Pilot
Episode: 1x01 | Airdate: Jul 12, 1990
Yuppie New York doctor Joel Fleischman accepts a job in picturesque Alaska, unaware he's assigned to a remote village, where he experiences culture shock among eccentric townsfolk.
Episode: 1x01 | Airdate: Jul 12, 1990
Yuppie New York doctor Joel Fleischman accepts a job in picturesque Alaska, unaware he's assigned to a remote village, where he experiences culture shock among eccentric townsfolk.
Episode: 1x02 | Airdate: Jul 19, 1990
A self-reliant Maggie chides Joel for being helpless when he's beset by problems; Ed's uncle Anku, a medicine man, refuses medical treatment; and Chris reads Walt Whitman over the airwaves, angering Maurice, who prefers show tunes on his station.
Episode: 1x03 | Airdate: Jul 26, 1990
A hermit goes to extremes when Dr. Joel suggests that he think about the future; Maggie becomes Joel's partner in a land deal in which a Native American chief is also interested.
Episode: 1x04 | Airdate: Aug 2, 1990
Joel is asked to be Holling's best man, but his mind is on helping Maurice sell Alaska to two Japanese businessmen in hopes of playing golf at their proposed resort.
Episode: 1x05 | Airdate: Aug 9, 1990
Flu-stricken townsfolk and the crafty Maggie unwittingly do their part to sabotage Joel's plans for a romantic respite with Elaine, his visiting fiancée.
Episode: 1x06 | Airdate: Aug 16, 1990
A man from Saskatchewan puts Shelly in a pickle and leaves Holling unable to turn his head; Ed's vision for a blockbuster movie is blurred by writer's block; Rick blames his medical problem on Maggie's "curse."
Episode: 1x07 | Airdate: Aug 23, 1990
Maurice's choice for an heir results in a father-son squabble; Shelly tags along when Holling and Ed go after the elusive brown bear; Maggie takes over Joel's childbirthing class.
Episode: 1x08 | Airdate: Aug 30, 1990
Anticipation of the aurora borealis illuminates dreams for Chris and his soul mate Bernard but the same northern lights bring nightmares for Joel, who must make a house call in the woods amid rumors of a Bigfoot-like creature there.
Episode: 2x01 | Airdate: Apr 8, 1991
Shelly becomes mesmerized by TV when a satellite dish is installed at Holling's saloon; Dr. Joel reacts to a Dear John letter from Elaine.
Episode: 2x02 | Airdate: Apr 15, 1991
Ed turns to an Indian spirit to learn who his parents are; Chris turns to a local beauty for a cure after he's rendered mute by a beautiful woman passing through town.
Episode: 2x03 | Airdate: Apr 22, 1991
Holling elects to get circumcised to be "more in style" for Shelly; Maggie weaves a web of deceit to hoodwink her father; townsfolk stand watch over the corpse of Mr. Unknown Person.
Episode: 2x04 | Airdate: Apr 29, 1991
Maggie's dream about Joel's death spooks him enough to consider canceling his visit home, especially after feeling suspicious about his substitute; Maurice welcomes a visit from an astronaut groupie.
Episode: 2x05 | Airdate: May 6, 1991
Libidos run amok in anticipation of Cicely's spring meltdown: Maggie and Joel invade each other's dreams; Maurice falls for state trooper Semanski; Shelly can't get enough of D.H. Lawrence.
Episode: 2x06 | Airdate: May 13, 1991
Celebrations with vodka, borscht and a reading of "War and Peace" greet Russian legend Nikolai on his annual visit; and Chris's poetic lines help Ed woo a lusty farm gal.
Episode: 2x07 | Airdate: May 20, 1991
The curse of Maggie strikes again, and Rick is struck dead---by a falling satellite; newcomers have more in common with Maurice than he'd like to admit; Holling enjoys a reunion with an old gal from Nome.
Episode: 3x01 | Airdate: Sep 23, 1991
Joel is in for a stormy night when Adam requests a house call for Eve; Maggie discovers Rick's unfaithfulness.
Episode: 3x02 | Airdate: Sep 30, 1991
Maurice accuses Holling of snapping an unflattering photograph; Chris becomes fixated on a woman out of his reach.
