Picket Fences
Encyclopedia
Picket Fences is a 60-minute American television drama
about the residents of the fictional town of Rome, Wisconsin
, created and produced by David E. Kelley
. The show initially ran from September 18, 1992, to June 26, 1996, on the CBS
television network in the United States. It sometimes struggled to maintain a stable prime-time audience and had fluctuating ratings, due in part to its Friday night time slot
. In its first season on the air it placed 80th in the prime-time Nielsen ratings
and in its second season it moved to 66th. The show's exteriors were shot in the L.A. suburb of Monrovia, California
, with many of the townspeople appearing in the background of episodes.
). Sheriff Brock is married to the town doctor, Jill (Kathy Baker
), his second wife. They attempt to raise their three children, Kimberly (Holly Marie Combs
) (from Jimmy's first marriage), Matthew (Justin Shenkarow
) and Zachary (Adam Wylie
). Lauren Holly
and Costas Mandylor
played impulsive and immature sheriff's deputies Max and Kenny. Bombastic lawyer Douglas Wambaugh (Fyvush Finkel
) usually irritated Judge Henry Bone (Ray Walston
). 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 point of law. After several prosecutors came and went, Don Cheadle
joined the cast as John Littleton. Kelly Connell
played medical examiner Carter Pike (who was regularly begging to be deputized) and Zelda Rubenstein portrayed police dispatcher Ginny Weedon. Other actors who were in the cast included Marlee Matlin
, Richard Masur
, and Dabbs Greer
.
The show dealt with unusual topics for prime-time television such as abortion
, homophobia
and homosexual adoption, transsexuality, racism
, belief in God
, medical ethics, polygamy
, polyamory
, adolescent sexuality (including nocturnal emission
), date rape
, cryonics
, the Holocaust, shoe fetishism
, masturbation
, spontaneous human combustion
, and constitutional right
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 characters of the town's Roman Catholic and Episcopal
priests were frequently recurring roles.
, 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. Lauren Holly
later joined the cast of Chicago Hope as Dr. Jeremy Hanlon and Tom Skerritt
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
) 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 we have of this effort are the X-Files episode "Red Museum
" 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.
released the first season of Picket Fences on DVD in Region 1. It is unknown if the remaining three seasons will eventually be released.
s (including "Best Dramatic Series" twice) and one Golden Globe in its four-year run. A substantial following for the show persists today, and it is popular as reruns in western Europe, especially in France, Germany, and Denmark. It was rerun in French in Canada on Radio-Canada under the title Bienvenue à Rome, USA. It is currently airing in the UK on The Hallmark Channel.
In 1997, the episode "Heart of Saturday Night" was ranked #96 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.
Dramatic programming
Dramatic programming in the UK, or television drama and television drama series in the US, is television program content that is scripted and fictional along the lines of √a traditional drama. This excludes, for example, sports television, television news, reality show and game shows, stand-up...
about the residents of the fictional town of Rome, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, created and produced by David E. Kelley
David E. Kelley
David Edward Kelley is an American television writer and producer, known as the creator of Picket Fences, Chicago Hope, The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Boston Legal and Harry's Law, as well as several films. Kelley is one of the only screenwriters to have had a show created by him run on...
. The show initially ran from September 18, 1992, to June 26, 1996, on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television network in the United States. It sometimes struggled to maintain a stable prime-time audience and had fluctuating ratings, due in part to its Friday night time slot
Friday night death slot
The Friday night death slot is a perceived graveyard slot in American television, referring to the concept that a television program in the United States scheduled on Friday evenings is destined for imminent cancellation....
. In its first season on the air it placed 80th in the prime-time Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
and in its second season it moved to 66th. The show's exteriors were shot in the L.A. suburb of Monrovia, California
Monrovia, California
Monrovia is a city located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 36,590 at the 2010 census, down from 36,929 at the 2000 census...
, with many of the townspeople appearing in the background of episodes.
Overview
The series follows the lives of the residents of the fictional small town of Rome, Wisconsin, where weird things happen, including cows giving birth to human babies and a spate of people turning up dead in freezers. Struggling to maintain order in the community is Sheriff Jimmy Brock (Tom SkerrittTom Skerritt
Thomas Roy "Tom" Skerritt is an American actor who has appeared in over 40 films and more than 200 television episodes since 1962.-Early life:...
