I'm probably as quirky as the show, but I thought the premise was quite sound. In fact, I KNOW the premise was quite sound because it is based on actual circumstances. Remember who the U.S. Marines rescued in Granada? (answer: U.S. medical students). Off-shore med schools are a fact. Of course, to practice medicine in the States you still have to pass tests here to be certified, but I guess there is a significant tuition cost difference to make it worthwhile. At any rate, I agree with the description of it as Northern Exposure in a tropical setting and I don't have a problem with that. I have a predisposition for warmer climates, so I loved the setting and the show.
11 Reviews
great premise...
brewerjy23 March 2002
Great show... needed a better chance
p_calhoun22 July 2008
This is another show that the TV execs probably canceled because it didn't blast it's way to No. 1 within the first 5 minutes.
The show had potential. The setting was there and they had the talent, all they needed to do was give the writers some control and let the show grow.
Face facts, MASH ran what seems like forever. You didn't have to see a bloody chest being opened up to realize the drama of what was happening. ER came along and showed us that you can change the cast every few years and people will stay hooked. Scrubs shows us that you can be super silly while in the walls of a hospital.
WHY was this show canceled? Was it location? Was it a budge constraint? I would have watched and yes, recorded it on my VCR if it had stayed around.
Patrick
The show had potential. The setting was there and they had the talent, all they needed to do was give the writers some control and let the show grow.
Face facts, MASH ran what seems like forever. You didn't have to see a bloody chest being opened up to realize the drama of what was happening. ER came along and showed us that you can change the cast every few years and people will stay hooked. Scrubs shows us that you can be super silly while in the walls of a hospital.
WHY was this show canceled? Was it location? Was it a budge constraint? I would have watched and yes, recorded it on my VCR if it had stayed around.
Patrick
Superb writing on "Going to Extremes"
read646918 July 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I am Jamaican and I enjoyed it so much, I taped it every week. The bad thing is, I got rid of the tapes thinking that they would put it on DVD one day...I could kick myself every time I think about it. I loved that show. It was real. As a Jamaican it was special to me. Seeing stars like Oliver, Jamaica's best comedian, I was thrilled. My favorite episode was the one with the little boy jumping off the roof, and trees for the love a girl. It reminded me of a boy in Jamaica when I was nine years old. He followed me around school with a broken arm so that I would feel sorry for him and talk to him. He jumped from his veranda and broke it while trying to impress me. I simply said, "foolish buoy." I ended up carrying his books for weeks. Can someone please tell me how to obtain a copy of this show. I was so impressed with the realness of the show.
Also Loved This Show
orangeislandmusic28 December 2007
I am also part of this minority. I loved this show along with its very quirky characters. The island setting was beautiful. The different situations the American students found themselves in made for some pretty funny and at times educational situations. They should release the series on DVD. I remember one episode where the students were trying to get an appliance repaired. Each time they went to the repairman's place of business, he was out or away. He kept some pretty strange hours. the shop would be open only on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday or something and since he was the boss, he made his own hours. Not uncommon in the Caribbean. :)
Still love it after all these years
knitpicker2k17 May 2015
I too loved this show and was terribly disappointed that it ended so soon. The medical student characters were believable, and provided realistic role models to viewers as they adjusted to life in a society so different from their own but deserving of respect. The Jamaicans portrayed exemplified dignity and resourcefulness under very restricted circumstances. Perhaps the emphasis on poverty and naivety among the local populace caused some discomfort among viewers but surely these issues could have been addressed in later episodes. I will never forget the Nyabinghi man who would disappear into the hills, and I still enjoy my own "Nyabinghi" days alone with my own thoughts, stress-free, and at peace.
Going to extremes
sprocket-3239317 October 2017
LOVED that show..wish i could buy a DVD of it!..cant find it anywhere~~~ when they took it off air.i was disappointed .. i thought it was funny and clever...loves the scenery too.... anyone know where i can purchase a DVD let me know~~ where else can u see that scenery and crazy stuff that happened on that show,,,I've looked for a long time...years for the DVD.. and often wondered why it cancelled.. i looked forward to it every week.~
How can I find the show now?
movie_luvr1233 January 2021
This many years later
soniasghendo17 September 2022
My best friend (back then) and I LOVED this show!!
