggie.
20 First in Line June 14
Actually, if Universal has replaced some of the original music in the third season and people don't buy because of that I seriously doubt that it will prompt them to correct the situation. It will simply mean that we won't get the fourth, fifth, or sixth seasons in ANY form -- original music or replacements.
I don't really like the fact that Universal replaced some of the music in season two, but since the music in season one was left in tact and some of the music in season two wasn't it seems pretty safe to say that they simply were not able to license all of the music for season two. That's a shame, but for me "Northern Exposure" was about the characters, the town of Cicely, and the great writing and imaginative plots. The music, while always a nice addition was only on the rarest of occasions absolutely essential to the plot. Since, as previous posters have stated, there are some shows that will never make it to DVD because of music licensing issues, I'm just glad I can have "Northern Exposure" in my DVD library, and I will be buying the third season when it is released.
21 Know what you are buying!
No one seems to know whether Universal treated the music of season 3 as badly as it did that of season 2. But, given Universal's alterations to season 2, pre-ordering season 3 is probably not a good idea unless you are so desperate for this season on DVD that you don't care what you get. Until we know, I am giving this 1 star and would give it 0 if I could.
With most shows, it probably wouldn't matter much whether Universal replaces any of the original music. But the music in Northern Exposure was directly linked to the story and was even at times used in lieu of dialogue.
So, if you are a fan of this show, don't buy season 3 until Universal has issued a press release stating whether it has altered the music on this season too, or until reviewers have had a chance to check for themselves and tell everyone else.
Don't settle for Universal's disrespectful trashing of this wonderful series. The best way to convince Universal to treat this series with the respect it deserves is to not buy this series until they do.
22 Copyright Laws Have Changed Since The VHS Was Released
The reason VHS copies of "Northern Exposure" had all the music left in tack and some recent DVDs have not is that copyright laws have CHANGED since VHS was the primary format for home video and licensing costs have risen. Universal has to licensee each and every song used in each and every episode individually and it is very much within the realm of possibility that some of the copyright holders and some of the songs used either will not allow them to be used or want so much money that it makes it prohibitively expensive to do so. If you want to blame anyone, blame the copyright holders.
This is why we may never see a DVD set for the great sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati" and why fan's of "The Wonder Years" are still waiting for DVD sets. The simple fact of the matter is that you can either have "Northern Exposure" DVD sets with some music variations, or no "Northern Exposure" DVD sets. I, for one, chose the former. Some other shows, such as "Moonlighting" may have been fortunate to have found copyright holder more cooperative about licensing than others. Again, if you want to blame anyone, blame the copyright holders.
Look, here is a novel idea. Why don't we wait until we find out what the third season on DVD is like before we start slamming this page with one star reviews complaining about how season two was released?
Having said all of that, season #3 and season #4 were the best seasons that "Northern Exposure," one of the handful of greatest TV shows ever, had and I for one can't wait to have them on DVD.
23 NORTHERN EXPOSURE - THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON
Liar Liar Pants on Fire. How can they claim the reason for the added expense of Northern Exposure on DVD is because of the music rights....and yet they were able to release nearly a half a dozen titles a few years ago on VHS with no premium cost? Someone is taking advantage of us. Wonder who?
24 If the reality that music rights are expensive to come by...
If the reality is that music rights are expensive, and that the DVD companies are trying to "help" us by keeping costs down on DVD's, WHY are there multiple shows from the 80's and 90's that still get the original music included, and keep a competitive price nevertheless?
MOONLIGHTING is coming out on DVD, and they managed to keep all the original songs. Better yet, it still is affordable at $39.95. If other companies are doing it, why can't the people releasing NE?
I was extremely disappointed with the first season, and I burned and ripped my copy of the second season from the video rental store so that I would have the benefit of the 2nd season Northern Exposure without the *blemish* of actually having to PAY for something inaccurately dubbed as "The COMPLETE Second Season".
Don't bother buying the third season. Look for it on bit torrent (under my handle), and it'll be available for everyone to enjoy for no cost at all. That's *why* the internet is great, after all. If the companies want to cheat us out of the original music of the COMPLETE third season, we'll cheat "them" out of some of their money for the COMPLETE season as well. Fair is fair. If they want to lowball things by cutting corners, turnabout is only fair play. =)
25 Licensing, Licensing, Licensing!!!
The reality is simple. Changes in copyright law means that licensing costs of music are expensive and these costs are multiplied on shows like NoEx which used music as a key point of many of its episodes. It is quite possible that Universal was unable to license all of the songs used in season two which is why some of it has been replaced. Copyright law is a very complicated issue which might also explain why some of the songs missing in season two are available in other countries or even in an alternate language track. Furthermore it could well be that the rather cheesy presentation on previous NoEx DVD sets (flip discs, etc.) was done as a way to keep the already expensive sets (due to licensing) down in price so they would not be priced out of the market. The expensive per episode of the first two sets are probably designed to subsidize subsequent season which had a full slate of episodes. Note the title of this set: "The *COMPLETE* Third Season."
Look, I'd LOVE to be able to have each and every NoEx episode in its original pristine form complete with each and every song. But I realize that such may well be financially difficult if not all but impossible (it is possible that the copyright owners of some of the music refused to grant licensing rights). As it is I am simply thrilled we are getting this first rate show on DVD and season three is, quite possibly, the best season of all with such episodes as "The Body in Question," and "Seoul Mates," among others ranking among the best commercial TV has ever had to offer. Season four, which given the release schedule so far could be out in the fall of 2005, rivals season three.
