S1E5: "Russian Flu" with Cynthia Geary

Summary

Northern Disclosure Podcast Summary
Episode: S1E5: "Russian Flu" with Cynthia Geary
Release Date: June 17, 2025
Host/Author: Evergreen Podcasts

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Introduction

In Season 1, Episode 5 of the Northern Disclosure podcast titled "Russian Flu", hosts Rob Morrow and Janine Turner are joined by the charming Cynthia Geary, who portrays Shelly in the beloved ’90s series Northern Exposure. This episode delves deep into the intricacies of the show, exploring behind-the-scenes stories, character dynamics, and the enduring legacy of the series.

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Reflections on the Show’s Impact and Cast Relationships

Rob and Janine reminisce about the profound impact Northern Exposure had on their lives and careers. Rob expresses heartfelt sentiments:

“It just warms my heart. I don't know how else to say.” ([00:51])

Cynthia adds to this sentiment by highlighting the familial bonds formed during the intense five-year shooting period:

“We worked 18 hours a day with each other for over five years... We were so close with one another.” ([02:45])

They discuss the vulnerability and intimacy that come from long hours on set, emphasizing how these relationships extended beyond professional boundaries.

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Exploring "Russian Flu" Episode

The focus shifts to the "Russian Flu" episode, with Rob providing an overview:

“This was episode five, season one, directed by David Carson...” ([08:09])

Cynthia praises the episode for its groundbreaking use of dream sequences and intellectual references:

“There was a reference to Susan Sontag...they weren't afraid to take those risks.” ([12:26])

Janine shares her favorite moments, including the iconic line exchanges and the nuanced performances that added depth to the characters:

“Oh, no, Chris is puking, Maurice is sick... That was the first time...” ([09:56])

Cynthia further elaborates on the philosophical undertones and the homage to contemporaneous shows like Twin Peaks:

“They are somewhat paying homage to Twin Peaks... competition between the shows...” ([12:23])

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Character Development and Storylines

The hosts delve into the complex relationships and character arcs within the episode. They discuss the dynamic between Joel Fleischman (Rob) and Shelly (Cynthia), and how their interactions reflect broader themes of trust and community.

Janine reflects on her character's relationships, particularly the ethically complex romance with Holling Vincoeur:

“I was super grateful and happy to be in that position... It was a hell of a lot better than waiting tables.” ([35:09])

Cynthia highlights the balance between personal growth and professional responsibilities, noting how the characters evolve subtly over time:

“The characters always seem to kind of grow in subtle ways... Joel does get off it at the end...” ([47:00])

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Production Insights: Costumes and Set Life

A significant portion of the discussion centers around the costume design and the unique aesthetic brought to life by costume designer Catherine Bentley:

“She created earrings for every episode... It was really cool.” ([40:01])

Janine praises Bentley’s creativity, noting how each accessory was thoughtfully integrated into the storyline, enhancing Shelly's quirky and vibrant persona.

The hosts also reminisce about living in Seattle during the show's production, sharing anecdotes about daily life, challenging drives through the Cascade Mountains, and the camaraderie among cast members:

“Driving every eight days through the Cascade Mountains... staying in that Timber Lodge... it was so not glamorous.” ([58:35])

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Awards and Recognition

The conversation shifts to the show’s recognition in the form of Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Janine recounts the surprising moment she learned about her nomination:

“I didn't even know I was put up for an Emmy.” ([52:19])

Cynthia shares her own experience of receiving a Golden Globe nomination call while still navigating the early stages of Hollywood’s award processes:

“I was like, excuse... I was like, I didn't know how the Hollywood worked.” ([53:10])

They discuss the challenges of being categorized as a dramedy and the strategic placement of the show in the TV lineup to maximize exposure.

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Behind-the-Scenes Stories and Personal Anecdotes

Rob and Janine share lighthearted moments and personal stories from their time on set. Janine recounts her audition process and the pivotal moment that led her to land the role of Shelly:

“I almost didn't show up... Woody Allen says 80% of success is showing up.” ([27:30])

Cynthia adds humor by connecting real-life experiences to their on-screen personas, reflecting on the show's blend of humor and drama.

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Legacy and Enduring Appeal

As the episode draws to a close, the hosts reflect on why Northern Exposure remains a cult classic. They emphasize the show's ability to cater to a wide audience through its multifaceted storytelling, rich character development, and the seamless integration of humor with deeper philosophical themes:

“There's something for everybody... It was a kind of a magical... we didn't have other friends and we did things together.” ([48:18])

Janine expresses her continued admiration for the show's creativity and timelessness:

“It's such a great show. It was so creative, and it stands up. It stands the test of time.” ([44:14])

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Conclusion and Sign-Off

The episode concludes with warm exchanges between the hosts and Cynthia, expressing mutual appreciation and nostalgia. They hint at future episodes featuring other cast members and share plans to film in New York, maintaining the podcast’s engaging and heartfelt tone.

“North to the future.” ([61:37])

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Key Quotes:

• Rob Morrow: “We saw each other's best and worst sides for sure.” ([03:38])
• Cynthia Geary: “Most people can't make that jump from an extra to in front of the camera either.” ([38:07])
• Janine Turner: “I can just sit back and watch it as a show and appreciate how brilliant it was.” ([45:05])

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Notable Themes:

• Community and Family: The strong bonds among cast members likened to a family forged through shared experiences.
• Creativity and Innovation: The show's pioneering use of dream sequences and intellectual humor.
• Personal Growth: Reflections on how the show influenced the actors’ personal and professional lives.
• Production Challenges: Insights into the logistical and creative aspects of filming in Seattle and maintaining the show's unique aesthetic.

Overall, this episode of Northern Disclosure offers a rich and engaging exploration of Northern Exposure, providing fans and newcomers alike with a comprehensive understanding of the show's magic, its behind-the-scenes dynamics, and the enduring legacy that continues to captivate audiences decades later.

Transcript

[Janine Turner]

Foreign.

[Rob Morrow]

Hey, I'm Rob Morrow, and my co host, Janine Turner is here, and welcome to Northern Disclosure. This is a podcast about the show Northern Exposure that we did from 1990-95 on CBS, and we did about 110 episodes. And each. Each podcast, we're going to. We're going to talk about a different episode and bring on a different guest. Today's guest is the. The lovely and, and, and charming Cynthia Geary, who played Shelly. And she's just a great girl. And, and she's, she was always. She had such great energy, you know? Don't you remember her energy, Janine?

[Cynthia Geary]

Yes. Hello, everyone. Welcome to Northern Disclosure. Hello, Rob. This is. This is such a delight. And Cynthia had such charm, and she was witty and, and just the way I, I kind of wished sometimes I could be like her character. Cynthia just let things. She just let. Her character would just let things roll off her back. You know, she's like, okay. You know, except when Holling stood her up to get married, she wasn't very happy about that.

[Rob Morrow]

She wasn't happy about that. And by the way, I love your hair. I know you said last week was the final. The final color, but today looks pretty great. So.

[Cynthia Geary]

Okay.

[Janine Turner]

Should this be the one, Rob?

[Cynthia Geary]

Should this be the one?

[Janine Turner]

No.

[Rob Morrow]

I kind of like the idea of you showing up and surprising us every week.

[Cynthia Geary]

Maybe I'll do that.

[Rob Morrow]

But you look great.

[Cynthia Geary]

Thank you. You do, too, Rob.

