Picket Fences

In the small, placid town of Rome, Wisconsin, Picket Fences follows Sheriff Jimmy Brock as he tries to keep order while life at home and in the community grows increasingly complicated. Strange crimes, contentious school issues, and oddball neighbors disrupt the town's surface calm, and Jimmy must balance law enforcement duties with family obligations and local politics. The series shifts between courtroom scenes, moral debates, and quieter domestic moments, showing how public controversies bleed into private lives. Jill Brock, Jimmy's wife, and their children are pulled into many of the town's dilemmas, making the Brocks central not just to investigations, but to the social fabric of Rome.

Premiering in 1992, Picket Fences was created by David E. Kelley and brought an unusual blend of legal drama and dark humor to network television, starring Tom Skerritt and Kathy Baker in the leading roles.

The series received industry recognition during its run, attracting nominations and several wins that acknowledged its strengths in acting and writing, particularly spotlighting performances from the principal cast and standout episodic scripts.

Picket Fences left a mark on 1990s TV by normalizing strange, sometimes surreal small-town storylines within mainstream drama. Its willingness to put unconventional cases and moral quandaries front and center influenced how later shows treated local communities, and its memorable, oddball episodes kept viewers talking long after they aired.

Critical response tended to praise the show for mixing comedy with serious ethical questions, though opinions varied episode to episode. It holds a 7.4/10 user rating based on available votes, which reflects a devoted audience that appreciated the series' moral complexity, character-driven conflicts, and willingness to tackle thorny social issues without tidy resolutions.