# Picket Fences (1992)

> An aging small-town sheriff struggles to keep order in Rome, Wisconsin, where bizarre crimes collide with his family's daily life.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/189

## Facts

- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 88
- Episode runtime: 42 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, comedy, crime
- Created by: David E. Kelley
- Network: CBS
- Cast: Tom Skerritt, Kathy Baker, Costas Mandylor, Lauren Holly, Holly Marie Combs, Justin Shenkarow, Adam Wylie, Ray Walston
- TMDB rating: 7.8/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103512/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: quirky, wistful, offbeat, uneasy, warm

## What critics say

Audiences regard Picket Fences as a positively received small town drama, with its quirky mix of crime and comedy, though the later seasons are rated well below the first.

## Synopsis

Picket Fences (1992-1996) is a American small town dramedy created by David E. Kelley for CBS. Tom Skerritt plays Sheriff Jimmy Brock, an aging lawman trying to keep the peace in Rome, Wisconsin, a tight knit town where bizarre and violent crimes keep turning up on his doorstep. Kathy Baker plays Jill Brock, his wife, and their children, played by Holly Marie Combs, Justin Shenkarow and Adam Wylie, bring the domestic side of the family into every episode. Ray Walston as Henry Bone and Zelda Rubinstein as Ginny Weedon add eccentric neighbors to the mix. The engine of the series is the tension between a sheriff's public duty and the messy private life of his household, with each episode built around a strange local case that spills into the lives of townsfolk. Across four seasons of twenty two episodes each, the show plays as a case of the week format with a continuing family and town storyline. Its tone blends quirky comedy with uneasy drama, a mix of wistful, offbeat and sometimes eerie small town atmosphere. Fans of Northern Exposure, Twin Peaks and Ally McBeal will find resonance in its eccentric community and its blend of humor and unsettling mystery.

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