[Rob Morrow]

And last week's show with Barry Corbin was great. And I also want to just say to the audience to, you know, you can also watch the show if you can either listen to it as a podcast or you can watch it on YouTube. We have the Northern Disclosure Channel. And so whichever you prefer, as in the. As. As an. Know, as an audience, either way is. Is. Is available. But we've been having fun. Barry Corbin was just. Just for me, personally, I don't know about you, Janine, but aside from, you know, talking about the show and, and reminiscing, you know, to spend time with. With you guys is. Is. Is such a joy. You know, we had such a. It was such an important moment in our lives. I mean, it changed all of our lives. We're still, you know, you said today people were talking, or yesterday people were talking to you in the street about the show. Like it still informs our daily existence. So to be able to share and connect and look in the, in the face of. Of all you guys is just. It just warms my heart. I don't know how else to say.

[Cynthia Geary]

Warms my Heart too. And I think often, especially as we've been doing this, how close we all still are, you know, and we worked 18 hours a day with each other for over five years. And it's not like we were like a family. I think we were like. It was sort of a pretend family, but it was a fan, it was a family for that insulated performance time, you know what I mean? You arrive and it's like family number two. And we were so close with one another.

[Rob Morrow]

It's funny you, you say that because I think so too. You become a kind of. You share intimacies. I mean, when you're exhausted after, you know, days and days of shooting in the middle of the night, out in the cold, you were, you, you become vulnerable. We, we saw each other's best and worst sides for sure. But I remember Josh having, taking real issue with something and telling me, this is not a family. We are nothing like a family.

[Cynthia Geary]

That's not true.

[Rob Morrow]

I know because I thought, oh yeah, well, because you're in Seattle, you know, you're in la and we, we shot the show in Seattle, but the, the writers and the, and the post production was in, was in LA and they weren't there a lot. And I remember he, he really had a. Took issue with the idea that when us in show business call our jobs family, I don't know why, but I mean, I get his point from a literal sense, but, but to your point, we, we did have. There, there's. There's certain things that, that, that we saw in each other that my family didn't even had never seen, you know.

[Cynthia Geary]

And we shared that for a lot of years, for five years in a very intense kind of pressure cooker kind of atmosphere. And there was a vulnerability there. And you're right, we saw our worst, each other's worst and best. And, but we were, you know, it' be a kindred spirit, a kind of connection that you can't lose. And I think though the cast, we were kind of a good crop, you know what I mean? Everybody was kind at heart and hard working and thoughtful and polite. I mean, I just think it was kind of a magical. We had our own sort of utopia in our north to the future, you know, we were north to the future and we had our own little utopia there.

[Rob Morrow]

And it was, you know, as you said, it's like the pressure cooker of it. All these, these, these gigs, I don't know if people realize are kind of crucibles, you know, I'm not trying to say, oh, it's the hardest job in the world, but it's because you're being vulnerable in front of a camera. You're revealing yourself in front of a crew because you're. The schedules are so intense. We would do seven, eight, nine pages a day. And, you know, you. And it was day in, day out, and you couldn't not show up. I mean, I don't think I. I don't think I ever missed a day because I was sick. I mean, if I was sick, I was shooting, you know, and. And I, I. There were certainly days where I was sick. And, you know, between takes, I'd lay down on the floor on a sound blanket and then get up to do the shot, you know, and hope that I could get it in one take. And by the way, I don't know about you, but over my long career now, I always act better when I'm sick.

[Cynthia Geary]

Really?

[Rob Morrow]

Yeah, because I don't care. I don't. There's no, like. It's just. I just want to be. I'm just so present. Like, you can't. There's no artifice to it. So I always feel like there's something unique about those times when I'm sick. Like, I don't know why that is, but.

[Cynthia Geary]

Well, I. I would. I would often say some of my best work was at 2:00am, you know, when you're so tired. I remember walking out to the set and God bless the crew, too. We could at least go lie down in between shots in our little campers. You know, we didn't have anything glamorous there. We had little kind of campers, but. But I remember walking out at 2am and my hands would be hot, you know, and my face. It was just the fatigue. But that sort of. That's the same thing. I think you're. It's an analogy that's similar to yours, is that you just let everything go and there's a real rawness and vulnerability, and there's a rawness and vulnerability to what you and I shared as these characters. And there's always a line that crosses between Janine and Maggie and Joel and Flight. I mean, Rob Morrow and Fleischman, where. Where we are those people, but we're not those people. And we're fight. And then we have new people coming in. But we were a family. And I think that. I think a lot about the fact that our. And those who are listening may not even realize. And I want to get on the Russian flu because I think it was one of the biggest, best shows ever. Oh, My gosh, I love it so much for so many reasons. And I have my. My little list. But our producers and editors and writers, they were all in Los Angeles and we were in this north to the future, you know, beautiful paradise of Seattle and the Cascade Mountains. And it was. And we did go to Hollywood premieres. We weren't big, you know, hot stars around town. We didn't go have Hollywood lunches, which.

[Rob Morrow]

I think saved us. I think for me, I. I think I would have gotten in a lot more trouble if I was in living in LA or New York at the time, because so much became all of a sudden, the spotlight and the opportunities to do things that I'd never had. And I think if. And we took advantage when we. When we could, but at least it wasn't a daily part of our lives. I think it was a good thing to be out of that.

[Cynthia Geary]

We did do a lot of flights. At least I did on Alaska Airlines. If we could. Rob, I'd love to talk about Russian flu before our special guest Cynthia comes in. And I can't wait. I called Cynthia to ask her to be on the show the other day, and we spoke for two hours. I mean, two hours. We went up. We, you know, we've. We every now and then touch base with one another.

[Rob Morrow]

Russian Flu is the title of the episode. I don't think people realize that the titles, you know, they do. They have titles, but they don't get shown. But this was episode five. This was episode five, season one, directed by David Carson, who came. Who went on to direct three episodes for us. And I really remember him fondly. He. He had a great touc. He was British, and he just had a real nice quality to him. And then it was written by David Asal, as the credited writer. But as we've talked about before, on a show like Northern Exposure, the last pass on a script is usually by Josh Brand and John Falzy, who created the show. So. But this particular show, I watched it last night and I think it was kind of seminal in that it set up a lot of motifs that be. Became, you know, really cool things in on the show. Like the dream. It was the first dream sequence. Right there was the. This. This trippy. I don't even understand the Twin Peaks sequence. It doesn't even. It's just so.

[Cynthia Geary]

But that was the whole point. You know, it's philosophical. That's the way I think, though. I really. I love those Cut. That kind of thought process. And, you know, it's. I watched the show this morning And I got such a kick out of it, and I started texting everybody. You know, you got to watch this episode. You got to watch this episode because it, as you say, we had the. The first flashback sequence, which was hilarious.

[Rob Morrow]

I love that shot of through your.

[Cynthia Geary]

Legs when we caught bed, the wind blowing and the. Oh, my gosh, it was so great. But I also like the way they brought in. And I have. May I do my little list? I love to do my little list. Okay, here's some of my favorite lines. I'll make it quick, I promise. I promise. I love Ed's line. Oh, no, Chris is puking, Maurice is sick. You know what I mean? Because he says, oh, they're both sick. Oh, no, Chris is puking, Maurice is sick. That's Darren's line. I love how Elaine loves Maggie. That entire twist that they did, that. That Maggie was just so present. Oh, well, Maggie said this, and I love Maggie. That look on your face, Rob, was so good. When you're trying to find another pilot. Anybody but me and. And Rick walks in the door and all that. And then I walk in the door and then. And, you know, I kind of make this. And then there's this. This cut onto your face, and the look on your face told a thousand stories. It was so good. Did you even catch it about yourself, that little look on your face when I walked through the door?

