''Picket Fences'' is an American

family drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms t ...

television series about the residents of the town of Rome,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, created and produced by

David E. Kelley David Edward Kelley (born April 4, 1956) is an American television writer, producer, and former attorney, known as the creator of '' Doogie Howser, M.D.'', '' Picket Fences'', ''Chicago Hope'', ''The Practice'', '' Ally McBeal'', ''Boston Publi ...

. The show initially ran from September 18, 1992, to June 26, 1996, on the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

television network in the United States. It sometimes struggled to maintain a stable primetime audience and had fluctuating ratings, due in part to its

Friday night death slot The "Friday night death slot" or "Friday evening death slot" is a perceived graveyard slot in American television. It implies a television program in the United States scheduled on Friday evenings (typically, between 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. ET) ...

. In its first season on the air it placed 63rd in the prime-time

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

and in its second season it moved to 61st. The show's exteriors were shot in the L.A. suburb of

Monrovia, California Monrovia is a city in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 37,931 at the 2020 census. Monrovia has been used for filming TV shows, movies and co ...

, with many of the townspeople appearing in the background of episodes.

Overview

The series follows the lives of the residents of the small town of Rome, Wisconsin, where weird things happen, including cows'

udder An udder is an organ formed of two or four mammary glands on the females of dairy animals and ruminants such as cattle, goats, and sheep. An udder is equivalent to the breast in primates and elephantine pachyderms. The udder is a single mass han ...

s exploding and people turning up dead in freezers. The show dealt with unusual topics for the primetime television of the period, such as

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

incest Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adoption ...

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitude (psychology), attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, h ...

and

LGBT adoption Same-sex adoption is the adoption of children by Same-sex relationship, same-sex couples. It may take the form of a joint adoption by the couple, or of the adoption by one partner of the other's biological child (stepchild adoption). Joint ad ...

transsexuality Transsexual people experience a gender identity that is inconsistent with their assigned sex, and desire to permanently transition to the sex or gender with which they identify, usually seeking medical assistance (including sex reassignment ...

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

belief in God Various Theism, theistic positions can involve belief in a God or "gods". They include: * Henotheism, belief in the supremacy of one god without denying the existence of others. * Monotheism, the doctrine or belief that there is only one deity. * P ...

medical ethics Medical ethics is an applied branch of ethics which analyzes the practice of clinical medicine and related scientific research. Medical ethics is based on a set of values that professionals can refer to in the case of any confusion or conflict. T ...

polygamy Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is married ...

polyamory Polyamory () is the practice of, or desire for, romantic relationships with more than one partner at the same time, with the informed consent of all partners involved. People who identify as polyamorous may believe in open relationships wit ...

, adolescent sexuality,

date rape Date rape is a form of acquaintance rape and dating violence. The two phrases are often used interchangeably, but date rape specifically refers to a rape in which there has been some sort of romantic or potentially sexual relationship between ...

cryonics Cryonics (from el, κρύος ''kryos'' meaning 'cold') is the low-temperature freezing (usually at ) and storage of human remains, with the speculative hope that resurrection may be possible in the future. Cryonics is regarded with skepticis ...

, the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

shoe fetishism Shoe fetishism is the attribution of attractive sexual qualities to shoes or other footwear as a matter of sexual preference, or an alternative or complement to a relationship with a partner. It has also been known as retifism, after the French no ...

masturbation Masturbation is the sexual stimulation of one's own genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation may involve hands, fingers, everyday objects, sex toys such as vibrators, or combinatio ...

animal sacrifice Animal sacrifice is the ritual killing and offering of one or more animals, usually as part of a religious ritual or to appease or maintain favour with a deity. Animal sacrifices were common throughout Europe and the Ancient Near East until the spr ...

spontaneous human combustion Spontaneous human combustion (SHC) is the pseudoscientific concept of the combustion of a living (or recently deceased) human body without an apparent external source of ignition. In addition to reported cases, descriptions of the alleged phen ...

, and

constitutional right A constitutional right can be a prerogative or a duty, a power or a restraint of power, recognized and established by a sovereign state or union of states. Constitutional rights may be expressly stipulated in a national constitution, or they may ...

s. Illustrative of the subject matter is that the regular cast included a judge, two lawyers, and a medical examiner. Religious issues were frequently discussed, and the town's

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and Episcopal priests were frequently recurring characters, as well as lawyer Douglas Wambaugh's relationships in his local

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

The Brock family

Struggling to maintain order in the community is Sheriff Jimmy Brock (

Tom Skerritt Thomas Roy Skerritt (born August 25, 1933) is an American actor who has appeared in over 40 films and more than 200 television episodes since 1962. He is known for his film roles in ''M*A*S*H'', ''Alien'', '' The Dead Zone'', '' Top Gun'', '' A ...

). Sheriff Brock is 52 years old, married to the town doctor, Jill (

Kathy Baker } Katherine Whitton Baker (born June 8, 1950) is an American actress. Baker began her career in theater and made her screen debut in the 1983 drama film '' The Right Stuff''. She received the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Suppor ...