I would eagerly go to his house so we could watch it together!!!
I was heart broken when it suddenly stopped airing
And all these years later I remember the roaming local and the quirky medical students. I wish they would air it again and again.
It was good clean viewing and very much like Northern Exposure but unique at the same time.
I agree the bigwigs didn't see profit turn over in 12 hours and stupidly cancelled a show that would have been HUGE!!!!!
I miss the show and think of it often and constantly trying to find it online so I can watch it again.
I would eagerly go to his house so we could watch it together!!!
I was heart broken when it suddenly stopped airing
And all these years later I remember the roaming local and the quirky medical students. I wish they would air it again and again.
It was good clean viewing and very much like Northern Exposure but unique at the same time.
I agree the bigwigs didn't see profit turn over in 12 hours and stupidly cancelled a show that would have been HUGE!!!!!
I miss the show and think of it often and constantly trying to find it online so I can watch it again.
I must be among the minority
lenaalpheus10 April 2007
Regarding the TV series "Going to Extremes" I didn't realize so few people liked this series. I loved it for the message it gave to me. Some may view me as simplistic, everyone's entitled to their opinion, but I must say I was greatly surprised more people didn't love this show. I'm looking forward to owning the series on DVD so I can continue to enjoy the shows. It would be good to know what is it that was so unappealing about this show. Perhaps if someone was to enlighten me, I would then be able to see it from another point of view. You won't be able to change my feelings about it, but I'd like to hear from you and get your view point. To me, the characters were totally believable, the situation regarding American students having to travel to an island to complete their medical education for a lesser cost is totally feasible, isn't it?? After all, the cost of education in the US is huge and I thought that the reasoning was sound. It's a shame it was so very short and there aren't many episodes - still if possible, I aim to own them all!! I know, I know - I'm hopeless!!
Aw, You Like It. You Know You Like It.
richard.fuller128 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
The premise here, as the other poster says, was to be Northern Exposure set in a more tropical locale.
But it missed in that the human psyche doesn't regard the cold desolation of Alaska as a vacation getaway, but sun and sand is.
So while Northern Exposure showed humanity and warmth and delight in an unlikely environment, Going To Extremes began with that idea. The only perceived 'awkwardness' was to be found in the med students grumbling and complaining.
"No running water. No electricity. We're going to the boonies."
After this, the eye-openers consisted of a woman working in a store with empty shelves delivering the modern goods Erika Alexander was seeking and a young man who practiced yoga and was one with the universe.
Gone was all the wise old wisdom and backwoods eccentricities that NE offered. No Marilyn, no Chris or Ed, no sick beavers.
Once these youngsters got used to their bohemian surroundings, what then?
Party time on the beach!
Let's go surfing!
Familiarity does breed contempt and we've seen endless sources of hourglass figures running on the beach, but Northern Exposure presented us with the lovely Maggie O'Connell in a fur parka.
But it missed in that the human psyche doesn't regard the cold desolation of Alaska as a vacation getaway, but sun and sand is.
So while Northern Exposure showed humanity and warmth and delight in an unlikely environment, Going To Extremes began with that idea. The only perceived 'awkwardness' was to be found in the med students grumbling and complaining.
"No running water. No electricity. We're going to the boonies."
After this, the eye-openers consisted of a woman working in a store with empty shelves delivering the modern goods Erika Alexander was seeking and a young man who practiced yoga and was one with the universe.
Gone was all the wise old wisdom and backwoods eccentricities that NE offered. No Marilyn, no Chris or Ed, no sick beavers.
Once these youngsters got used to their bohemian surroundings, what then?
Party time on the beach!
Let's go surfing!
Familiarity does breed contempt and we've seen endless sources of hourglass figures running on the beach, but Northern Exposure presented us with the lovely Maggie O'Connell in a fur parka.
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