Picket Fences

Name: Picket Fences
Genre: Drama
Released: September 18, 1992
Rating: 60
Cast: Fyvush Finkel, Kathy Baker, Adam Wylie, Lauren Holly, Tom Skerritt

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Mixed or average reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews

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Series Details & Credits

CBS | Release Date: September 18, 1992

Starring: Fyvush Finkel, Kathy Baker, Adam Wylie, Lauren Holly, Tom Skerritt, Holly Marie Combs, Ray Walston, Marlee Matlin, Kelly Connell, Don Cheadle, Costas Mandylor, Justin Shenkarow

Summary: From award winning producer David E. Kelley ("Ally McBeal", "The Practice" and "Boston Legal") comes Picket Fences, a story of a small town sherrif trying to maintain the town & his family.Sherrif James Brock (Tom Skerrit) is trying to maintain the small town of Rome, Wisconin. His wife Jill (Kathy Baker) is the doctor of the town, daughterFrom award winning producer David E. Kelley ("Ally McBeal", "The Practice" and "Boston Legal") comes Picket Fences, a story of a small town sherrif trying to maintain the town & his family.Sherrif James Brock (Tom Skerrit) is trying to maintain the small town of Rome, Wisconin. His wife Jill (Kathy Baker) is the doctor of the town, daughter Kimberley (Holly Marie Combs), from a previous marriage of Jimmy, is the level headed student growing up in Rome. Jimmy and Jill have two other children, Matthew (Justin Shenkarow) and Zach (Adam Wylie).Trying his best to keep the town in order, Judge Henry Bone (Ray Walston) rules the court room and while he doesn't always stick to the law, he does what is best for the town. Making Judge Bone's job harder is lawer Douglas Wambaugh (Fyvush Finkel), a friend of Judge Bone but an enemy in the court room. Wambaugh goes to extreme lengths to win the case, but he is after all a character!Also around in the town of Rome are D.A John Littelon (Don Cheadle), a straight man for the antics of Wambaugh, the strange Medical Examinor Carter Pike (Kelly Connel) and deputy's Max and Kenny an on & off couple.The town of Rome never ran smoothly though, with a revolving door of mayors along with cows giving birth to humansand an array of people found dead in freezers.While the show was adored by critics, it never quite found great ratings on CBS and was cancelled after 4 seasons. Creator David E. Kelley left his post as Executive Producer after season 3, which brought a different style of show during season 4 - returning only to write 2 stand out episodes that year. Some have suggested this is why the show met its demise when Kelley left. Also the show does reach a fitting conclusion but it comes rather rushed as it was believed the show would be coming back for season 5. Picket Fences remains a class show and now with the first season recently released on DVD you can enjoy it all over again! … Expand

Genre(s): Drama

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Recent Episodes

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S4:E22. Three Weddings and a Meltdown
Air Date: April 24, 1996
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S4:E21. Bye-Bye, Bey-Bey
Air Date: April 24, 1996
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S4:E20. Liver Let Die
Air Date: June 26, 1996

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Marvin Kitman

Jul 12, 2013

Season 1 Review: With the mix of bizarre cases and believably goofy characters, I found already I never wanted the show to end. It's great stuff working on three levels at once. [17 Sep 1992]

Rick Kogan

Jun 18, 2013

Season 1 Review: Although some may find this creation of David E. Kelley, the wizard behind "L.A. Law," too weird, I think it's wonderful. [18 Sept 1992, p.1]

Howard Rosenberg

Jun 19, 2013

Season 1 Review: A rather bent sense of humor -- woven into a nice little whodunit -- is what lifts the flawed-but-engaging premiere of Picket Fences above the ordinary, raising expectations for the future. [18 Sept 1992, p.F1]

Ken Tucker

Jun 10, 2013

Season 2 Review: Nowadays, in just about every episode-and they're all either written or cowritten by Kelley-a serious controversy is raised, debated heatedly, and then smothered in overwrought speechifying. What all this suggests is that, festooned with its high honors and low ratings, Picket Fences represents the triumph of middlebrow intellectualism in current television. It is a show that's always Tackling Major Themes whenever it's not trying to achieve the sort of sweet whimsy meant to disguise the fact that this is one of the most profoundly humorless series ever made. Read full review

Tom Shales

Jun 19, 2013

Season 1 Review: Often engaging, inventive, well acted and wickedly funny, Picket Fences keeps shooting itself in the foot with tastelessness disguised as daring. Irritating as it may frequently be, however, Picket Fences also seems the new fall drama most likely to become habit-forming. You may love it, you may hate it, but you're liable to be hooked. [18 Sept 1992, p.D1]

Laurence Vittes

Jun 18, 2013

Season 1 Review: Unfortunately, Skerritt sleepwalks through most of the show, Baker allows her bemused mom role to settle into an assembly-line dog trot, and the Brock children take precocity to a new level of annoyance. [18 Sept 1992]

Greg Dawson

Jun 19, 2013

Season 1 Review: This is the most loathsome, repugnantly ugly piece of television I've seen in a long time - cynical, cheap, tawdry, pretentious and manipulative. [18 Sept 1992, p.E1]

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Seasons & Episodes

60

Series Overview
Season 4

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- Season 4 Overview
  Air Date: September 22, 1995
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  S4:E22. Three Weddings and a Meltdown
  Air Date: April 24, 1996
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  S4:E21. Bye-Bye, Bey-Bey
  Air Date: April 24, 1996
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  S4:E20. Liver Let Die
  Air Date: June 26, 1996
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  S4:E19. To Forgive is Divine
  Air Date: June 19, 1996
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  S4:E18. Forget Selma
  Air Date: June 12, 1996
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  S4:E17. Dante's Inferno
  Air Date: April 22, 1996
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  S4:E16. Winner Takes All
  Air Date: June 5, 1996
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  S4:E15. Bottled
  Air Date: February 16, 1996
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  S4:E14. The Z Files
  Air Date: February 9, 1996
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  S4:E13. My Romance
  Air Date: January 26, 1996
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  S4:E12. Snow Exit
  Air Date: January 19, 1996
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  S4:E11. Bloodlines
  Air Date: January 12, 1996
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  S4:E10. Dem Bones
  Air Date: January 5, 1996
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  S4:E9. Witness for the Prosecution
  Air Date: December 15, 1995
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  S4:E8. This Little Piggy
  Air Date: December 8, 1995
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  S4:E7. Down the Tubes
  Air Date: November 3, 1995
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  S4:E7. Down The Tube
  Air Date: November 3, 1995
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  S4:E6. Heart of Saturday Night
  Air Date: October 27, 1995
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  S4:E5. Dog Eat Dog
  Air Date: October 20, 1995
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  S4:E4. Bloodbrothers
  Air Date: October 13, 1995
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  S4:E3. Pal Joey
  Air Date: October 6, 1995
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  S4:E2. Reap the Whirlwind
  Air Date: September 29, 1995
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  S4:E1. A Change of Season
  Air Date: September 22, 1995
Season 3

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- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: September 23, 1994
Season 2

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- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: October 22, 1993
Season 1

61
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: September 18, 1992