26 Third Season is to be ALL Episodes........
According to other internet resources selling the 3rd season states it will go for $59.98 and come with 3 DVD, so it looks like it will be the entire season. THAT MAKES ME VERY, VERY, VERY HAPPY.....TO break up the season would be like taking Chris in the morning off the Radio (it just doesn't work) if you know what I mean. So I say bring on the entire season and lets not mess around.
The packaging is to be a Green Grass looking cover with snaps on the side.
Northern Exposure: Complete Third Season
STREET DATE: 6/14/2005
S.R.P.: $59.98
VIDEO STUDIO: Universal
PACKAGING: Slim Snap Cases with Outer Box
NUMBER OF DISCS: 3
MPAA RATING: Not Rated
CAPTIONS: English
SUBTITLES: French, Spanish
27 Third Season!
The third season of Northern Exposure really takes off into more metaphysical territory and creative, interpretive writing from the shows makers.
Season one had 8 episodes, season two 7, season three has 23! and it is listed as the same price range as the first two dvd sets. The third season consisted of:
3.1 The Bumpy Road To Love
3.2 Only You
3.3 Oy, Wilderness
3.4 Animals R Us
3.5 Jules et Joel
3.6 The Body In Question
3.7 Roots
3.8 A-Hunting We Will Go
3.9 Get Real
3.10 Seoul Mates
3.11 Dateline: Cicely
3.12 Our Tribe
3.13 Things Become Extinct
3.14 Burning Down The House
3.15 Democracy In America
3.16 The Three Amigos
3.17 Lost And Found
3.18 My Mother, My Sister
3.19 Wake-Up Call
3.20 The Final Frontier
3.21 It Happened In Juneau
3.22 Our Wedding
3.23 Cicely
So, this is in three discs. This is an extraordinary series which only got better and better and, when seen as a whole, from the pilot to the final episode in the sixth season, reveals a consistency and theme which relates to people with a sense for wonder and the human spirit.
28 A perfect TV series, a flawed second season edition
Dear Sirs, customers of Amazon, and internet surfers alike:
As far as I am concerned, Northern Exposure is my favourite TV series ever. I watched most of the episodes in my home country, Spain, and I am now buying the different seasons that get published overseas.
I bought the first season, since the parka was cool, and the sound and image quality were really better than the edition of the first season we got in Spain.
-you can check this out comparing editions of the UK (which is the same edition as in Spain) and USA or Canada-
So I was really happy to buy the second season, with another great parka, and with a very high image quality. The sound was good too, but there is a big flaw to be considered.
Some of the music that was originally used in certain scenes was removed, and subsituted with some meaningless elevator music. This is a true fact. And it is a relevant issue to be taken into account, given that Universal stated that the higher price of the previous season was due to paying the music rights and so forth. We paid more for a complete edition of this wonderful TV series.
However, season two came out with the same price, but without some songs. I noticed these changes while watching the show, and it is a pity for we the fans of this series. We deserved more transparency from Universal, more information.
What is more, the original music IS actually in the DVD of the second season! In the Spanish language track, you CAN listen to those wonderfully chosen songs!
So please, Universal, we need an explanation for this. You made a big mistake, either changing only one track (I suppose that the rights for the songs do not depend on which language you include them in) or changing the music, simply.
Now the third season is about to come out. Great news, but: will we have a bittersweet aftertaste? The answer can only be posted by Universal.
Is the original music included this time?
We already know there is no parka this time (pity!). Let's cross our fingers and hope that the music is included in its full version. We already have George Lucas changing original movies, we do not need more people doing this kind of things.
This great TV series deserves it.
And yes, I will buy it anyhow.
29 If you buy it they'll make more.....
Considering all of the "marginal" TV shows that have been released to DVD before NX, and the frustration felt by those of us who think this may be the smartest show ever to air, and the justifiable fear felt by fans that the show would never be released to DVD...quit complaining and buy it! It just doesn't get any better than this. A great entertainment value.
30 a review of a review
as the dvd isn't out yet, this is of course not a review of the dvd. that would be ludicrous.
it's a review of the review below it.
the reviewer asks us to be grateful to universal for continuing to release northern exposure dvds.
his premise is that even though the studio is releasing substandard material, we'd all better just thank our lucky stars that they release it at all and allow us to buy these dvds.
it's thought processes like these that kept russians waiting on interminable lines for a chance to buy a roll of toilet paper with splinters or a pair of shoes three sizes too small because god only knew when they'd be able to buy better ones.
but we're not communists. we're capitalists. and capitalists who buy something they know is crappy so that the manufacturers won't get mad at them and stop selling them crap are begging for more crap.
and if the goods are crap and we buy them anyway all we deserve is more crap.
and i'll buy it, too. but i'm not going to pretend i like it.
the bully already has my milk money. he knows i'll give him more any time he asks. he doesn't care if i think he's a swell guy or not. he just wants the money.
get it?
31 Keep them coming!!!
Despite the fact that these DVDs are not formatted as well as they could be and there are some issues with the music, at least Universal is continuing to release Northern Exposure on DVD. Please, people, stop complaining and just be thankful that we're able to get them at all!
