Lambe plays Siaja, a “modern Inuk woman” who has done everything she felt society asked of her: married her childhood sweetheart, started a family, and volunteered in her community. (In online parlance, some might call her a “trad wife.”) Unsurprisingly, fulfilling a society-prescribed notion of womanhood is not exactly fulfilling, and Siaja longs to stretch her wings a bit. But she quickly learns the same lesson people pleasers and “obedient women” throughout history have: When you start advocating for yourself, people push back. Her husband Ting (Kelly Williams), the town “golden boy,” wants her to stay at home and raise another baby. Even her own single mother Neevee (Maika Harper) doesn’t believe Siaja can maintain her own independence. Luckily, Siaja believes in herself enough to drop her unsupportive husband and get a job working as assistant to the town manager (played by Mary Lynn Rajskub).
If the plotline sounds a little familiar—a newly liberated woman has to build her life from the ground up!—North Of North‘s strength is presenting it from a new perspective. You may have seen other small towns on TV but rarely one like the fictional Arctic town of Ice Cove. The community’s particular quirks bring this story to life, from the cultural clashes of the Inuk natives and the white settlers to the trials of dating in a remote locale that rarely sees fresh blood. (One hilarious bit sees Siaja’s friends take her to the nearby airport to pick up hotties just off the plane.) The show’s ability to weave Inuk customs and tradition into its plot is reminiscent of another charming small-town comedy, Rutherford Falls. Siaja, like Rutherford‘s Reagan Wells (Jana Schmieding), is motivated by a desire to lift up her community, giving the series an easy way to highlight the area’s Indigenous heritage.
If there’s one flaw in North Of North‘s first season, it’s that the show hasn’t fully figured itself out. Siaja’s vision of the goddess Nuliajuk is scattered unevenly over eight episodes, as if the writers couldn’t decide how surreal they were willing to make an otherwise grounded sitcom. Some plotlines feel rushed, while others are dropped altogether. (What happened to the baby Ting agreed to adopt?!) But these are normal and tolerable problems for a series in its first outing, and those issues are far outweighed by the positives, like the romantic chemistry between Neevee and her ex Alistair (Jay Ryan) or the silliness brought by side characters such as Colin (Bailey Poching) and Millie (Zorga Qaunaq). And while North Of North is consistently very funny, there are some transcendent moments of hilarity—like a bold bit in the first episode that’s best left unpoiled—that show its potential.
There is an earnest, feel-good warmth to North Of North that recalls other sitcoms like Ted Lasso and The Good Place. But the very best part is that springtime brightness, which shines unflagging into even the darkest corners of this community, illuminating the worst horrors and the deepest secrets. Somehow, the show doesn’t sink under the weight of issues like Neevee’s troubled past, residential schools, or the area’s colonial history. The series is able to cover these subjects and allow them the proper gravity without detracting from its easygoing cheer. Throughout it all, North Of North stays sunny, and Ice Cove proves a pretty delightful place to be. The Arctic might be cold, but it’s nevertheless a breath of fresh air.