). Sheriff Brock is married to the town doctor, Jill (Kathy Baker
Kathy Baker
Katherine Whitton "Kathy" Baker is an American stage, film and television actress.-Career:Baker began her career at San Francisco's Magic Theatre, performing in several of Sam Shepard's plays before getting her break in an off-Broadway production of Fool for Love opposite Ed Harris...
), his second wife. They attempt to raise their three children, Kimberly (Holly Marie Combs
Holly Marie Combs
Holly Marie Combs is an American film and television actress and producer whose roles have included a portrayal in Charmed as Piper Halliwell and another in Picket Fences, where she received a Young Artist Award for her role, as Kimberly Brock...
) (from Jimmy's first marriage), Matthew (Justin Shenkarow
Justin Shenkarow
Justin Moran Shenkarow is an American actor best known for his roles of Matthew Brock in Picket Fences, Simon Holmes in Eerie, Indiana, and the voice of Harold Berman on Hey Arnold!.-Life and career:...
) and Zachary (Adam Wylie
Adam Wylie
Adam Augustus Wylie is an American television and motion picture actor, as well as a Broadway musical performer and a former Crayola spokesman.-Early life:...
). Lauren Holly
Lauren Holly
Lauren Michael Holly is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in the TV series Picket Fences, as Mary Swanson in the 1994 film Dumb & Dumber, and as Jenny Shepard on the TV series NCIS. She was married to comic actor Jim Carrey from 1996 to...
and Costas Mandylor
Costas Mandylor
Costas Mandylor is a Greek Australian actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Kenny in Picket Fences, and for portraying Mark Hoffman in the Saw films.-Early life:...
played impulsive and immature sheriff's deputies Max and Kenny. Bombastic lawyer Douglas Wambaugh (Fyvush Finkel
Fyvush Finkel
Philip “Fyvush” Finkel is an American actor best known as a star of Yiddish theater and for his role as lawyer Douglas Wambaugh on the television series Picket Fences, for which he earned an Emmy Award in 1994. He is also known for his portrayal of Harvey Lipschultz, a crotchety U.S...
) usually irritated Judge Henry Bone (Ray Walston
Ray Walston
Ray Walston was an American stage, television and film actor best known as the title character on the 1960s situation comedy My Favorite Martian. In addition, he is also remembered for his roles as Luther Billis in South Pacific , Mr. Applegate in Damn Yankees , J.J...
). 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 point of law. After several prosecutors came and went, Don Cheadle
Don Cheadle
Donald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...
joined the cast as John Littleton. Kelly Connell
Kelly Connell
Kelly Connell is an American actor. He has appeared in numerous theatrical productions in New York and Los Angeles, starting with his off-Broadway debut in "The Butter And Egg Man" at Manhattan Punch Line Theatre...
played medical examiner Carter Pike (who was regularly begging to be deputized) and Zelda Rubenstein portrayed police dispatcher Ginny Weedon. Other actors who were in the cast included Marlee Matlin
Marlee Matlin
Marlee Bethany Matlin is an American actress. She is the only deaf actress to win the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, which she won for Children of a Lesser God. Her work in film and television has resulted in a Golden Globe award, with two additional nominations, and four Emmy...
, Richard Masur
Richard Masur
Richard Masur is an American actor who has appeared in more than 80 movies during his career. From 1995-1999, he served two terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild . Masur sits on the Corporate Board of the Motion Picture & Television Fund.-Biography:Masur was born in New York City to a...
, and Dabbs Greer
Dabbs Greer
Robert William "Dabbs" Greer was an American actor who performed many diverse supporting roles in film and television for some fifty years. His distinctive, southern-accented voice fitted well in shows featuring rustic characters, such as westerns...
.
The show dealt with unusual topics for prime-time television such as abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
and homosexual adoption, transsexuality, racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, belief in God
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
, medical ethics, polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
, polyamory
Polyamory
Polyamory is the practice, desire, or acceptance of having more than one intimate relationship at a time with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved....
, adolescent sexuality (including nocturnal emission
Nocturnal emission
A nocturnal emission involves either ejaculation during sleep for a male, or lubrication of the vagina for a female. It is also called a wet dream, and is sometimes considered a type of spontaneous orgasm....
