Nothing else on TV feels—or looks—quite like Netflix's North Of North

Canada’s frosty regions have proven to be fertile ground for TV shows about brooding characters solving dark mysteries (think Cardinal, or the more recent Below). But that’s not North Of North. This Netflix comedy might not be a barrel of laughs, but it suffuses the icy environment of Nunavut with plenty of warmth. The show only gets more pleasant and tonally self-assured in season two—just don’t mistake its tenderness for escapism. Though North Of North is an ideal comfort watch whose 22-minute episodes don’t demand much, it’s layered with quirky small-town residents whose stories and shenanigans are skillfully woven together with their Inuit history and culture. 

At the center of the fictional small town of Ice Cove is the plucky 27-year-old Siaja Kudlak (Anna Lambe)—think of Siaja’s go-getter attitude as similar to Parks And Recreation‘s Leslie Knope, if Leslie dialed herself down a few notches. In season one, Siaja left a shabby marriage and, along with her six-year-old daughter, moved in with her grouchy but caring mom, Neevee (Maika Harper). Unemployed since becoming a mother, Siaja also found a job assisting town manager Helen (Mary Lynn Rajskub); reunited with the dad who didn’t know she existed, Alistair (Jay Ryan); and got herself a hot new love interest in Alistair’s employee, Kuuk (Braeden Clarke). Things can only go upwards from there, right? Wrong. 

Siaja, bless her heart, continues to have a knack for making a mess despite the best of her intentions. Her ability to get herself into and miraculously out of trouble makes her a fascinating and lovable protagonist, as does her winning sincerity. Take the season two premiere, where she derails an assignment to give cruise ship tourists the lay of the land, making her Ice Cove appear “boring,” rather than the next, must-see vacation destination. As part of a different episode’s community outreach program, Siaja accidentally poisons a few elders. And that all comes before Siaja’s quest to acquire beer for a surprise party (a herculean task that requires placing an order in advance, to ensure timely delivery to her remote hometown) ends with her and two of her pals (played by Zorga Quanaq and Bailey Poching) in jail. 

Once these quintessential sitcom premises are in motion, Siaja—with plenty of charm, thanks in no small part to Lambe’s sparkling performance—usually finds a more realistic solution. Oh, the winter ball she spends all season organizing might get snowed out—with its beloved musical guest of honor unable to attend and an electrical blackout to boot? Don’t worry about it. Siaja and her trusted cohort will figure it out no matter what. And in the process, Siaja will gain new dimensions of outspokenness, independence, and confidence—North Of North’s commitment to such character development is one of its most appealing qualities.