[Rob Morrow]

Yeah, for sure. Absolutely.

[Cynthia Geary]

That was a great thing.

[Rob Morrow]

I should say also that Elaine, who played my fiance, is played by Jessica Lundy. And she came a number of episodes, at least a few years before we broke up, finally. Our characters, that is. But she was really fun to work with, and the opening of the show, I think, is really fun. And that whole. Like that whole 50s doo wop song. And me kind of. All of a sudden, you see Joel in a different light. I'm dancing, I'm doing spins, I'm wearing a suit. It was. It's just. It. It. It kind of. It felt like the show kicked into another gear. You know, the hi, Ohio Ipsenio. This. This. This native treatment, you know, it just started to. To bring in a lot of different aspects and. And have fun. I mean, the Twin Peaks scene is such a. It just comes out of nowhere, and it goes nowhere, and it doesn't really do anything except that it sets up that the show can do what it wants because they wanted to do it. And they also, by the way they were playing, we. They were somewhat paying homage to Twin Peaks, which shot in Seattle as well. We were all shooting up There at the same time. And there was this quasi. There's competition between the shows of who which was going to be the hit show. Ours turned out to be the hit show. But, you know, not taking anything away from Twin Peaks, which are.

[Cynthia Geary]

David Lynch. Yeah, he was really terrific.

[Rob Morrow]

He was one of the great directors.

[Cynthia Geary]

And you know what? But I think the show had so many different levels that it experimented with in this episode. And then they were surprised to find that the audiences loved it so much. And one of my favorite scenes was your scene, Rob, with the town hall. And of course, I love federalism. I love local government, state government, and the way the people come together in their own areas to fix their. You know, that whole kind of True Grit thing. And those town halls, I can appreciate more now than I even did then. And. And all the things they started saying to you because they were so sick. And they called you a trust. What? They call you a Trotskyite. They called you a Trotskyite, and you're like a Rosenberg. They started saying all those things to you, and then. And everyone's attacking you, and you're just going, I know, but I love the dialogue from. From the townsfolks about Russia and communism and whatnot. And then Ed gets in the car with you and. And he goes, oh, of course. You didn't get. You didn't have any answers. Fleischman didn't have any answers. And Ed says, darren, Ed. But Ed says, oh, well, I learned a lot. And you said, you did? He goes, yeah. I never knew there was a power struggle in the Kremlin. You know what I mean? But after Andrew Andre Potov died, I don't even know who that was. I pride myself on history, but I'm. I got that one right. But little things like you're on the phone and you're calling for help, and you're just letting them have it. You're saying all these, you know, politically incorrect things, and you're just really angry. And. And he goes, and that flunk. And you say, oh, and that flunky. And then on the other side of the other side of the line, you. You hear the man on the other side say, that's my nephew.

[Rob Morrow]

I miss that.

[Cynthia Geary]

Things like that. And then you say, I. They. They think I'm a KGB point man for central Alaska. I mean, the, the, the, the. The. And then. And the Maurice comes in that. Ship him to Siberia. Even if. Even if Joel Fleischman is incompetent, it's not a reason to ship him to Siberia. I mean, I don't know. I. I thought the writing, the references to sort of political intellectualism that people might not even know. They weren't afraid to take those risks.

[Rob Morrow]

No. And by the way, I'm so surprised that you didn't want that on that. On your list of favorite lines.

[Cynthia Geary]

I didn't finish. Oh, in your dreams. In your dreams. Yes. That was the first time.

[Rob Morrow]

The first time. And said twice in the episode.

[Cynthia Geary]

Yes, that's right.

[Rob Morrow]

So that's. That became a thing with them. And. And. But I also didn't. I didn't understand the reference because now you're. We're talking about when you say in your dreams. We had already seen a dream where Maggie was this hot pilot, you know, on. On the. On. On my bed in my. In this F. F.C. sequence in New York. And then when she says, in your dreams, you know, Fleischman's like, wait, how does she know what's in my dreams? You know?

[Cynthia Geary]

Right. That's right. Well, I don't think she ever really knew that, per se.

[Rob Morrow]

No, but it's. But it's interesting that it's pointed, you know, that's.

[Cynthia Geary]

They interwove it. They interwove it. You know, the dream and the friend. And then the friend shows. And also, I love that moment with the pilot. Of course, you're kissing her. So it was a little. It was a little bit of a stretch. But you're kissing Elaine goodbye, and she's getting in the. In the. The airplane, and the pilot says to you, I like your sister. She's not my sister.

[Rob Morrow]

Yeah, that's how I love that kind of reality. And they play with realities because, like, there's, you know, what's real and what's not. What planes of existence are we really on?

[Cynthia Geary]

There was a reference to Susan Sontoff or Sontag, however you say her name.

[Rob Morrow]

Sontag.

[Cynthia Geary]

Yeah, Sontag. Susan Sontag. I heard. And I. They even. They even reference Susan Sontag. Right. Like, who knows who she is, Unless you're an intellectual in New York. And I was in New York and I tried to become an intellectual, and I actually went and listened to Susan Sontag recite Joseph Brodsky's poems.

[Rob Morrow]

Oh, cool. How interesting.

[Cynthia Geary]

Before. Before Northern Exposure. But I thought, oh, my God, they're even referencing Susan Sontag. I don't remember that.

[Rob Morrow]

It's a famous line that she. They talk about the fascism inherent photography in the image, you know, and it's a famous quote of hers. I'm misquoting it, but it's basically the, it's about the, the notion of fascism and photography and yeah, they, they started to drop in all these different references. And what was cool about the show for me is that you didn't have, you know, you talk about being an intellectual. You didn't have to be an intellectual to love Northern Exposure. But if you were one, you were going to find a lot of fun stuff. But if you weren, there was so much stuff that was on such a basic human level that it had nothing to do with intellect. You know, it was like, like the.

[Cynthia Geary]

Threesome, the threesome relationship between Maggie and Elaine, your girlfriend and you. I mean, everyone can intervene. The romance. The romance.

[Rob Morrow]

I see what you mean.

[Cynthia Geary]

You know, you loved her and wanted to see her.

[Rob Morrow]

Implied something else to me.

[Cynthia Geary]

Oh, no, I don't, I don't mean that per se. What I'm saying.

[Rob Morrow]

You mean the love triangle.

[Cynthia Geary]

Thank you. Thank you. Torn between Two Lovers. I hate that song. Torn Between Two Lovers.

[Rob Morrow]

Yes, I do. There were a lot, there was a lot of good music in the show as well. And I think part of the reason, from what I understand, the show didn't stream for a long time was they had, back then they used to make short term deals for the rights. Now you make, if you give a song to a show, it's in perpetuity forever. But so part of the reason the show wasn't available is because they, they put so much cool music in it.

[Cynthia Geary]

Well, I'll just say I, I, I worked with Universal for about three years to try to get them to stream it because I said, look guys, people don't have DVDs really anymore and the whole generation's missing it. And that was the big thing, was the music was trying to find out. And three years I would have these calls with them like once a month, once, you know, every month. And how could they go back and relicense the music? And I bugged them so much at one point they said, no, we're not gonna do it. And I, but they said that to somebody else and not to me and to my face. So I called them back. I said, what's this here? What is this that I hear about the fact you're not gonna actually really bring back the show and stream it? And they said, and so they continued on the process and we finally got it done.

[Rob Morrow]

Such a weird thing. I have another show that's on a shelf, 33 episodes called Street Time I did with Terrence Howard. And it's the same thing. The music rights are just too expensive. So they won't even look at it.

