Some non-native characters had important roles: the restaurant/motel owner (a Ukrainian immigrant), the band manager, the nurse (a white Canadian woman) and (during the show's first season) the town's RCMP Detachment Commander.

Originally somewhat light-hearted (a CBC response to the very successful Northern Exposure on CBS), it quickly became a more sombre dramatic series which explored subplots including murder, band corruption, economic depression, mental health and the death of a child (owing to actress Selina Hanuse, who played Hannah Kenidi, leaving the show to pursue her education in Season 3).

There were also romantic and sexual subplots between unlikely characters, giving the show a distinctive soap opera-like atmosphere not hugely common in Canadian government-sponsored media at the time.

This included scenes depicting brief sex, nudity and profanity, as well as discussion in one episode about HIV/AIDS and the social stigma faced by a young boy who was a male prostitute with the disease.

One of the stars was Michael Horse, as Andrew One Sky, previously best known for his portrayal of Deputy Hawk in Twin Peaks and as Tonto in the 1981 film The Legend of the Lone Ranger.

The series ran weekly until 1997, and followed seasonal changes in character arcs: RCMP Corporal Eric Olson moves to Lynx River from an undercover drug operation in Vancouver, becoming acquainted with the town's issues and citizens.

Events of note include a physical run-in with local bad boy Trevor Victor "Teevee" Tenia, Eric's divorce from his wife, Michelle coping with an abusive former teacher who bullied her at the residential school, Leon trying to quit drinking (and subsequently marrying Rosie), a girl named Donna struggling with the impacts of fetal alcohol syndrome, Sarah having a romance with Eric, Teevee threatening to air an amateur porno tape he made of Eric and Sarah that he recorded while playing peeping tom in Sarah's window, Teevee running away to Vancouver and having a bad experience with local male prostitute and hustler Nevada, and Michelle trying to cope with the loss of her and Hannah's house in a fire, among other things.

Season 2's main plot device revolves around the town's dealings with an Italian brother-and-sister duo involved with fashion design who help to fund the building of a tannery in Lynx River.

Hannah struggles with being "the Mountie's kid" and begins acting out rebelliously, while Teevee learns how to write grant proposals and raise the morale of the Lynx River children.

Eric is horrified after his teenage son, Andy, begins expressing racism towards the Native residents of the town, a bigoted attitude which he apparently picked up from his mother's new boyfriend, Bill.

Betty Moses, an abrasive but kind-hearted woman, attempts to run a treatment centre in town and finds that Sarah is a surprisingly beloved friend of her patients.

Peter struggles with his hopes to move to Ottawa for business in conflict with his desire to stay home, and a pompous artist, Ben Montour, arrives in Lynx River with an alcohol problem, sleeping with Lois, much to Harris's chagrin.

Nathan begins developing mental health issues due to his ban, and Hannah returns to Lynx River, now wearing punk garb and having a noticeably different attitude.

Brian Fletcher brings his wife, Rosemary (a devout Christian) to Lynx River, where they both struggle with marital problems due to their inability to conceive a child, including a miscarriage that is difficult on both of them.

The road-building commences in Lynx River, giving Teevee a job, which also leads him to learn about the consequences of radicalism when he gets involved with a leftist group protesting the project and expressing this with violence.

Gerry considers leaving Lynx River, and reveals more about his troubled past and family to Rosie; the two finally admit to having romantic feelings for one another, sharing a kiss.

Other background soundtracks for the series, which were never listed in the credits for the episodes, were generally by Canadian bands and included various samples from Tom Jackson's album No Regrets, as well as "Just Another Day" by Kevin Jordan, "E Uassiuian" by Kashtin, "Honky Tonk Choir Boy" by Chris Ward, "New Orleans Is Sinking" by The Tragically Hip (t-shirts from the band's concert in this particular instance were featured, as character Hannah had attended a concert by The Tragically Hip in Calgary as part of an episode storyline in Season 4), and a number of other songs, mostly unidentified folk rock and country.

[3] North of 60 has developed a cult following, including a consistently active but private Facebook group with over 10,000 members, and a fan website featuring interviews from multiple actors and actresses from the show; the website, created by longtime fan Patty Winter, was featured in the university textbook Outside Looking In: Viewing First Nations Peoples in Canadian Dramatic Television Series by Mary Jane Miller.