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.