[Cynthia Geary]

Well, they figured it out. They were willing to do it. Okay, drum roll, please. We have so awesome, brilliantly talented, terrific, good friend Cynthia Geary, who played Shelly. Yay.

[Rob Morrow]

Look at you. You look like. You don't look like you aged a minute. What the hell?

[Janine Turner]

Shut up.

[Cynthia Geary]

You don't. Actually.

[Rob Morrow]

I was just watching. Both of us watched the show last night, Russian Flu, the episode, and you look exactly the same.

[Janine Turner]

Oh, well, gee, thanks. Yeah, I wish.

[Rob Morrow]

Now, I just. I fortunately got to spend some time with Cynthia and Darren in. In. In. In Monaco recently, and so I've. I was able to catch up on her life, which is really great and fun, and she's, I think, the only person from the show who stayed living in Seattle. Right. We all left.

[Janine Turner]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I stayed here. Elaine Miles, Marilyn stayed here, but, yeah, I got married, raised kids, worked occasionally and stayed in Seattle. And I'm actually sitting here in my house looking at Mount Rainier right now.

[Rob Morrow]

I missed that site. It was the greatest sight.

[Janine Turner]

Sunny day.

[Rob Morrow]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Geary]

Oh, Seattle was paradise. Well, Cynthia, it's great that you're on the show, and we want you to come back. Of course. And you were. We've been raving about you, you know, talking about your talent and the way you could bring such innocent, simple simplicity, yet quirkiness and humor and depth all at the same time. No one thought Shelly.

[Janine Turner]

I think.

[Cynthia Geary]

Yeah, that's what I was saying.

[Janine Turner]

But thank you.

[Cynthia Geary]

But no one thought Shelly was an. No one thought Shelly was an airhead. Right. You had a depth to you, and. And it was just. But you had this kind of simplicity that I was saying, I wish I had, but not you, but the character. I'm not saying the character had a simplicity. Shelly did. You know, Rob, always. Rob, I'll let you ask, because you always ask the Genesis questions about how she got her start. So you want to do that?

[Rob Morrow]

Well, yeah, sometimes we're. You know, we've talked to everyone. We've had. We've had Josh on and. And. And Corbett and Barry, and, you know, it's. We're always interested in what. How. How you first heard about the show and what the kind of process was to get it. Like, where were you and how did that come about?

[Janine Turner]

I was in LA and waiting tables. This was actually North Exposure was my first pilot season. I had just gotten an agent, and that's kind of the Hollywood story. I mean, I waited on a woman who was with a big management company at this Mexican restaurant that I was working at, and it was her birthday, and I gave her free flan that we give to everybody. But. And Laura Kennedy, who's a casting director, was with her and her husband. And anyway, I waited on her. At the end of the meal, she said, oh, are you an actress? And I was like, yeah. So is everybody else here? And she's like, well, here's my card. Come in and see me. And so, you know, I run back to the kitchen and I'm like, to all the other actor friends and like, you know, have you ever heard of this? And they're like, oh, my God. They're like, big. And yeah. And so she told me to bring all my tapes to the meeting. And I'm like, okay. So I had done some commercials and I had done Divorce Court, which is fake, by the way. And in Funny enough, in Divorce Court, I played a woman who was married to a much older man. And I mean, I can't even remember the whole story, but. But it was kind of weird. And so I bring her my tapes and I meet with her and the other managers, and they're like, okay, great, we're going to sign you and we're going to put you with this agency. And we're burning the tapes. So I went through pilot season, and at that time, there actually was a season because it was.

[Rob Morrow]

Let's talk about pilot season for a second, if people don't know that. And it's not so much these days, but back when we were all coming up every year from February to, like, April, there'd be a few months where they would. All the. The pilots being cast, and there would be like, so many. Right. We would often be going to two, three auditions a day. All the pilots would be cast and. And you would get. You would hopefully get on a pilot. And. And they made so many pilots that never were. Never saw the light of day. And then, you know, certain shows made it through the kind of Darwinian process to. To getting on the air. But so that's. So you're talking about the. Went. Started auditioning for a bunch of pilots and that. What did you go to a lot of auditions.

[Janine Turner]

Oh, yeah. So. So backing up a little bit. So this is, you know, for. For the people listening. This is network tv, so there's basically three channels and abc, NBC and cbs. And. And so Rob's right. That was pilot season. I probably went, I don't know, 40 pilot audition. Who knows? It seemed like that it. But you're right, Rob. I was going like to three auditions a day. And, you know, at times it Was I heard you saying earlier about how you do your best work when you're tired or sick or something like that. And I think in some ways, it's like, you know, you don't have time to even worry about it. You just kind of went, okay, let me just try to get these lines. And you go in and you just, you know, do whatever you can do, and you let it go. And you've totally let go.

[Rob Morrow]

That's a great point. It's a great point.

[Janine Turner]

And so this was. I got this audition, and this was in April, so I'd already auditioned for. Okay, I said 40. Maybe that's an exaggeration, 20 pilots. But it was a lot. And I was afraid the. My agents and managers were going to drop me because I didn't get anything. And I was like, oh, you know, I'm going to lose. You know, I'm not. I'm going to lose my agent. And so I get this audition, and Shelly's a Native American. I don't know if you guys knew that.

[Rob Morrow]

I forgot. I think you told me that pilot.

[Janine Turner]

Script, Shelly is Native American. And I'm looking at this going, this is a waste of time. And I really don't think I'm gonna. I'm right for this one. And I also can't get anybody to cover my shift at the Mexican restaurant, so I'm gonna lose my job going to this thing. But I go anyway because I'm afraid my agent's gonna drop me if I don't go. So I go to Universal, Megan Brandman, to this audition, and I walk in, and I'm, like, apologizing when I walk in going, yeah, I know, Native American. Do you want me to leave? And she's like, oh, no, no, no. We've changed gears because we've already cast two brunettes, Rob and Janine. And that's Hollywood, right?

[Rob Morrow]

You're right. That's a great. That's a great point. Is that when. When you're casting and I've done it myself. Is what you want a palette of colors, so to speak. And so if you have. Janine and I both have dark hair. Or. Or we did. Janine has different colors every week.

[Cynthia Geary]

Every week I have a different hair.

[Rob Morrow]

She looks beautiful. So it doesn't.

[Cynthia Geary]

Whatever. She's doing Hollywood magic. I change my hair every week.

[Rob Morrow]

But so. So in order to create an aesthetic appealing to the eye, they want to kind of have variety. And so here they, you know, through trick of fate, Cynthia ends up getting this part because she's A blonde. Right. Even though. And. And she almost didn't show up, which is a great lesson to anyone.

[Cynthia Geary]

I almost didn't show up. And, well, you know, Woody Allen. Woody Allen says 80% of success is showing up. And I almost didn't show up either. I was so impressed.

[Janine Turner]

So. And that. So this was. So I went to this audition and, and five auditions later, and I go to network. Barry Corbin was there, John Corbett was there. Darren was there, John Cullum was there. All the rest of us were there with one other person. So it's like you're down to two. And we sit in the basement of CBS in this hallway and they have these little metal chairs and you sit next to your competition and all of the suits, we called them suits, producers and studio execs file in, in front of us into this auditorium and there's like 30 of them in the.

[Rob Morrow]

Without saying a word, without saying hello or anything. Right. They just ignore you.

