North of North 2025 Tv Series Review Trailer Poster

A pilot episode (i.e., the first one) is quite a challenge. You have to establish the world, the setting, the characters, and their motivations, and they better not force us to be told such necessary but boring information in a boring way, otherwise we're out. Phew!

Fortunately, a sense of joy is buoying viewers with the premiere of CBC Gem's North of North project, "Top of the World," which features an incredibly charming cast, centered on actress Anna Lambe, who is easy to root for. She plays a young Inuk woman, "Siaja," seeking to renew her everyday life.

North of North knows that the average audience doesn't hear much about its setting and its subject matter (Indigenous women and social roles in the Arctic). Therefore, in the first 30 seconds, viewers are familiarized with the context. Ironically and satisfyingly ("Go on... no, go on... go on..."), we discover that the series is set in a small Arctic town called "Ice Cove," Nunavut. We discover how the protagonists relate to each other (and how they get around: by truck and snowmobile) and, above all, we learn about "Siaja's" fate and her plans to make it even better, all with her baby as a priority.

"When we focus on stories, it's often about our trauma and how colonialism has had one effect or another," she explains. "And that may be true, but highlighting the joy we create and foster in our communities, and the love we have for each other—and that is, at its core, what our communities and who we are represent—was the most important thing to me and made me want to be a part of this series. It fills me with pride to see what we've created."

This is what I meant when I talked about a "sense of joy" at the beginning of this review. Serious projects about trauma and grief are important, valid, and often good, but it's equally valuable to shine a little light; otherwise, how can you develop a more complete picture?

Accompanied by happy faces and (thankfully) modern music (Caleb Chan, Brian Chan) with a few cultural touches, the premiere episode, "Top of the World," lands with its feet firmly on the ground, ready to move forward and drag us along with it.

Watch North of North 2025 Tv Series Trailer

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