), his second wife. They attempt to raise their three children, Kimberly (

Holly Marie Combs Holly Marie Combs Ryan (born December 3, 1973) is an American actress and producer. She is known for her roles as Kimberly Brock in the CBS series '' Picket Fences'' (1992–1996), Piper Halliwell in The WB series ''Charmed'' (1998–2006) and ...

) from Jimmy's first marriage to Lydia Brock (

Cristine Rose Cristine Sue Rose (born January 31, 1951), sometimes credited as Christine Rose, is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Angela Petrelli on the hit NBC science fiction drama '' Heroes''. Early life Rose was born in Lynwood ...

), Matthew (

Justin Shenkarow Justin Shenkarow is an American actor, producer, director and writer, best known for his roles of Matthew Brock in ''Picket Fences'', Simon Holmes in ''Eerie, Indiana'', and the voice of Harold Berman from the ''Nickelodeon'' animated series, ' ...

) and Zachary (

Adam Wylie Adam Augustus Wylie (born May 23, 1984) is an American actor, magician and a former Crayola spokesman. Wylie is known most for playing Zack Brock, the youngest son of Doctor and Sheriff Brock's children, on ''Picket Fences'' from 1992 to 1996. Ea ...

Sheriff's office

Maxine 'Max' Stewart (

Lauren Holly Lauren Holly (born October 28, 1963) is an American actress. She has played the roles of Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in the television series ''Picket Fences'', NCIS Director Jenny Shepard in the series '' NCIS'', Dr. Betty Rogers on ''Motive' ...

) and Kenny Lacos (

Costas Mandylor Costas Mandylor (born Konstantinos Theodosopoulos; 3 September 1965) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his role as Kenny in ''Picket Fences'' and for portraying Mark Hoffman in the ''Saw'' films. Early life Mandylor was born i ...

) are impulsive and slightly immature

sheriff's deputies In the United States, a sheriff is an official in a county or independent city responsible for keeping the peace and enforcing the law. Unlike most officials in law enforcement in the United States, sheriffs are usually elected, although so ...

. Kelly Connell played

medical examiner The medical examiner is an appointed official in some American jurisdictions who is trained in pathology that investigates deaths that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictio ...

Carter Pike (who regularly begged to be deputized) and

Zelda Rubinstein Zelda May Rubinstein (May 28, 1933 – January 27, 2010) was an American actress and human rights activist, known as eccentric medium (spirituality), medium Tangina Barrons in the Poltergeist (film series), ''Poltergeist'' film series. Playing "Gi ...

portrayed police dispatcher Ginny Weedon.

The courthouse

Bombastic lawyer Douglas Wambaugh (

Fyvush Finkel Philip "Fyvush" Finkel ( yi, פֿײַוויש פֿינקעל; October 9, 1922 – August 14, 2016) was an American actor known as a star of Yiddish theater and for his role as lawyer Douglas Wambaugh on the television series ''Picket Fences'', ...

) usually irritated Judge Henry Bone (

Ray Walston Herman Raymond Walston (November 2, 1914 – January 1, 2001) was an American actor and comedian, well known as the title character on ''My Favorite Martian''. His other major film, television, and stage roles included Luther Billis (''South Paci ...

). Wambaugh refused to hear any confessions of guilt from his clients as he feared that it would only stand in the way of adequately defending them in court; and Bone's rulings seemed to be directed more by his own moral compass than by points of law, though his decisions were almost never reversed. After several prosecutors came and went,

Don Cheadle Donald Frank Cheadle Jr. (; born November 29, 1964) is an American actor. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including two Grammy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has also earned ...

joined the cast as John Littleton.

Townspeople

Other actors who were in the cast included

Marlee Matlin Marlee Beth Matlin (born August 24, 1965) is an American actress, author, and activist. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for a ...

as Mayor Laurie Bey / The Dancing Bandit,

Richard Masur Richard Masur is an American character actor who has appeared in more than 80 films. From 1995 to 1999, he served two terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). He is best known for Nick Lobo on ''Rhoda'' (1974-1977), Stanley Uris in th ...

as Ed Lawson,

Roy Brocksmith Roy Brocksmith (September 15, 1945 – December 16, 2001) was an American actor. Life and career Brocksmith was born in Quincy, Illinois, the son of Vera Marguerite (''née'' Hartwig) and Otis E. Brocksmith, who was a mechanic. He graduated from ...

as elementary school principal Michael Oslo, Jack Murdock as ethically challenged city councilman Harold Lundstrom,

Roy Dotrice Roy Dotrice (26 May 1923 – 16 October 2017) was a British actor famed for his portrayal of the antiquarian John Aubrey in the record-breaking solo play '' Brief Lives''. Abroad, he won a Tony Award for his performance in the 2000 Broadway r ...

as Father Gary Barrett, a Catholic priest, and

Dabbs Greer Robert William "Dabbs" Greer (April 2, 1917 – April 28, 2007) was an American character actor in film and television for over 60 years. With nearly 100 film roles and appearances in nearly 600 television episodes of various series, Greer ...

as the Reverend Henry Novotny, priest of the local Episcopal church.