Episode: 3x03 | Airdate: Oct 7, 1991
An emergency landing in Maggie's plane sends Maggie foraging for food, while Joel blubbers about the menu; and a visit from Shelly's best friend triggers a tiff.
Episode: 3x04 | Airdate: Oct 14, 1991
Maggie thinks that a reincarnated Rick is living a dog's life; Maurice sees himself as an ostrich-farm tycoon; Ed films the human landscape of Cicely.
Episode: 3x05 | Airdate: Oct 28, 1991
Mental ghouls and goblins haunt Joel after a fall, bringing to Cicely Jules (Rob Morrow in a dual role), his slick twin brother who trades places with Joel.
Episode: 3x06 | Airdate: Nov 4, 1991
Chris's discovery of a frozen century-old corpse has Joel rethinking the course of history, Maurice plotting a new enterprise, Shelly pondering fertility, and Holling reflecting on his own gene pool.
Episode: 3x07 | Airdate: Nov 11, 1991
The widow Elaine shows up unexpectedly and gets a cold reception from ex-fiancé Joel, until Maggie unintentionally plays matchmaker; a new chef makes a culinary impression on patrons of Holling's place.
Episode: 3x08 | Airdate: Nov 18, 1991
After grousing about the hunting frenzy sweeping Cicely, Joel joins Chris and Holling to experience the ritual first hand; Ed fears that Ruth-Anne is being stalked by the grim reaper.
Episode: 3x09 | Airdate: Dec 9, 1991
A bus breaks down in Cicely, carrying a traveling troupe whose nonverbal "flying man" takes a fancy to Marilyn. But there's heartache in store for Shelly when Holling takes note of her "inordinately large" feet.
Episode: 3x10 | Airdate: Dec 16, 1991
The holidays are celebrated with a pageant by the townsfolk, and bring mixed blessings for Maggie, a first Christmas tree for Joel, and a foreign family for Maurice.
Episode: 3x11 | Airdate: Jan 6, 1992
Maurice tries to spice up his newspaper's coverage by hiring an unnamed reporter given to clandestine meetings; Maggie talks to the trees, but Joel won't listen; Chris becomes a partner at the Brick.
Episode: 3x12 | Airdate: Jan 13, 1992
Joel reluctantly undergoes a cultural conversion after receiving a goat as a gift from a grateful village elder, who insists on "adopting" him; and a mysterious Holling shuts down the Brick, ostensibly to wax the floors.
Episode: 3x13 | Airdate: Jan 20, 1992
Ed becomes immersed in the heritage of the resident elder he has chosen for the subject of a new film; Holling suffers a midlife crisis at age 63.
Episode: 3x14 | Airdate: Feb 3, 1992
Tempers sizzle with the arrival of Maggie's "pathologically polite" mother, who brings alarming news; the creative process inflames Chris with an unusual vision for an art project.
Episode: 3x15 | Airdate: Feb 24, 1992
Mayoral incumbent Holling has a formidable opponent---his friend Edna, who's got a bee in her bonnet over a promise never followed up on.
Episode: 3x16 | Airdate: Mar 2, 1992
Holling and Maurice carry out a promise to bury a companion miles from civilization, but they're bogged down with problems, including the man's widow.
Episode: 3x17 | Airdate: Mar 9, 1992
Joel hears the ghost of a loner who committed suicide in the house 40 years ago; Eve complains of new ailments; Maurice considers it an honor to do a favor for an old colonel.
Episode: 3x18 | Airdate: Mar 16, 1992
An infant abandoned in Joel's waiting room gets plenty of TLC from residents; Shelly receives a surprise visit from her mother.
Episode: 3x19 | Airdate: Mar 23, 1992
Spring has sprung in Cicely, and with it come crocuses, free eggs at the Brick, a rebirth for Shelly, a diagnostic refresher for Joel, and an awakening of passions for Maggie.
Episode: 3x20 | Airdate: Apr 27, 1992
Japanese tourists converge on Cicely to perform a ritual under the Northern Lights; Holling goes looking for Jesse the bear; and curiosity gets the best of townsfolk when a package arrives with postmarks from around the globe.
Episode: 3x21 | Airdate: May 4, 1992
Joel looks forward to a weekend in Juneau, hoping to spend it with attractive female physicians. But, instead, he winds up in a hotel suite with Maggie who clearly cramps his style. Meanwhile, Chris is flustered when Bernard, his "karmic doppelganger", returns from Africa.
