Is the Television Show Men in Trees, the New Northern Exposure?

We all know how networks like to copy the style, the plot and, hopefully, the success of shows on other networks. To understand this, all a viewer has to do is look at reality shows and all their subsequent spin-offs. The same holds true of television dramas and sitcoms. After the success of Friends, the viewer was hardly surprised to see copy cat shows such as The Class bursting forth onto our television screens. As viewers, we like copies of television shows we have loved and lost.

That's not to say we don't appreciate the so-called original show that breaks out of the cloning frenzy. The problem is...does a truly original show exist? Or is the original version just old enough that the new generation of viewers doesn't remember it? Many people hold to the idea that there are no new stories to be told. All the plot lines, the characters and situations have all existed since Mankind first started telling stories. Only the way in which the story is told is new. To see how true these statements are, just watch television.

Recently, the new ABC show, Men in Trees, has been proclaimed a new and original show. But is it really? Men in Trees is a wonderful program, garnering many faithful viewers. I love the setup, the situations and, especially the characters. But I'm old enough that Men in Trees reminds me of another program.

From July, 1990 to July, 1995, I was entranced with a show on CBS called Northern Exposure. In this highly rated program, a doctor graduates from medical school. However, the premise of the show was that the state of Alaska paid for his education. In return, he promised to hang up his shingle to practice medicine in one of their cities. Of course, he didn't end up in Anchorage or any other big city. Instead, he ended up in the small town of Cicely.

The similarities between Men in Trees and Northern Exposure don't stop there. Both have the outsider coming into a small Alaskan town by way of New York. Although Trees' fish-out-of-water is a female writer and not a male doctor, both characters are out of their element and, at first, yearn to return to their big city life.

Even the supporting characters show similarities, albeit with a few changes to liven up the story for today's market. For instance, Northern Exposure had a rich citizen who kept throwing money and power around when needed. In Trees, the rich citizen is the bar owner and a much more mellow fellow, but his money is still there when it's needed. His wife helps out in the bar much like the young wife of the bar owner in the earlier show did. Other citizens evoking reminders of Northern Exposure's wacky folks include Men in Tree's quirky bar patrons. As in the great 1990's program, a lot of the action happens within the walls of the local tavern between the odd, yet lovable, characters of the small town. Additionally, as in Northern Exposure, a local radio station manned by the town's slightly different disc jockey, keeps the residents of the small town informed of local events.

But the main similarity is the love story. In Northern Exposure, Dr. Fleishman fell in love with the town's beautiful female pilot. Love, however, didn't come easy as they were often at odds with each other and ended up in the arms of a third party. After all, what's a good love story without conflict? The theme is replayed in Men in Trees. The writer, Marin Frist, recovering from a love-gone-wrong, quickly finds the local rugged, man's-man type, Jack Slattery, to her fancy. But, of course, as all good shows do, love does not run smoothly especially when Jack's pregnant ex-lover shows up to spoil the possible love match between Marin and Jack.

Are there too many similarities between the shows? I don't think so. Although the locale, the quirky characters, the love triangle, and more remind the viewer of the very popular Northern Exposure program, the writers of Men in Trees have thrown in enough twists to make the old story new again.

Yes, similarities and differences do exist between the shows, but the object of both shows is the same: to entertain viewers. Having been a big fan of Northern Exposure, I immediately felt drawn to Men in Trees even if, at first, I didn't realize the connection between the two shows. This, of course, is part of the reason why networks reuse winning formulas for their television programs and add the necessary twists and changes to turn the old show into the new one.

But why not come up with a totally different show? As people, we lean toward the familiar especially when doing so lets us relive good memories. Ratings would prove this to be true. So I say...bring on the rehashed shows, the reused plots, and the recognizable characters with fresh new faces and plot twists. Keep us coming back for more of the same.