Picket Fences

The Emmy winning television series Picket Fences ran from 1992 to 1996 on the CBS television network in the United States. Created by David E. Kelley, the show starred Tom Skerritt, Kathy Baker, Don Cheadle, Holly Marie Combs, Justin Shenkarow, Adam Wylie, Lauren Holly, Costas Mandylor, Fyvush Finkel, and Ray Walston.

Related Topics:
Emmy - Television series - 1992 - 1996 - CBS - Television network - United States - David E. Kelley - Tom Skerritt - Kathy Baker - Don Cheadle - Holly Marie Combs - Justin Shenkarow - Adam Wylie - Lauren Holly - Costas Mandylor - Fyvush Finkel - Ray Walston

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Picket Fences followed the lives of the residents of the small town of Rome, Wisconsin, where weird things happened, including cows giving birth to human babies, transgender teachers, and a spate of people turning up dead in freezers. Struggling to maintain order in this Twin Peaks-esque environment is Sheriff Jimmy Brock. Married to the town doctor, Jill, they are attempting to bring up their three kids Kimberly, Matthew and Zachary against the odds. Picket Fences, like many shows of its era, frequently dealt directly with difficult subject matter, including abortion, homosexuality (and homosexual adoption), belief in God, medical ethics, polygamy, spontaneous human combustion and constitutional rights.

Related Topics:
Wisconsin - Twin Peaks - Abortion - Homosexuality - Homosexual adoption - Belief in God - Medical ethics - Polygamy - Spontaneous human combustion - Constitutional right

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One of the oddest aspects of the series was the revolving door of town mayors who never seemed to last very long. Holding one of the riskiest positions in TV history, these are Rome?s mayors (and their portrayers), with their fates on the series:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Mayor Bill Pugen (Michael Keenen): spontaneous combustion after murder conviction
• Mayor Rachel Harris (Leigh Taylor-Young): hounded from office for starring in an adult film
• 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
• Acting Mayor Howard Buss (Robert Cornthwaite): fatally shot by his son
• Acting Mayor Maxine Stewart (Lauren Holly): shot and wounded by a shock jock?s fan
• Mayor Laurie ?The Dancing Bandit? Bey (Marlee Matlin): mayor at series end, despite bank robbery convictions

The show sometimes struggled to maintain a stable prime-time audience, and had wildly fluctuating ratings. It won fifteen Emmy Awards and one Golden Globe in its four-year run. There is a substantial following for the show, even nearly ten years later, and is popular as reruns in western Europe, especially in France, Germany, and Denmark.

Related Topics:
Emmy Award - Golden Globe - Reruns - France - Germany - Denmark

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There are two actual towns called Rome in Wisconsin, one 75 miles north of Madison and the other 45 miles west of Milwaukee. A long-running story arc about busing black children in from the "inner city" suggests that the latter location is more likely for the fictional Rome, though no location was ever given in the show.

Related Topics:
One - Madison - Other - Milwaukee - Busing

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 
Picket Fences: External links ►