Episode: 3x22 | Airdate: May 11, 1992
The wedding of Adam and Eve reveals a secret about the bride; at the Brick, the menfolk guzzle and puzzle over the gulf between men and women; and Joel and Maggie want to finish what they started in Juneau.
Episode: 3x23 | Airdate: May 18, 1992
An elderly visitor recounts Cicely's beginnings with tales of what was once a cultural mecca, known as "the Paris of the North," settled by a free-thinking pioneer and her companion.
Episode: 4x01 | Airdate: Sep 28, 1992
Fear of aging grips Maggie on her birthday. Her solution: a native ritual for laying the past to rest.
Episode: 4x02 | Airdate: Oct 5, 1992
The midnight sun warms Joel's libido and brings to town an adventure-seeking salesman. Meanwhile, Shelly's cheerleading outfit arouses Holling.
Episode: 4x03 | Airdate: Oct 12, 1992
Chris runs over a dog and events add up to romance for him and its mathematician owner; Maurice purchases a magnificent timepiece, fine-tuned by a punked-out master craftsman.
Episode: 4x04 | Airdate: Oct 19, 1992
Adam Ant plays a rock star who cooks up a gig with Native American drummers and becomes the subject of Ed's film. Meanwhile, Chris muses over the proper burial for a friend.
Episode: 4x05 | Airdate: Nov 2, 1992
Cicely's wholesome environment beckons the hyperallergic Mike, who lives in a geodesic dome, and Ruth-Ann's yuppie son Matthew.
Episode: 4x06 | Airdate: Nov 9, 1992
Silent "Flying Man" Enrico Bellati returns to Cicely with a group of whimsical mimes. Meanwhile, finding a ruby ring inside a fish conjures up Fellini-esque imagery for Ed.
Episode: 4x07 | Airdate: Nov 16, 1992
Valerie Perrine plays the daughter Holling never knew he had, and---after she appears out of the blue---wishes he'd never met, for Holling sees her as a bad seed who's corrupting Shelly. Meanwhile, Ed befriends a migrating crane.
Episode: 4x08 | Airdate: Nov 23, 1992
Cicely's Day of the Dead Parade and Thanksgiving feast evoke phantasmagorical figures and the colors and aromas of fall. Meanwhile, Cicely's holidaymania doesn't impress Joel; Chris recalls Thanksgivings past.
Episode: 4x09 | Airdate: Nov 30, 1992
A KGB spy claiming to have a dossier on Maurice shakes up Cicely; a health inspector puts in his two-cents worth at the Brick; the death of another friend has Maggie on her best behavior.
Episode: 4x10 | Airdate: Dec 14, 1992
When the law catches up with Chris, his extradition hearing becomes an arena for philosophical discourse.
Episode: 4x11 | Airdate: Jan 4, 1993
After unearthing Native American artifacts in her yard, Maggie wages war against men, particularly Maurice, who sees dollar signs in the discovery; a nightmare has Ed contemplating the end of life on Earth; a youngster is struck by the love bug.
Episode: 4x12 | Airdate: Jan 11, 1993
Feeling caught up in the secular world, Chris seeks rejuvenation at a monastery; and landlord Maurice fumes after Ruth-Anne pays off the store.
Episode: 4x13 | Airdate: Jan 18, 1993
Ed gets another visit from his invisible spiritual guide, who again claims to have tracked down Ed's father; a blind piano tuner strikes a dissonant chord with Holling.
Episode: 4x14 | Airdate: Feb 1, 1993
Maggie's family wreaks havoc on Joel when he accompanies her home for her grandmother's birthday.
Episode: 4x15 | Airdate: Feb 8, 1993
A headstrong schoolteacher clashes with Maggie and gives Holling little hope of gaining his high-school diploma; mother hen Joel fusses when Marilyn goes on an adventure in Seattle.
Episode: 4x16 | Airdate: Feb 15, 1993
Ill winds blow in, bringing with them metaphysical bumps and bruises for Joel, who asks for trouble and gets it from Maggie. Meanwhile, Chris and Maurice have a windswept encounter with fate; and Ed dwells on thoughts of death.
