Picket Fences

1992
Picket Fences

Seasons & Episodes

  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0

EP1 A Change of Season Sep 22, 1995

Kimberly surprises her parents with her plans to attend medical school out of state. Carter Pike's house catches fire after he had taken some sedatives, leaving Jill Brock to suspect a suicide attempt.

EP2 Reap the Whirlwind Sep 29, 1995

The Wambaughs have an argument on their 50th anniversary as a tornado threatens the town. Jimmy and Jill worry about Kimberly who is away at college. Meanwhile, Carter meets an interesting new woman while buying quilting supplies.

EP3 Pal Joey Oct 06, 1995

A former talk show host, Dr. Joanna "Joey" Diamond (Amy Aquino) joins Jill's medical practice. Kenny begins using a dating service.

EP4 Bloodbrothers Oct 13, 1995

District Attorney John Littleton's convict brother escapes from prison and makes his way to Rome.

EP5 Dog Eat Dog Oct 20, 1995

Maxine is in trouble after she shoots a man wearing a bratwurst costume. Meanwhile, Jill assumes Kimberly is pregnant when she learns her daughter saw Dr. Joey and concealed the office visit from Jill.

EP6 Heart of Saturday Night Oct 27, 1995

It is Saturday night in Rome, and the townspeople are looking at various ways to spend the evening. Matthew cruises the town with his friends. Jimmy and Jill make an attempt at romance. Judge Bone and Wambaugh play poker, but one of the men in their group drops dead. Note- In 1997 TV Guide ranked this episode number 96 on it's '100 Greatest Episodes of All Time' list.

EP7 Down the Tubes Nov 03, 1995

Jill considers tubal ligation. Brock must dance the polka with the Mayor for charity. Haunted by the death of his brother, Littleton returns to Chicago.

EP8 This Little Piggy Dec 08, 1995

Kimberly is arrested for protesting pig-wrestling at the town fair.

EP9 Witness for the Prosecution Dec 15, 1995

During a celebration welcoming the Pope to town, someone opens fire, and a man is killed. The victim's gay lover says the man committed suicide, but the Pope says he saw the whole thing and that it was murder. The Pope, therefore, becomes the chief witness in a murder case in Rome, Wisconsin.

EP10 Dem Bones Jan 05, 1996

The skeleton of a Nazi sympathizer is found and suspicion falls on Jacob Levine, the son of a Jewish butcher who was persecuted by the dead man. Wambaugh rises to Levine's defense only to find himself facing an unexpected prosecuting attorney — his son David, from whom he has been estranged for many years.

EP11 Bloodlines Jan 12, 1996

Matthew is deeply depressed after a friend commits suicide and Jimmy takes him on a trip in order to help him overcome his grief.

EP12 Snow Exit Jan 19, 1996

A blizzard hits town, stranding Jill and Kimberly in a bar where Lydia is making her singing debut. Likewise, Jimmy is snowed in at the sheriff's office and is the only person available to deliver the Mayor's baby when she goes into labor.

EP13 My Romance Jan 26, 1996

After being struck by a falling power line, Carter sees his deceased grandfather Bob while he is clinically dead for three minutes. This experience causes him to reevaluate his relationship with God and with his girlfriend Sue. Judge Bone meets an old flame of 50 years ago while Zack gets a crush on a young cello prodigy who is visiting for a musical competition. Unfortunately, the girl only has eyes for Matthew.

EP14 The Z Files Feb 09, 1996

Zack inserts his teacher's face in a pornographic video and his friend uploads it to the Internet. Maxine meets an online friend in person.

EP15 Bottled Feb 16, 1996

Jill's emotions take control as the family celebrates Zack's 13th birthday.

EP16 Winner Takes All Jun 05, 1996

Jill fills in as the school's interim basketball coach when the regular coach collapses during a game. Under pressure from the parents, she becomes obsessed with winning, leading Zack and his teammates to obtain an injunction to remove her. Matthew develops a gambling addiction.

EP17 Dante's Inferno Apr 22, 1996

Maxine Stuart meets with opposition when she fills in as mayor and enacts some unpopular policies and changes. Shock jock Chuck Dante adds fuel to the fire on his radio show. The situation becomes serious when one of Dante's followers shoots Maxine.

EP18 Forget Selma Jun 12, 1996

When Wambaugh learns that Miriam has a new man in her life, he suspects that the man must have an ulterior motive.

EP19 To Forgive is Divine Jun 19, 1996

When an Amish girl is raped, she refuses to testify against her rapist due to her religious beliefs. The rapist goes free and rapes another girl whose outraged family sue the Amish community, blaming them for the rape.

EP20 Liver Let Die Jun 26, 1996

Jimmy learns he might have a cancerous growth on his liver. At the same time, he investigates the murder of a homeless man found behind Reverend Novotny's church. The murder suspect grabs Jimmy's gun and holds him hostage at the sheriff's office, but Jimmy and Kenny convince the man to give up the weapon. Later that day, Jimmy learns that the growth on his liver is benign.

