History Series / NorthernExposure

--> ''Maggie's expression crumbles in realization.''* DecemberDecemberRomance: Ruth-Anne and Walt.

* DearJohnLetter: Joel gets one of these in season 2's premiere "Goodbye to All That".
* DecemberDecemberRomance: Ruth-Anne and Walt.

* SaltAndPepper: Chris and Bernard, a white guy/black guy pair of half-brothers who are more or less ''exactly the same person.''

* FakeGuestStar: Moultrie Patten as Walt Kupfer. He appeared in nearly every episode in the last couple seasons.

** In "What I Did for Love" Maggie repeatedly dreams she's playing ''Clue'' with Joel, who, in the dream, will die in a plane crash on his way back to New York.

* UnfortunateImplications: In-universe example: In one episode, Joel is listing strains of flu, and when he says "Russian flu", everyone immediately thinks [[WindmillPolitical the Soviets sent the flu across the Bering Strait to them]] and end of the Cold War was a hoax.

* AbsenteeActor: Joel (Morrow) doesn't appear in some of the later episodes due to a contract dispute before finally leaving in the early sixth (and final) season.

* AllGaysLoveTheatre: Referenced in the first episode, when Maurice tells Joel about his love of musicals - "But I'm no fruit if that's what you're thinkin'".

* BrokenAesop: In "Learning Curve", Maggie locks horns with a woman with opinions about what women should and shouldn't do that could only be called incredibly sexist (not to mention hypocritical, since she's a former Air Force pilot but believes women shouldn't be pilots because they lack emotional stability). At one point, the other woman calls Maggie out as a StrawFeminist, for assuming all women agree with her point of view. That would have made for a good Aesop, but the episode doesn't leave it there. It goes on to have Maggie see the error of her ways and agree to disagree - really not a good lesson to teach anyone when you're talking about sexist beliefs that belong on the scrap heap of history.

* HideYourLesbians: In-universe example - Maurice tells Joel that, [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial whatever he may have heard]], the two women who founded the town were just good friends.

* MortalityPhobia: Inverted. Chris's father and grandfather both died by the age of 40, so he figures that he will too - so he tends to do risky things, like take out loans and not pay them off. But then Joel diagnoses him with high blood pressure and gives him medication, stating that his father & grandfather probably had it too. Now that Chris is given a chance at a long life, he starts toning down his risky behavior.

* TheOner: a rather memorable one occurs in "Get Real." The scene begins with Joel in his truck; the camera is clamped to the door of the truck looking at Joel through the driver's side window. He offers Enrico Belotti (The Flying Man) a ride into town. When Mr. Belotti declines the offer, Joel drives off, drilling himself in preparation for his internal medicine Board exams as he goes. When he gets to town, there's Mr. Belotti waiting for him by the side of the road, looking like he's been through some vigorous exercise--and Joel realizes that they don't call Mr. Belotti "The Flying Man" for nothing.

** One of Cicely's lesbian founders is named Rosalyn--after the town in Washington state where the show's exterior scenes were filmed.

* VikingFuneral: Chris uses his trebuchet to give his old friend Tooley a metaphorical Viking funeral - one final Fling for the world's greatest party animal.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Episodes often end this way - a character will get into some sort of situation which won't really resolve itself, with the narrative resolution coming instead from the character learning something about him/herself or others.

* UnfortunateImplications: In-universe example: In one episode, Joel is listing strains of flu, and when he says "Russian flu", everyone immediately thinks [[WindmillPolitical the Soviets sent the flu across the Bering Strait to them]] and TheGreatPoliticsMessUp was a hoax.

* TheGreatPoliticsMessUp: Since [[MemeticMutation you can see Russia from their houses]], yes, this is mentioned occasionally, particularly in "Russian Flu" and "War and Peace."