Episode: 4x17 | Airdate: Feb 21, 1993
Joel blows up at Maggie for forgetting their romp in the hay; Uncle Anku urges Ed to marry; birdwatchers Holling and Ruth-Anne head for the woods.
Episode: 4x18 | Airdate: Mar 1, 1993
The winter solstice opens Chris to new creative pursuits, but it encourages Joel to betray his Hippocratic oath after he's denied a vacation. Meanwhile, residents muster empathy for a down-on-his-luck veteran.
Episode: 4x19 | Airdate: Mar 8, 1993
The unveiling of the Whirlwind family's totem pole by Leonard prompts a family feud; Shelly marries to stop a barrage of hallucinations.
Episode: 4x20 | Airdate: Mar 15, 1993
The romantic mood of Maggie's dinner for Mike is doused by his announcement that he's leaving; Shelly's redecorating takes its toll on Holling; and Maurice brings north the family home.
Episode: 4x21 | Airdate: Mar 22, 1993
To celebrate KBHR's silver jubilee, Maurice throws a soiree, which brings Adam and Eve to town and leaves an uninvited Joel feeling miffed.
Episode: 4x22 | Airdate: May 3, 1993
Residents search for other Jews to join in a kaddish for Joel's dead uncle; Chris and Bernard join in a blood feud with the West Virginia Miller boys; Marilyn picks Holling as a dance partner.
Episode: 4x23 | Airdate: May 10, 1993
The arrival of a truffle-hunting pig and the onslaught of mosquitoes signal springtime in Cicely, which also finds Holling obsessed with the urge to plant and Maggie discovering her new-found healing powers.
Episode: 4x24 | Airdate: May 17, 1993
Memories of Maurice's wartime archenemy surface after Duk Won arrives and asks permission to marry; Ed has a plan to keep his ancestors' Tlingit language alive; and Holling's thirst goes unquenched.
Episode: 4x25 | Airdate: May 24, 1993
Maurice sounds the death knell for Cicely's 300-year-old tree, as Joel looks for a way to save it; Shelly spontaneously breaks out in song, much to the annoyance of Holling; and Maggie nearly kills Joel with "niceness."
Episode: 5x01 | Airdate: Sep 20, 1993
While Joel is afflicted with "glacier dropsy," Leonard cares for his patients, including Ed, who's been "sleepflying," and Shelly, who's stopped singing.
Episode: 5x02 | Airdate: Sep 27, 1993
A baffling experience at an antique shop entangles Maggie in a Nancy Drew-like mystery; Maurice refuses to grow old gracefully; and Joel discovers a link between his cultural heritage and Marilyn's.
Episode: 5x03 | Airdate: Oct 4, 1993
Maurice's likeness is cast in wax; Chris discovers he'll be on the planet for the long haul; and the dentist comes to town.
Episode: 5x04 | Airdate: Oct 11, 1993
Chris faces a metaphysical conundrum when Bernard's girlfriend, who once lived with Chris, can't tell the brothers apart.
Episode: 5x05 | Airdate: Oct 25, 1993
A randy high-schooler asks Maggie to be homecoming queen; a by-the-book IRS agent scours Ruth-Anne's accounts; and Maurice wheels and deals in real estate with a Native American.
Episode: 5x06 | Airdate: Nov 1, 1993
When Joel's parents first visit Cicely, his mother soars with the eagles, while his dad outshines Joel at the Brick. Meanwhile, Holling confesses his distaste for TV sports.
Episode: 5x07 | Airdate: Nov 8, 1993
Ed organizes Cicely's first film festival; Leonard searches for "the white collective unconscious" in Western folklore.
Episode: 5x08 | Airdate: Nov 15, 1993
Ed diagnoses a patient who then falls for him, but his low self-esteem brings a visit from the Green Man; Holling ridicules pregnancy and gets thrown out of Shelly's childbirth class.
Episode: 5x09 | Airdate: Nov 22, 1993
Ed discovers an alarming tale of cannibalism that later gnaws at Holling and Ruth-Anne; anxiety eats at Chris over his written pilot's exam.
Episode: 5x10 | Airdate: Dec 13, 1993
Residents anticipate winter's snow. But for Joel, an elderly patient's claims that she's dying bring guilt and self-reproachment; and Shelly believes that her little white lie about love is making her nose grow.