EP21 Bye-Bye, Bey-Bey Apr 24, 1996

It is the christening of Mayor Bey's baby, Michael, but the Rome residents are flabbergasted when Laurie announces that she had the baby for her brother Jerry and his lover Gordy, who plan to raise the baby in the town. The Beys' estranged mother Christine, who turned her back on her children because she was deaf and he was gay, turns up and announces she is taking them all to court to get custody of her grandson. Tension brews in Rome as the people take sides on the issue and a campaign begins to have Laurie removed as Mayor, resulting in Jerry and Gordy being attacked at the supermarket by a vicious homophobic gang. Despite attempts by the prosecution to discredit the men and prove their lifestyle is unsuitable to raise a child in, Judge Bone ultimately rules in their favor and allows them to keep baby Michael, saying he does not feel they pose a threat to the boy. The court case over, Mrs. Bey leaves Rome again under a cloud, and Laurie is emotional as she leaves the baby in the care of his two dads.

EP22 Three Weddings and a Meltdown Apr 24, 1996

In the final episode, Carter inadvertently proposes to Sue after she gets her wires crossed. Nevertheless, he is a man of his word and they announce their engagement to the people of Rome. Their sudden decision to wed prompts Kenny and Max to do the same, although they later begin to experience cold feet. Digging in her friend Selma's backyard, Myriam Wambaugh discovers human remains and Selma goes on trial for murder. Persuaded to defend her by his ex-wife, Wambaugh manages to get her off and passion erupts again for Doug and Myriam, who decide to get remarried in a triple ceremony with Carter & Sue and Kenny & Max. Meanwhile, the Brocks' marriage is in serious trouble, with Jill feeling they have come to the end of the line. She moves in with Joey to do some thinking and Jimmy is left to do the same. At the wedding, the three happy couples tie the knot and the wedding fever gets to Jimmy and Jill, who make up and get back together. As the cast gather for a group photo in their wedding finery, the series ends.
7.8| 0h30m| en| More Info
Released: 18 September 1992 Ended
Producted By: 20th Century Fox Television
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

An aging Sheriff tries to keep the peace in Rome, Wisconsin, a small town plagued by bizarre and violent crimes.

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Reviews

nyan-nyan-274-520299 I used to enjoy this show when it first aired. Watching it decades later I feel that it hasn't aged well. I also find it too preachy, the writers really shove their opinions down the viewers throats. A lot of the subject matters seem silly today, at least to me as a Scandinavian. (but judging by the comments here it seems that this show is still controversial to some people).Some of the stuff still works, the small absurd things, but all the politics really date the show.Perhaps interesting as a time document, but to a modern viewer a lot of the show feels awkward.
ashcrda I watched this show during its original run and have always looked for it on DVD. As another commenter noted, there's a lot of schlock out there on DVD while this excellent show languishes in the digital files. My favorite actor was Fyvish Finkel; mostly because I read that he had been acting since the days of Yiddish theater in NYC. How's that for tradition? He reminded me of many of the central Europeans I got to know when I lived in Cleveland,Ohio. I was also much taken by Tom Skerrit and have watched for him ever since this show ended. I loved the issues raised by the show because they were real ones that nobody wants to address; nothing is black and white, one or the other in human life. The show had the integrity to say that. In this current time of right wing/left wing, nothing in the center, Picket Fences reruns are soothing and reassuring.
sharkey197 I was an addicted Picket Fences fan while it was playing on TV. The first three seasons were so atypical of television that it redeemed the rest of the garbage shown. Season Four suffered terribly at Kelley's absence, but it still had some good episodes. I recently purchased Season 1 on DVD and realized it had been two years since it had been released? Where's the rest of them? Why is every schlock TV series on DVD and not this? I've read it has to do with music rights and disputes over that. Actually, if you really want to, you can purchase all four seasons from various sites. The DVD discs are video transfer and the quality looks like video transfer, but if you really crave the series it will assuage your yearning until something better comes out. There are two episodes missing from season 3 and the first disc of Season 4 had a lot of break up interference, but the rest of season 4 was almost DVD quality and was captioned to boot. Superlative acting, exceptional writing, thought provoking and a haunting theme music. Picket Fences fans, unite!
dustin-skilbred I must say I was amazed, when I began to look for the DVD series of Picket Fences, to find that there was none. This show was amazing, and most likely the best drama I have ever seen on television (with the possible exception of the current Nip/Tuck). It launched Don Cheadle's career, and was full of amazing characters and plot lines. Heck, as a promising young attorney, I will even say that this show was a huge boost in the development of my eagerness for the profession, even at a young age. Ray Walston's part as the small-town judge is a model of fairness and candor that many of us can follow in any walk of life. Whoever does currently own the rights and/or has a voice in this, if you're listening, do yourself a favor and release the series on DVD. You WILL make money. A small sample of the comments in this site should give you some insight as such.