Mayors

The town frequently changed mayors, who often met strange fates: * Mayor Bill Pugen ( Michael Keenan): Spontaneous human combustion after his murder conviction * Mayor Rachel Harris (

Leigh Taylor-Young Leigh Taylor-Young (born January 25, 1945) is an American actress who has appeared on stage, screen, podcast, radio and television. The most famous films in which she had important roles include ''I Love You, Alice B. Toklas'' (1968), '' The Hors ...

): Hounded from office for starring in an adult film 25 years before * Acting Mayor Howard Buss ( Robert Cornthwaite): Suffered from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

, fatally shot by his son * Acting Mayor Jill Brock (

): Jailed in connection with school busing; dropped out of bid for election in her own right * Mayor Ed Lawson (

): Entombed in a freezer by his wife, then decapitated * Mayor Laurie Bey (

): Mayor at end of third season, despite bank robbery convictions as "The Dancing Bandit". She was offered the job as part of her 3,000 hours community service sentencing. She returns after her maternity leave is over. * Acting Mayor Maxine Stewart (

): Shot and wounded by a shock jock's fan (while Bey was on maternity leave).

Cast

Episodes

''Picket Fences'' had a total of 88 episodes and four seasons.

Crossovers

The series had two crossover episodes with another David E. Kelley series, ''

Chicago Hope ''Chicago Hope'' is an American medical drama television series, created by David E. Kelley. It originally aired on CBS from September 18, 1994, to May 4, 2000. The series is set in a fictional private charitable hospital in Chicago, Illinois. ...

'', one occurring in each series. In the first, on ''Picket Fences'', Dr. Jill Brock accompanies Douglas Wambaugh to Chicago Hope Hospital over concerns of his heart. In the second, Wambaugh is back at Chicago Hope Hospital causing trouble for the doctors.

later joined the cast of ''Chicago Hope'' as Dr. Jeremy Hanlon and

appeared in a different role as a guest star. Also, as the story goes, David E. Kelley and Chris Carter (creator of ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...

'') were talking in a parking lot on the Fox lot one day and thought it might be interesting to have Mulder and Scully visit Rome, Wisconsin for an ''X-Files'' episode. Originally, the two shows would be shot with different viewpoints one from the ''X-Files'' perspective and the other from ''Picket Fences''. The official approval was never given by Fox and CBS, so the only remnants remaining of this effort are the ''X-Files'' episode "

Red Museum "Red Museum" is the tenth episode of the second season of the science fiction television series ''The X-Files''. It premiered on the Fox network on December 9, 1994. It was written by Chris Carter, directed by Win Phelps, and featured guest appe ...

" and the ''Picket Fences'' episode "Away in the Manger" having similar plotlines involving cows. While every reference to ''Picket Fences'' has been purged from the ''X-Files'' episode, there still are some small winks left in the ''Picket Fences'' episode referring to the happenings at ''The X-Files'' and some minor characters there.

Ratings

Adaptation

The series was adapted in India in Hindi language and aired on

StarPlus StarPlus is an Indian Hindi language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly ''Star India''), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. The network's programming consists of Soap opera, family dramas, ...

as '' Kehta Hai Dil'' from 2002 to 2005 produced by UTV Software Communications. However, the Indian version in between deviated entirely from the story of ''Picket Fences''.

Home media

On June 19, 2007,

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment (commonly referred to as 20th Home Video, or 20th Home Entertainment, formerly known as 20th Century-Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video, Fox Video, and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) is a home video label of Wa ...

released the first season of ''Picket Fences'' on DVD in Region 1. On August 20, 2014, Season 1 was released in Australia. Season 2 was released in Australia in December 2014. Season 3 was released in Australia in March 2016. The complete series (seasons 1–4) was released through ViaVision (Australia) in 2016. The collection is considered a Region 0 DVD, playable on all DVD players. All seasons are also available on Region 2 formatted DVDs in Germany. From 2021 until Thanksgiving 2022, the entire season was, for the first time available to stream on Hulu. Prior to this, Hulu had streamed seasons 1-2 only, and the series had disappeared from Hulu for several years prior to it re-releasing on Hulu in 2021.

Awards and nominations

''Picket Fences'' won fourteen

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

s (including "Best Dramatic Series" twice) and one

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

in its four-year run. A substantial following for the show persists today, and it is popular as

rerun A rerun or repeat is a rebroadcast of an episode of a radio or television program. There are two types of reruns – those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated. Variations In the United Kingdom, the word ...

in western Europe. It was rerun in French in Canada on

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

under the title ''Bienvenue à Rome, USA''. In 1997, the episode "Heart of Saturday Night" was ranked #96 on ''TV Guide''s 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time. In 2002, the character of Douglas Wambaugh was ranked 47th on ''TV Guide''s 50 Greatest Television Characters of All Time list.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1990s American drama television series 1992 American television series debuts 1996 American television series endings CBS original programming English-language television shows Television series by 20th Century Fox Television Television shows set in Wisconsin Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series winners Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series Television series created by David E. Kelley