[Janine Turner]

They don't speak to you. They ignore you. They walk right past you. You sit there and you're sweating bullets. And I think, I think I was probably the last person to go in because they took the characters in order and you know, and of course the. Thank God for John. John Corbett was cracking jokes the whole time. Of course. Of course. And it was great. And he was distracting. So I actually like, was like, this guy is great. The whole time sitting in the hallway, kind of not thinking about what I was going to do when I went in there, because Corbett was entertaining and.

[Rob Morrow]

Wait, do you remember who the girl was, who the other girl was? Do you have any idea my competition?

[Janine Turner]

I don't.

[Rob Morrow]

Yeah, because Corbett remembers. It was guy. It was the guy Greg from White Lotus. I forget his name.

[Janine Turner]

Oh, really?

[Rob Morrow]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Janine Turner]

Wow.

[Rob Morrow]

Let me ask you this. Did you tell me, did you. By this time you're saying you've had five auditions for a part that initially you didn't even think you were right for, but when you. How do you prepare for a part you don't think you're right for? And then by the time you got to the fifth audition, were you. Did you have a take on Shelley that was really clear in your mind?

[Janine Turner]

I did. And. And that's great question, Rob, because I got this script and. And Shelley doesn't say anything in the first couple of episodes. And I got this monologue and it was the first time I spoke on the show and I think it was in episode three, maybe. And, and I do this whole kind of weird monologue about One Eyed Jacks, which is a, you know, in black and white.

[Rob Morrow]

That.

[Cynthia Geary]

That. That. That's. That. That was a wonderful. We. We talked about that on the phone the other day, Cynthia. I was talking about how wonderful you were in that. That particular scene. Go ahead and I'll let you reveal.

[Janine Turner]

Well, I. I read this, and it's funny that, you know, that the things. The nice, lovely comments you made about, you know, my character and me, and. Cause at first I read it, and I'm like, ugh, another ditzy, you know, character. And so I was kind of not even that excited about it because I was thinking, you know, I'm just kind of an accessory. And so I went and I had a writer friend who was my mentor and coach, and I went to him, and I was like, okay, I'm kind of dreading this. What do I do? It seems like a boring, you know, okay, she walks in with her sand and in her tight clothes and goes. And we started working on it, and I started to love her. I thought the dialogue was quirky and interesting and weird, and I was able to kind of use. I mean, I am, or at least at that time was. Was pretty innocent and grew up in a very conservative family in Mississippi. And I was able to use a good bit of myself in the character, and I just found something that I loved. And then it was great that came.

[Rob Morrow]

Through, because as soon as you come on screen, even when you had nothing to say, we were compelled to want to know what the deal was. And then how about, what did you think about the relationship between you and Holling, who's, what, 60 years, 50 years older than you? Was that the idea?

[Cynthia Geary]

Was it 40, 20?

[Janine Turner]

I was 18, and he was in his 60s.

[Cynthia Geary]

Is he in his 60s?

[Rob Morrow]

Yeah, 63.

[Janine Turner]

He was. John Colum is or was a year older than my father, so. And my father, you know, I was the last of four kids, so they were older parents when they had me.

[Rob Morrow]

I think I remember. It's, like vaguely coming back to me now that your father was a little worried or upset about it, or you didn't tell him about it, right?

[Janine Turner]

Oh, no, no, no. That's a whole other story.

[Cynthia Geary]

That was for a different story. I think. I know that was for a different episode. You know, that was a different episode.

[Janine Turner]

My father is a devout Catholic, so. And confession in a closet with John Corbett as the priest was not. Was not okay. The nuns didn't like it. But the John Cullum thing was. Yeah, I got a lot of flack for it. My boyfriend at the time got all Kinds of heat because his friends were like, dude, what is she doing? She's kissing this old guy. But John Cullum made it so wonderful and not creepy and not weird.

[Rob Morrow]

He was so tender with you.

[Janine Turner]

He's so tender. And I instantly fell in love with him. I mean, he made me comfortable. I walked on the set and really never having had been on a television series, I'd never done it. I mean, I was learning. That's why I sat there every day. I would go, if I didn't have to work or not in the first season and sit behind the camera to learn and to watch the two of you do your work. And you did such brilliant work. And I had such amazing teachers. I mean Rob Jeanine, John Cullum, Barry Corbin, I mean all these just fantastic actors that I got to sit there and have a master class and learn and.

[Rob Morrow]

Did the directors help you?

[Janine Turner]

No.

[Rob Morrow]

Did you? No. Did they hinder you?

[Janine Turner]

No, but I mean. Well, actually, I take that back. That's too short a statement. I mean some directors. Yes. I mean there were certain directors that really. Mike Fresco for one, who was, he was great. It was just fantastic.

[Cynthia Geary]

He was like a father figure.

[Rob Morrow]

Do you remember David Carson who directed this? The Russian Flu?

[Janine Turner]

Yeah. And he was a super nice guy.

[Cynthia Geary]

I mean, I don't, I don't really remember him.

[Janine Turner]

I don't.

[Rob Morrow]

Because he was a sweet guy.

[Cynthia Geary]

Maybe I would if I, I'm sure I would if I saw his face, you know.

[Rob Morrow]

Yeah, you would.

[Janine Turner]

It was interesting because I, I learned a lot by just watching and absorbing and, and that, you know, back to the John Cullum.

[Cynthia Geary]

Well, he's such a Broadway actor. I mean, the depth of the scope of his work.

[Janine Turner]

What better teacher than John Cullum?

[Rob Morrow]

Absolutely.

[Janine Turner]

And a teacher of how to behave on a set.

[Rob Morrow]

Absolutely.

[Janine Turner]

And I just, I mean not only his acting, but just how he was on the set. Just the most humble, giving, kind, respectful, polite human being. I mean here he is, a two time Tony winner and he's. He just, you know, never complained. Never complained about anything. We'd be shooting it at midnight.

[Rob Morrow]

Nor did you, by the way. You were never you. I can't remember, I've said it before. It's hard, I'm hard pressed to remember a day where you were having a bad day. Well, I'm sure you did, but you know, it never came onto the.

[Janine Turner]

I was super grateful and happy to be in that position. I felt really lucky. I loved it. I mean, it was a hell of a lot better than waiting tables. I was terrible as a Real waitress.

[Cynthia Geary]

Real waitress, that's right. Because you played a waitress. And you know, that's interesting. Hang on. Because that's interesting because I had $8 left too. And I was so grateful. And in those long, long hours of, you know, Ro and I earlier were Talking about the 18 hour days, they were long days. And I just remember saying it's better than being broke and unemployed. You know, it's better than being broken, employed. And there came a time when the show became. Remember that explosion of the show and you know, it was in 1991, maybe, maybe 19, 1991. I couldn't even sit at a restaurant, right? Because people would come, come running in. There was such an explosion to the show and people would say, you know, how do you put up with that? And. And I said, well, it's better than being broken unemploy. I mean I'd always worked, but I mean, you know, down late dollars and I was tired and you know, all that. But, but you know, when it is, it's a great opportunity.

[Rob Morrow]

When I see other shows when I taking off, I can, I can know what they're like. Like White Lotus is. They're everywhere. Those, that cast is like everywhere. And I can just, I just remember thinking, you know, what we were going through. I know what they're going, you know, being shuttled from talk show to talk show to photo shoot to, you know, event and everything changed. It does change. But you know, I just want to go back a second. You know, I think one thing that you said that you would show up and sit on the set and I remember you sitting, coming to work when you weren't even in the scenes. And John Corbett talked about that as well. And I think pointing out to anyone who's a, who's a wannabe actor out there, you know, if you find yourself on a set, you know, spend time watching, you know, hang out as much as they'll let you because you can learn so much by watching. John Cor talked about being an extra and he said he learned almost everything he needed to at least get his going.