), date rape
Date rape
"Date rape", often referred to as acquaintance rape, is an assault or attempted assault usually committed by a new acquaintance involving sexual intercourse without mutual consent....
, cryonics
Cryonics
Cryonics is the low-temperature preservation of humans and animals who can no longer be sustained by contemporary medicine, with the hope that healing and resuscitation may be possible in the future. Cryopreservation of people or large animals is not reversible with current technology...
, the Holocaust, shoe fetishism
Shoe fetishism
Shoe fetishism is the attribution of attractive sexual qualities to shoes or other footwear as a matter of sexual preference, psychosexual disorder, and an alternative or complement to a relationship with a partner. It has also been known as retifism, after Nicolas-Edme Rétif , called Rétif de la...
, masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
, spontaneous human combustion
Spontaneous human combustion
Spontaneous human combustion describes reported cases of the burning of a living human body without an apparent external source of ignition...
, and constitutional right
Constitutional right
An inalienable right is a freedom granted by a Nature or the Creator's endowment by birth , and may not be legally denied by that government.-United States:...
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 characters of the town's Roman Catholic and Episcopal
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
priests were frequently recurring roles.
Mayors
The town frequently changed mayors, who often met strange fates:- Mayor Bill Pugen (Michael Keenan): spontaneous human combustion after murder conviction
- Mayor Rachel Harris (Leigh Taylor-YoungLeigh Taylor-YoungLeigh Taylor-Young is an American actress who has appeared on stage, screen, and television.-Early life:Leigh Taylor-Young was born on January 25, 1945 in Washington, D.C. Her last name is an amalgamation of the last names of her father, a diplomat, and her stepfather, a successful Detroit executive...
): hounded from office for starring in an adult film - Acting Mayor Howard Buss (Robert O. CornthwaiteRobert O. CornthwaiteRobert O. Cornthwaite was an American film and television character actor who began his acting career in 1937, appearing in a college production of Twelfth Night, while attending Reed College in Portland, Oregon....
): suffered from Alzheimer's DiseaseAlzheimer's diseaseAlzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
, fatally shot by his son - Acting Mayor Jill Brock (Kathy Baker): jailed, lost bid for re-election
- Mayor Ed Lawson (Richard Masur): entombed in a freezer by his wife, then decapitated
- Mayor Laurie Bey (Marlee Matlin): 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
- Acting Mayor Maxine Stewart (Lauren Holly): shot and wounded by a shock jock's fan (while Mayor Laurie Bey was on maternity leave).
- Mayor Laurie Bey (Matlin): returns as mayor at series' end.
Main cast
- Tom Skeritt as Sheriff Jimmy Brock
- Kathy BakerKathy BakerKatherine Whitton "Kathy" Baker is an American stage, film and television actress.-Career:Baker began her career at San Francisco's Magic Theatre, performing in several of Sam Shepard's plays before getting her break in an off-Broadway production of Fool for Love opposite Ed Harris...
as Dr. Jill Brock - Lauren HollyLauren HollyLauren Michael Holly is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in the TV series Picket Fences, as Mary Swanson in the 1994 film Dumb & Dumber, and as Jenny Shepard on the TV series NCIS. She was married to comic actor Jim Carrey from 1996 to...
as Officer Maxine Stewart - Costas MandylorCostas MandylorCostas Mandylor is a Greek Australian actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Kenny in Picket Fences, and for portraying Mark Hoffman in the Saw films.-Early life:...
as Officer Kenny Lacos - Holly Marie CombsHolly Marie CombsHolly Marie Combs is an American film and television actress and producer whose roles have included a portrayal in Charmed as Piper Halliwell and another in Picket Fences, where she received a Young Artist Award for her role, as Kimberly Brock...
as Kimberly Brock - Justin ShenkarowJustin ShenkarowJustin Moran Shenkarow is an American actor best known for his roles of Matthew Brock in Picket Fences, Simon Holmes in Eerie, Indiana, and the voice of Harold Berman on Hey Arnold!.-Life and career:...
as Matthew Brock - Adam WylieAdam WylieAdam Augustus Wylie is an American television and motion picture actor, as well as a Broadway musical performer and a former Crayola spokesman.-Early life:...