Episode: 5x11 | Airdate: Jan 3, 1994
Maggie throws a shower for Shelly; a Hollywood agent takes an interest in Ed's script; Chris tries to get in touch with his "inner woman."
Episode: 5x12 | Airdate: Jan 10, 1994
The aurora borealis brings a strange lucidity---and dream swapping---to Cicely residents, sending Holling into psychotherapy and creating friction between Maurice and B&B owners Ron and Erick.
Episode: 5x13 | Airdate: Jan 17, 1994
A violinist begs Maurice not to lock a prized Guarnerius away; dust mites awaken fear in Maggie; and Chris reaches an artistic impasse.
Episode: 5x14 | Airdate: Jan 24, 1994
Adam has some wacko ideas about the fireworks experts Maurice hired; a ranger loses his job but refuses to leave his post; and Ed is struck by lightning.
Episode: 5x15 | Airdate: Jan 31, 1994
Shelley has second thoughts about delivering her baby in Anchorage; Walt endures frostbite just to be with Ruth-Anne; and Joel outstitches Maggie at Marilyn's knitting workshop.
Episode: 5x16 | Airdate: Feb 28, 1994
At Joel's first dinner party, friends suffer the consequences of his hospitality; Shelly returns to her Canadian roots; and townsfolk grouse over changes in Chris's radio playlist.
Episode: 5x17 | Airdate: Mar 7, 1994
Caribou run amok on Main Street during cabin-fever season, which finds Walt abusing his prescription for seasonal affective disorder, Joel and Maggie snowbound at the airport and Ruth-Anne trying to learn Italian so she can read Dante's "The Divine Comedy" in the original language.
Episode: 5x18 | Airdate: Mar 14, 1994
Joel tries to reel in a monster fish; Ruth-Anne abandons the store and takes off on a Harley.
Episode: 5x19 | Airdate: Mar 28, 1994
Joel finds a kindred spirit with whom to exchange "doctor talk"; the Tambo-Vincoeurs take in Maurice following an explosion at his home; and Chris puzzles over a series of meaningful coincidences involving a deer.
Episode: 5x20 | Airdate: Apr 11, 1994
Shelly is confronted with a loss of faith on the eve of Miranda's baptism, while Ed contemplates redemption after spreading details of Ruth-Anne's private life.
Episode: 5x21 | Airdate: May 2, 1994
Only Maurice is aghast over the nuptials of Erick and Ron. Meanwhile, Maggie feels stomach-turning dizziness around Joel.
Episode: 5x22 | Airdate: May 9, 1994
Wheelchair athletes converge on Cicely; the Green Man of low self-esteem pays Ed another visit; Ted discovers that the rich really are different.
Episode: 5x23 | Airdate: May 16, 1994
During the annual blood drive, Ed is alerted to a Cicely resident with his same rare blood type; Joel may be losing Maggie to an old beau.
Episode: 5x24 | Airdate: May 23, 1994
Cal gets a pass from the asylum to help Maurice entertain Off. Semanski; Chris's image of an old flame is a distorted one; Joel stumbles upon a frozen woolly mammoth.
Episode: 6x01 | Airdate: Sep 19, 1994
Joel's herb-induced dream transforms Cicely's folksy regulars into New York sophisticates.
Episode: 6x02 | Airdate: Sep 26, 1994
PI-in-training Ed spies on Hayden Keys, who may be faking injury; the purchase of an antique dollhouse sets Shelly to dreaming on a grand scale; and Maggie's and Maurice's charity donations bring regrets.
Episode: 6x03 | Airdate: Oct 3, 1994
Joel must atone for his sins when he's visited by a rabbi---the ghost of Yom Kippur past, present and future; Maurice welcomes an honored guest for a fox hunt.
Episode: 6x04 | Airdate: Oct 10, 1994
Joel finds a strange lump on his head; Shelly has bad luck after chucking a chain letter; a barber parks his pole in Cicely; and Maggie receives a letter she'd written at 15.
Episode: 6x05 | Airdate: Oct 17, 1994
Shelly makes a deal with the devil; Ed bungles Joel's tests on a pill for the common cold; and Chris introduces a co-host.