[Cynthia Geary]

Most people can't make that jump. Most people can't make that jump from an extra to in front of the camera either. But you know, Shelly, I want. Cynthia, not Shelly. Cynthia. I want to talk about your costumes too, because your costumes were always so funky and that was a part of your character. And I really want us to talk about this episode too because I think that Russian flu is just. And your little moment coming out, you had quite the star, star, star Moment in. In. In this episode. Russian flu. But talk about your costumes.

[Janine Turner]

Well, again, I. I think there were so many factors in this show. You know, it was the magic. Everybody came together in. In a beautiful way. And the costume designer, Catherine. Catherine Bentley, I have to give her all the credit because she. This was her genius.

[Rob Morrow]

We always say rest in peace to Catherine.

[Janine Turner]

Yes, yes, she has passed away and I miss her. But it was. I mean, it was her idea and her vision. And she told me when we sat down and talked about it, I mean, I probably. I never would have picked these clothes. But she said, now I see Shelly and as dressing like a child almost, you know, like a. You know how little girls wear the leggings and the skirt and the vest and they're all these different colors and the boots. And it's really funny.

[Rob Morrow]

Cause I was everything mismatching. In a brilliant way.

[Janine Turner]

Yes, in a brilliant way. And it's just kind of out there. And that was her vision. And it worked. And it was. It was crazy. And there were things that I put on and went, but it worked and I got it. And it made me feel like the.

[Cynthia Geary]

Character and the hair too. Oh, go ahead, finish talking about Kat.

[Janine Turner]

She created. I don't know if people notice this, but if you do go back and watch the show, she created earrings for every episode. Every earrings I wore had something to do with the show. I mean, it. You know, if it was. If it was Russian, it would be this little Cossack guy hanging from my ears or. Or something bizarre. So clever, so interesting from the dream sequence. And, you know, there would be little huskies on my ears because my character walked out with huskies. And it was just little tiny touches that most people wouldn't notice. But it's funny. They do. I've had. I had a fan call or message me and send me this. She bought. When Northern Exposure ended, there was a big auction of all this stuff. And somehow she got a hold of the earrings and she sent me all these photos of the earrings and things that. That I had worn on the show. It was really cool.

[Cynthia Geary]

Your father must have loved that when you walked out and you were a prostitute who uses a condom.

[Janine Turner]

That wasn't mentioned.

[Cynthia Geary]

No, they do. They talk about it. They.

[Rob Morrow]

They say family. It wasn't mentioned.

[Cynthia Geary]

Oh. Oh, nobody mentioned.

[Janine Turner]

It wasn't mentioned. No, that again, this show. I mean, the. I mean it. There were so many really deeper messages and psychological. Just everything.

[Cynthia Geary]

But you look so beautiful in that shot, you know, when the camera was on you. And then they did that Close up. And you took your. Yeah, she did. And. And you take your glasses off and your big eyes, you know, are there, and you just looked beautiful. And I think that was what was so fun about these dream sequences. And. And every script was sort of like a short story. I mean, here we are having this whole Russian theme, and they're talking about Trotsky and, you know, communism and all of this. But. But just. Just the dream sequences where Rob's getting all dolled up and the little. The little children, he goes, hi, my little Eskimos. And I'm there as Amelia Earle Heart. And there's Column, you know, answering. There's a doorman. Column is the doorman. And. And Elaine is. Is the housekeeper. I mean, not. Elaine is the chef, I guess, and.

[Janine Turner]

Marilyn, I think, or.

[Cynthia Geary]

Yeah, yeah. No, wait. I mean, yeah, Elaine. Your girlfriend Elaine was. Was the chef. She was cooking.

[Rob Morrow]

Oh, yeah, she's my.

[Cynthia Geary]

And in Maryland.

[Rob Morrow]

She's my sister.

[Cynthia Geary]

She was your sister. That's right.

[Janine Turner]

She was her sister. No, that was the Freudian. You know, she's just. The dreamer is his. It's his sister. Do you know what, Maggie?

[Rob Morrow]

Cynthia, you know what? I don't know if you know this, but Josh told us that Joni Mitchell was absolutely convinced that Shelley was written based on her life as a kid. No, I never heard that. Right. Yeah. And so we're gonna try to get her as a guest at some point because I guess she watched the show and so. You never heard that before?

[Janine Turner]

No, but I. I would be, like, killed to talk to her and meet her and. Wow.

[Cynthia Geary]

We should bring you both on. On the same show, I think.

[Rob Morrow]

Okay, maybe we'll do that. I think that's a good idea.

[Cynthia Geary]

You're like, the episode that's the biggest. That's your. One of your biggest episodes. We should. We should make sure that both of you are on. I think that'd be really fun. What did you think about this episode, Russian Flu? What were your thoughts? What was your takeaway from it since we know.

[Janine Turner]

First of all, I want to say thank you guys for. For doing this, because it made me. I went back and watched all of these shows, and I watched the first season, and it's such. I mean, I can say this completely humble with not anything about me or us. It was such a great show. It was so creative, and it stands up. I mean, it stands the test of time. People don't realize now, but dream sequences weren't done at that time. And. And the weird nod to Twin Peaks.

[Rob Morrow]

In this episode Isn't that the strangest scene? It's so. It doesn't make sense, but it works. But it's just so, like. What was that?

[Janine Turner]

Yeah, it was just amazing. I mean, and there's just so many facets to Northern Exposure to every episode. I mean, there's so. There's something for everybody, but there's just so deep and dense in. In the ideas and. And there. It's funny, but it's. But. But it really makes you think. And I just. Yeah, I. I am now gonna go back through the whole thing. And it's fun to watch it at this point in my life because. And I don't know if you guys feel like this, but I feel like I'm just. I have no. I'm not watching for me anymore. When I watched it back when we made it.

[Cynthia Geary]

Yeah, we were watching our acting movements. That's a great point.

[Janine Turner]

I'm figuring out what scenes they cut, and, you know, I'm mad about this, or that didn't look great, or, oh, I could have done that better, or blah, blah, blah, or, oh, wasn't Janine brilliant in that scene? And Rob was fantastic. And now I can just sit back and watch it without any judgments and watch it as a show and appreciate how brilliant it was.

[Rob Morrow]

I still watch my overacting. I see myself overacting a lot.

[Cynthia Geary]

I don't know, Rob. I think you always did such a good job. But I thought also in this particular episode, Marilyn was so great. This was really, I think, her shiny moment and how she never told him what was in. Hi, Ohio Ipsen IO And I'd forgotten that. We walked around saying that for years, you know, ohio, Ohio, Ohio, Ohio, Ohio Ipsen IO and then I'd forgotten all about it. And then suddenly I hear him like, oh, that's right. Hi, Ohio Ipsen IO Yeah, I. Ohio.

[Rob Morrow]

Ipsenio was the form. Was the native formula that. That Marilyn, played by Elaine Miles, brings in to. To help the town that's all suffering from this. This Russian flu that's gotten out of hand. And it's. The implication is that the. The. The main ingredient is some kind of animal feces stung or something.

[Cynthia Geary]

Yeah, it was really bad.

[Janine Turner]

But see, I love even that. It's like Rob, the doctor is so against it and can't, you know, ethically give it to anyone because he's got to find out the compounds. But the. At the end of that episode, he's kind of embraced the homeopathic remedy and he's.

[Cynthia Geary]

And he wants to make money. He Wants to make money from it, of course.