as Zack Brock - Fyvush FinkelFyvush FinkelPhilip “Fyvush” Finkel is an American actor best known as a star of Yiddish theater and for his role as lawyer Douglas Wambaugh on the television series Picket Fences, for which he earned an Emmy Award in 1994. He is also known for his portrayal of Harvey Lipschultz, a crotchety U.S...
as Douglas Wambaugh - Kelly ConnellKelly ConnellKelly Connell is an American actor. He has appeared in numerous theatrical productions in New York and Los Angeles, starting with his off-Broadway debut in "The Butter And Egg Man" at Manhattan Punch Line Theatre...
as Carter Pike - Zelda RubinsteinZelda RubinsteinZelda Rubinstein was an American actress and human rights activist, best known as eccentric medium Tangina Barrons in the movie Poltergeist and its sequels, Poltergeist II: The Other Side , and Poltergeist III . Playing 'Ginny', she was a regular on David E...
as Ginny Weedon - Don CheadleDon CheadleDonald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...
as D.A. John Littleton - Marlee MatlinMarlee MatlinMarlee Bethany Matlin is an American actress. She is the only deaf actress to win the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, which she won for Children of a Lesser God. Her work in film and television has resulted in a Golden Globe award, with two additional nominations, and four Emmy...
as Mayor Laurie Bey - Ray WalstonRay WalstonRay Walston was an American stage, television and film actor best known as the title character on the 1960s situation comedy My Favorite Martian. In addition, he is also remembered for his roles as Luther Billis in South Pacific , Mr. Applegate in Damn Yankees , J.J...
as Judge Henry Bone
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 HopeChicago Hope
Chicago Hope is an American medical drama series created by David E. Kelley that ran from September 18, 1994, to May 5, 2000. It takes place in a fictional private charity hospital.-Premise:The show stars Mandy Patinkin as Dr...
, 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. Lauren Holly
Lauren Holly
Lauren Michael Holly is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in the TV series Picket Fences, as Mary Swanson in the 1994 film Dumb & Dumber, and as Jenny Shepard on the TV series NCIS. She was married to comic actor Jim Carrey from 1996 to...
later joined the cast of Chicago Hope as Dr. Jeremy Hanlon and Tom Skerritt
Tom Skerritt
Thomas Roy "Tom" Skerritt is an American actor who has appeared in over 40 films and more than 200 television episodes since 1962.-Early life:...
appeared in a different role as a guest star.
| Show | Episode # | Episode Name | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Picket Fences | 3–7 | "Rebels with Causes" | November 11, 1994 |
| Chicago Hope | 1–13 | "Small Sacrifices" | January 23, 1995 |
Also, as the story goes, David E. Kelley and Chris Carter
Chris Carter (screenwriter)
Christopher Carl Carter is an American screenwriter, film director and producer. He is the creator of The X-Files and Millennium.- Ten Thirteen Productions :...
(creator of The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
) 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 we have of this effort are the X-Files episode "Red Museum
Red Museum
"Red Museum" is the tenth episode of the second season of The X-Files science-fiction television series created by Chris Carter.- Plot :Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully are called in to investigate a number of kidnappings in which children are recovered half-naked and drugged, with either the...
" 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
| Season | U.S. ratings | Network | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1992-93 | 9.49 million | CBS | #63 |
| 2 | 1993-94 | 9.49 million | CBS | #61 |
| 3 | 1994-95 | 9.50 million | CBS | #64 |
| 4 | 1995-96 | 7.00 million | CBS | #98 |
DVD release
On June 19, 2007, 20th Century Fox20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of the 20th Century Fox film studio. It was established in 1976 as Magnetic Video Corporation, and later as 20th Century Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video and FoxVideo, Inc....
released the first season of Picket Fences on DVD in Region 1. It is unknown if the remaining three seasons will eventually be released.
Awards
Picket Fences won fourteen Emmy AwardEmmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s (including "Best Dramatic Series" twice) and one Golden Globe in its four-year run. A substantial following for the show persists today, and it is popular as reruns in western Europe, especially in France, Germany, and Denmark. It was rerun in French in Canada on Radio-Canada under the title Bienvenue à Rome, USA. It is currently airing in the UK on The Hallmark Channel.
In 1997, the episode "Heart of Saturday Night" was ranked #96 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.