One of Netflix’s most anticipated new series this month takes place in a very cold environment.
North of North, premiering April 10, centers on the fictional town of Ice Cove and follows Siaja (Anna Lambe), a young Inuk mother who leaves her husband, Ting (Kelly William), to find a new path. As the community center’s event planner, she puts together various activities, including elder nights and “walrus dick baseball” (exactly as it sounds). Throughout the eight episodes, she is working on a proposal to convince people that the town is the perfect location for a new research facility. She develops a friendship with Kuuk (Braeden Clarke), one of the young visiting researchers, and romance blossoms.
The show is filmed in the Arctic, where Inuit co-creators Stacey Aglok-MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril reside. It’s the latest in a string of comedic programs that explore the lives of Indigenous people, such as Reservation Dogs and Rutherford Falls.
TIME spoke with the showrunners about some of the most memorable parts of North of North, what life is like in the far North, and how the series stands apart from other shows and films about Indigenous communities.
How would you complete this sentence? You know you’re filming in the Arctic when…
Arnaquq-Baril: …when a blizzard shuts you down for two days!
Aglok-MacDonald: …when you’re in a meeting and the power goes out for two hours!
Wow! Yet, the show depicts a lot of outdoor socializing. Isn’t it freezing? Why aren’t people inside?
Aglok-MacDonald: From April or May—depending on the specific community and how far north you are—until about September, everyone tries to spend as much time as possible outdoors. You can find kids playing outside at two in the morning during the summer.
Arnaquq-Baril: Many small towns don’t have bars, so gathering around a bonfire is a popular activity.
Aglok-MacDonald: These bonfires require significant effort because we lack driftwood and trees for burning. People gather wood from construction sites and break down wood pallets from ships delivering food.
The show features characters going to the airport to find romantic partners. Is this based on personal experience?
Aglok-MacDonald: We’d go to the airport with friends to check out who was arriving—especially during high school sports events or large conferences. Everyone was looking for someone to spend the weekend with. Friends often ended the weekend with visible hickeys. As a nerd, I was just observing and flirting.
Arnaquq-Baril: One of our writers, Moriah Sallaffie, who is an Alaskan Inuk, met her wife at an Inuit circumpolar conference. International romances definitely arise from these events.
Have you ever encountered someone who tried to be a musher in bed, like the foreign musher in the show who wants Siaja to act like a dog?
Arnaquq-Baril: Not personally! However, it’s common for people to arrive, fall in love with the Arctic, romanticize it, and try to be “more Inuk than the Inuit.” This musher is a fictional character from Stacey’s imagination.
Aglok-MacDonald: No comment! Many mushers who come to our communities are often from Quebec or France and tend to be involved with Inuit women, either in marriage or casual relationships.
What’s the significance of walrus dick baseball in the show?
Arnaquq-Baril: It’s our version of baseball, something we played growing up. Different communities have different variations and rules. The version in the show is played in Alaska.
Aglok-MacDonald: Since we lack wood, we need something to hit the balls with. The walrus penis is a significant resource that Inuit have fully utilized. We know what to do with it.
Arnaquq-Baril: Walrus is a food source, and our culture traditionally uses every part of the hunted animal, ensuring nothing is wasted. We aren’t going to waste a good walrus penis.
Why doesn’t the show have a happy romantic ending?
Aglok-MacDonald: We wanted a slightly bittersweet tone. Siaja and Ting have only been separated for three months. She’s a young woman, and we want to give her space to discover herself and her desires.
Arnaquq-Baril: It felt unrealistic for Siaja to immediately enter a happy relationship with someone like Kuuk because she needs time to sort things out. There’s much to explore, which we hope to delve into over several seasons.
How does your show differ from other shows or movies featuring Indigenous characters?
Arnaquq-Baril: We’ve often been portrayed as disappearing cultures, which is untrue. Many Indigenous filmmakers are embracing humor. The majority of media about us has been created by outsiders, and we’re moving away from that.
What myths or misconceptions do you hope to dispel with this series?
Aglok-MacDonald: We are not a cold and desolate place. We are actually very bright, warm, and loving. Our communities are beautiful. We aren’t just surviving; we’re thriving and enjoying our lives in the Arctic.