[Rob Morrow]

So he's like. He's got two. He's always got two. Two. He's got an altruistic goal, but he also has a selfish goal as well.

[Cynthia Geary]

I can get out of here. I can get out of here.

[Rob Morrow]

That's a great point. I mean, and I think Janine's talked about this a lot, is like, you know, the characters always seem to kind of grow in subtle ways. You know, they would. That. That. That they would learn and change. And that Joel does get. Get off it at the end and sees the potential of it, I think is a. Is a real testament to the writing.

[Cynthia Geary]

Multi. Multifaceted, multi layered. And. And I think what we've all said today on this. On this show today is that there's something in it for everybody. If you wanted to come see, you know, a romance, if you wanted to see quirkiness, if you wanted to see the beautiful landscape, if you wanted to see, you know, hear an intellectualism that was groundbreaking really, you know, in television. It was all there. Then also that north to the future small town. I talked about it earlier. I love the whole federalism small town. The town hall where they attack Rob, you know, Fleischman and say, you know, he's a trusty. I. You know what I mean? They had to bring in all the. They brought all the Russia history, the bearing straight and all of this into the show.

[Janine Turner]

Well, the. I think two of our writer producers had.

[Rob Morrow]

Were.

[Janine Turner]

Had a PhD in. In Russian history. Is that right? Or philosophy. It was Andy and Diane.

[Cynthia Geary]

Andy and Diane. Did they.

[Rob Morrow]

You're right. You're right. It's interesting how they draw, you know, the writers.

[Cynthia Geary]

They weren't. They weren't on the show yet for this one. I know. Don't think.

[Janine Turner]

Were they not.

[Cynthia Geary]

I think they were there. Not the first season.

[Rob Morrow]

But it's interesting because Russia became. Was a theme throughout the series. I mean, it kept coming back. We kept having, you know, story lines that dealt with Russia.

[Cynthia Geary]

Think about it. The wall hadn't fallen down quite yet. Right. Tear down. This wall was happened in 89.

[Rob Morrow]

Right. So we were 90. So. Right.

[Cynthia Geary]

But I mean, it just happened. It was all. Still, no one knew what was going to happen.

[Rob Morrow]

Right. Absolutely.

[Janine Turner]

Jeanine, back to your point of something for everyone. The other thing. And I've heard. Had several people tell me, you know, point it out recently and was another really interesting different thing about Northern Exposure was the spiritual, the Native American influence. And I think what you were saying about Marilyn in this episode was so Brilliant. Because she's so wise. I mean, she just looks at Joel and nods her head and keeps giving the remedy. And there was just. It's. It's so different from Western culture and Western medicine and the way it was like, okay, you know, and she's giving it and everyone's getting well, and she lets him take the credit for it.

[Rob Morrow]

Yeah. Do you ever see her up in Seattle?

[Janine Turner]

I haven't seen Elaine Miles in a while, but I do occasionally, and. And she's just wonderful.

[Cynthia Geary]

We want her to come on the show.

[Janine Turner]

Stand up.

[Rob Morrow]

No way.

[Janine Turner]

No.

[Cynthia Geary]

You're kidding.

[Janine Turner]

She does stand up. Have you seen it at Powwows? And I haven't. I've seen recordings of it. And she's great. Yeah.

[Rob Morrow]

Does she still have the same delivery? Like that kind of monotone?

[Janine Turner]

Oh, yeah.

[Rob Morrow]

Oh, yeah.

[Cynthia Geary]

Because there was. We were talking about in one episode, you know, the editing, you know, would cut to her face at just the right time and the expressions on her face. And I'm just. I'm just saying here, I'm to go on record saying I want to learn a little something from. From Marilyn to maybe just nod and not speak. I tend to be pretty outspoken. I'm a Sagittarian. I'm very outspoken. I did the chart and I'm a challenger. And so I thought, okay, I need to learn how to just keep my mouth closed and nod. You know, you spend. But, you know, Cynthia, as a woman in the business, you spend so much time fighting to not just be. Be a woman who nods. Right? Because we. We were given. We very. We had little to do. The roles weren't challenging. They were TNA and whatnot or that. That type of thing. So we spend so much time fighting, especially if women from our generation, you know, we just had to fight, fight, fight to try to find something that. That had a deeper level of integrity to it. So you spend your whole life trying to say, I'm more than just this. How I look. And now I. Now that I'm 62, I think. I think I just want to nod.

[Rob Morrow]

Let me ask you this, Cynthia. What do you remember from. I mean, Janine was talking about a little earlier when the show took off, and all of a sudden you were getting recognized and you had. You knew you had income and your life was changing. Like, what. What do you. Did you enjoy that? Did you. Was it fun?

[Janine Turner]

Yes, it. It was. It was amazing. I mean, to be honest, I didn't realize how much it was taking off until I got woken up at 4 o' clock in the morning one of our PAs, Devin Fredericks, called me and said, hey, you got nominated for an Emmy. I didn't even know I was put up for an Emmy. The show put us up for it, and I did. I'm like, what? And so there was that. I mean, we were insulated up in Seattle and where we shot, especially in Redmond, Washington, and that. I didn't really realize how big the show was.

[Rob Morrow]

I bet your parents liked it when you got the Emmy nomination.

[Janine Turner]

Oh, they did. But, you know, they always thought this was just something fun. I was gonna. Gonna move back to Mississippi and, you know, grow out of it.

[Cynthia Geary]

But, you know, I think. I think this. I had that same moment when I remember sitting on the kitchen counter and I. Because, you know, we did eight and eight. Well, Arab says eight and seven. I thought it was eight and eight, but maybe it was eight. Whatever it was. Okay, okay. It was eight and seven. We did eight and seven. And then it started to percolate. And I remember sitting in my mother's kitchen in Texas and getting the phone call that I was nominated for a Golden Globe. And I was like. I was saying, like you said. I was like, excuse. I was like, I. Oh, really? And we had that press conference and whatnot. But I didn't. I didn't put. I didn't know how the Hollywood worked. I didn't know the operations of it or any of the, you know, mechanics of the background of that type of genre of awards.

[Rob Morrow]

Yeah, we could say. You could say that they, you know.

[Cynthia Geary]

What we learned there was a naivete still to all of us.

[Rob Morrow]

And what the, what we did know was that the. The studio has to put you up for the award. It's not just like, people just like, think, oh, Cynthia was great. I want to know it. It's like there's a whole process and it's. And money is spent and advertising and PR is done to try to get attention so that. That. That these nominations will come. And, you know, you still have to be good and they have to like what you're doing. But it's a. It's a bit of a. It's a bit of a game that we.

[Cynthia Geary]

I never knew they were picking episodes for us for our acting. No one ever asked me. It's like I would have picked a completely different episode. You know what I mean?

[Janine Turner]

Well, we were in the drama category, and again, at that time, we were a dramedy. I mean, we would be a comedy today. And it was kind of weird because we were up against. Against much More dramatic show. People.

[Rob Morrow]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Geary]

Like LA laws who were crying. Yeah. I mean, when I was nominated for an Emmy, I remember watching, Watching the other actresses and they're crying and they're having meltdowns. And, you know, there I am kind of doing this drama comedy and you. We really, as actors, it was hard for us to hold up in that category. But one of the reasons they want us to be a comedy so badly is because they wanted us to be on Monday night after Murphy Brown.

[Janine Turner]

Right.

[Cynthia Geary]

Because Murphy Brown was such a hit and that would give us great exposure, no pun intended.