Episode: 6x06 | Airdate: Oct 31, 1994
Marilyn's tale of her grandfather's encounter in Alaska with Russian princess Anastasia unfolds on-screen in filmmaker Ed's vision of Cicely's early days. It involves a secret meeting that took place with Lenin and the princess.
Episode: 6x07 | Airdate: Nov 7, 1994
Electricity generates a new art project for Chris; sparks fly between Joel and Maggie on a Russian flight bound for St. Petersburg; Maurice welcomes his cousin to Cicely, hoping to groom him to take over the family business.
Episode: 6x08 | Airdate: Nov 14, 1994
A conflict with Maggie over firearms drives Joel to the outback to live in a remote village; a contractor destroys Chris's way of life; Ruth-Anne surrenders to love.
Episode: 6x09 | Airdate: Nov 28, 1994
Paul Provenza and Teri Polo join the cast as Cicely's new doctor Phillip Capra and his journalist wife Michelle, who feel that they've stepped back in time in their new environs. Meanwhile, Ed sees into the future; and Holling wants to join the Sons of the Tundra men's club.
Episode: 6x10 | Airdate: Dec 12, 1994
Maggie finds herself in the seat of power as Cicely's mayor but must contend with Chris's screwball fixation; Marilyn buys a champion stud husky that's more of a dud husky; and Phil is invited to play golf in the wilderness with Joel.
Episode: 6x11 | Airdate: Jan 4, 1995
Maggie treks into the Manonash village to visit Joel, who she fears is in imminent danger; an elderly couple asks to stay the night at Phil and Michelle's; and Ed thinks the information highway looks cold and forbidding.
Episode: 6x12 | Airdate: Jan 11, 1995
Marilyn shatters Joel's inner peace on a visit to Manonash; Ed takes advantage of Maurice's hospitality; and a house is not Holling's idea of a home.
Episode: 6x13 | Airdate: Jan 18, 1995
Cicely's new bottled water alters gender behavior and causes women to display an overactive sex drive; violinist Cal becomes a fugitive; and Joel is freed to return to New York.
Episode: 6x14 | Airdate: Feb 1, 1995
A visit from Maggie's mom reveals that the two O'Connell women have a lot in common; Ruth-Anne clashes with new employee Walt over canned goods; Maurice pouts when Holling gets chummy with Phil.
Episode: 6x15 | Airdate: Feb 8, 1995
Joel enlists Maggie to join him on a quest for the mythical Jeweled City of the North; Chris slaps Phil with a malpractice lawsuit; and critic Michelle reviews the Brick.
Episode: 6x16 | Airdate: Feb 15, 1995
While Cicelians honor Founders Day, newcomers Phil and Michelle experience buyers' remorse over purchasing a big spread; Maurice claims that Randi is his reincarnated Uncle Elvy; and Chris and Maggie find a common bond.
Episode: 6x17 | Airdate: Mar 8, 1995
Chris's visiting professors get into an argument over his master's dissertation; Maggie buys Cicely's neglected movie house; and a young man stops by the Brick to meet his father.
Episode: 6x18 | Airdate: Mar 15, 1995
Phil gets caught up in a feud between two of Cicely's Italian families; Ruth-Anne begins a series for National Public Radio; Holling finally vents his anger toward Shelly.
Episode: 6x19 | Airdate: Apr 6, 1995
During a bowling invitational, Phil and Michelle seem headed for splitsville. Meanwhile, Ed sets his sights on the sophisticated Heather.
Episode: 6x20 | Airdate: Apr 24, 1995
Michelle mounts a production of "Bus Stop," which infects Cicelians with the acting bug but sparks creative differences and petty jealousies.
Episode: 6x21 | Airdate: Jul 12, 1995
"Parenthood" sours for Ed after he brings home a cuddly bear cub to nurture; and Chris's dream experiments entangle him with a saucy hotel manager.
Episode: 6x22 | Airdate: Jul 19, 1995
Fugitive violinist Cal wants to turn himself in with help from Maurice and Off. Semanski; Phil offends the locals; Chris pairs up with a judgmental youngster at a cotillion dance class.
Episode: 6x23 | Airdate: Jul 26, 1995
The sun sets---one last time---on the town of Cicely as friends gather at Maurice's summer lodge for relaxation, renewal and reflection.