[Rob Morrow]

Which was a great lineup. We haven't talked about the lineup. Do you remember the lineup, Janina?

[Cynthia Geary]

What was before Murphy Brown? There was something right before Murphy Brown.

[Rob Morrow]

There was the Burt Reynolds show. Right. Burt Reynolds played a. There was some. Some show. There was. I forget there was. We have to look that up. Like, what were. What was our lead in, besides Murphy.

[Cynthia Geary]

Murphy Brown?

[Rob Morrow]

And then. You don't remember the Burt Reynolds one. There was like, before that there was a Burt Reynolds one and then there was, I think, one. No wonder Years was NBC.

[Cynthia Geary]

All I know is Murphy Brown. And. And they wanted us to be funny, but. But we were a kind of a drama, a quirky drama drama with some humor. So it was interesting category for us. But, yeah, I. I talk. Talk about living in Seattle. Did you enjoy living in Seattle?

[Janine Turner]

Well, clearly I did, because I'm still here. Yeah, Yeah, I did. I had never been to the Northwest before the show and got moved here like we all did. And we all lived in the same apartment complex the first season, which I think was another reason we were able to bond the way we were and feel like a family because we all lived in these corporate apartments near the set and we were all transplants and so we didn't have other friends and we did things together. I mean, we went out together afterwards. And that first season, I think, really cemented our relationship with each other at off the set as well as on the set. But I. Yes, I love Seattle. It's so beautiful. I love nature and I'm a water skier and snow skier, and it speaks to me in all of those ways. And then it's a great arts town. There's great theater and music and I love live music.

[Rob Morrow]

Music.

[Janine Turner]

Rob, you gotta come play up here.

[Rob Morrow]

I did. I know I do. I want to come up there. I want to come live there again. I love that place. I think one of my regrets is.

[Cynthia Geary]

I love my house there.

[Rob Morrow]

We could have bought land for nothing, you know?

[Janine Turner]

Yeah.

[Rob Morrow]

And I do miss that. But I do remember going out with you guys. It was the you, me, Corbett and Janine. We went out dancing and, and partying and it was so fun. It was just so we were like getting to know the town which Corbett event ended up owning basically with his nightclub.

[Janine Turner]

Bought a bar.

[Cynthia Geary]

Yeah, I visited him at that bar once. There was like a two way glass or whatever, his little office. And it was a bizarre experience. Well, I remember when Rob and I got off the plane and we arrived in Seattle and I'd been in New York City for four or five straight years. And you know, that gets a little old when you don't have a lot of.

[Rob Morrow]

Evening Shade was the Burt Reynolds show. I just.

[Cynthia Geary]

That's right, Evening Shade. That's right.

[Rob Morrow]

That's Designing Women. Was that.

[Cynthia Geary]

I was Designing Women. Was that before us, but Evening Shade.

[Rob Morrow]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Geary]

I did a pilot for the Creator after Northern Exposure. But when Rob and I got off the plane and when we got to those little sort of business apartments where we were living, it was like, ma, I called my mother, I said, mom, listen, frogs. And I put the phone out because there are all these frogs chirping, going the beautiful pine trees. It was incredibly gorgeous. And then we should talk a little bit before we close here about driving every eight days through the Cascade Mountains, which sometimes we did through incredible snowstorms. I remember driving through vert, you know, vertigo. Not even in the dark with snow. We couldn't even see where we were. And we would get over the. Into the mountain, into the Cascade Mountains. And we stayed in that. That. What was it? It was an old business office. It was a business office. It was like a holiday. Yeah. Yes. It was like a Holiday Inn, or worse, motel.

[Rob Morrow]

The CLE El.

[Cynthia Geary]

Yeah.

[Janine Turner]

But it had like a little timberline in, I think, Timber Lodge.

[Cynthia Geary]

The Timber Lodge. The Timber Lodge. Yeah, Timber Lodge.

[Janine Turner]

Here, I'm gonna look it up. I think it was Timberline.

[Cynthia Geary]

But, yeah, it was an old office building and the beds were hard and the, you know, the, the toilets had the little tape over them that they've been cleaned with a little tiny bar. So, you know, it was just this, like. It was barely a hotel and that's where we all stayed. It was so not glamorous. It was just everything we did about the show was really down to earth. Our studio wasn't a big beautiful studio in Universal lot. It was this old warehouse. Again, that it was just. There was a humility about being there, which I think works to our benefit probably every way.

[Rob Morrow]

Well, we kind of have to wrap it up, Cynthia. Although I think we could speak to you for hours. And. And as Janine said, we definitely will have you back. If you want to come back, come back. But, yeah, you look great. And. And watching, you know, I think, like, you said it so perfectly. Like, watching the show now with the distance we have is such a joy, you know, And I get to. I. I appreciate everyone else's work more than I did then. I mean, and I did then. But now. But now I'm not watching myself as much as you said, as you say. And so you were so great, and that character was so charming and quirky and had so many different dimensions, and then over time, they started to really write for you, and. And she developed into such a cool, cool woman.

[Cynthia Geary]

So I remember the episode with this. The saddle, the satellite, when this. And you ordered all. That was a big episode for you, and you ordered all those things in the middle of the night because you became addicted to. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But, yeah, Shelly, you were brilliant in the show, and I miss you, too. I miss you a lot. And I'm glad that this has brought us all back. Back together.

[Janine Turner]

Yeah.

[Rob Morrow]

All right, well, so next week we have. Janine, who do we have next week?

[Cynthia Geary]

I don't know yet.

[Rob Morrow]

Oh, really?

[Cynthia Geary]

Oh, we have to work on that.

[Rob Morrow]

Okay. All right, well, we're.

[Cynthia Geary]

But we are going to New York. We're gonna. We're gonna film together in New York, which will be fun in a couple of weeks. But. Well, I think. Darren. We're trying. Darren. I think we're hoping for Darren.

[Rob Morrow]

That's what I thought. So we're hoping Darren Burrows will be with us next week. And, you know, as. As we said before, you can watch this show on the normal More than disclosure channel on YouTube, or you can listen to it on your podcast, wherever you get your podcast. And you can watch the show on.

[Cynthia Geary]

Prime Video, and you can watch the show. There are ways to watch it for free, too. It's like all the different. There are. It's out there in a lot of places. It's not just, you know, it's. Prime Video has all these arms and everything, fingers and everything.

[Rob Morrow]

All right, well, as we like to say. What do we like to say, Janine? North.

[Cynthia Geary]

Oh, north to the future. Shall we all say it? Since Cynthia. Oh, no, wait, wait. Before we do that, Rob, we have to sign off with the signature. Signature first.

[Rob Morrow]

We have to do north. We do. We do that.

[Cynthia Geary]

You want to do north to the future first? Okay, fine. Okay. All right. So We. We always do. North to the future. You want to do it with us, Cynthia?

[Janine Turner]

Absolutely.

[Cynthia Geary]

Okay, Ready? So you can say sign off.

[Rob Morrow]

1, 2, 3.

[Cynthia Geary]

North to the future. Oh, gosh. Well, this has been fun. And we will see you next week or we'll talk with you next week. So, Rob, it's been a lot of fun. Thank you for listening. From. We're gonna sign off from o' Connell and Fleischman.

[Rob Morrow]

The only thing is, I think it should probably be Fleischman o' Connell.

[Cynthia Geary]

In your dreams, Fleischman.

[Rob Morrow]

Go.

[Janine Turner]

Through Disclosure is a production with Evergreen Podcasts and executive produced by Paul Anderson and Scott McCarthy for Workhouse Media.