Picket Fences

A beloved local man is killed during a stage production of The Wizard of Oz. Suspicion initially falls on the town pharmacist when the sheriff learns the dead man was having an affair with the pharmacist's daughter. The dead man's wife confesses but her confession is suppressed in court. She is then murdered and the Sheriff's department discovers that she and the pharmacist conspired to kill her husband and then the pharmacist killed her.

After a child brings a severed human hand to school for show and tell, the Sheriff's department teams with the FBI to pursue a serial kidnapper, the "Green Bay Chopper", who severs the right hands of his victims.

Max falls for a dwarf who rides into town on an elephant, which the dwarf says was being abused at a circus. Jill tells Kimberly's favorite teacher, Mr. Pankow, that he has a brain tumor.

The candidates in the upcoming mayoral election are using such outrageous smear campaigns that Sheriff Brock considers running for Mayor himself.

A rash of break-ins leads to an investigation of a "serial bather". Suspicion initially centers on "Frank the Potato Man", a vagrant who, it is learned, was tried for aggravated rape 15 years earlier.

When a catatonic housemaid utters the word "murder" after a decade of not speaking, the Sheriff's department learns that the "suicide" of a beloved town figure a decade prior was actually a homicide.

Town doctor Jill Brock, fed up with the mayor's failure to address women's issues, declares herself a write-in candidate in the upcoming mayoral election. Deputy Kenny Lakos arrests a former boxing world champion and convinces him to engage in a charity match before extradition to New Jersey.

An elderly patient is murdered at a nursing home. A "singing serial mercy-killing" nun is arrested, sparking controversy over the ethics and legality of euthanasia.

Jill's father arrives in Rome with his new 26-year-old girlfriend. Wambaugh finds his wife in bed with another man.

Max, Brock, and Kenny investigate the mysterious death of a woman who may or may not have committed suicide.

A rabbi seeks to block the town from staging a religiously-themed Christmas pageant on public property. The town is shocked to learn that beloved teacher Louise Talbot, scheduled to play the Virgin Mary in the pageant, is a post-operative transsexual.

When the Brock family inadvertently finds Kimberly having sex with her 19-year-old boyfriend on Christmas Eve, Jimmy wants to prosecute him for statutory rape. A man claiming to be Santa Claus takes Max and dispatcher Ginny hostage and Jimmy tries to talk him down.

Kenny is seriously wounded by the Frog Man, a burglar who leaves live frogs at the site of his crimes.

When Alice Freeman is charged with murder in the death of her husband, Wambaugh defends her by claiming insanity as the result of menopause. Brock's son, Matthew, begins to experience puberty.

When her friend becomes pregnant, Kimberly fears that she is the victim of incest. However, the man purporting to be her father is actually her husband and they are involved in a polygamous relationship. Max investigates a religious sect that engages in animal sacrifice. Guest Stars: Liz and Jean Sagal

A fugitive doctor seeks a court order to allow him to keep his brain-dead wife on life support to allow her to bring her pregnancy to term. The mayor fires the town dentist for refusing to disclose that he is HIV-positive. Guest Stars: Liz and Jean Sagal

Deputy Max goes undercover when a response to her personal ad leads her to believe that she is being targeted by a serial killer known as "Cupid."

Jill enlists her former fiancé to perform a fetal transplant on a patient with Parkinson's disease over the objections of the town hospital. Jimmy feels threatened when he catches Jill and her former fiancé exchanging a kiss

Carter believes a sheriff who mysteriously disappeared 38 years earlier may have been killed by radiation emitted by an Unidentified Flying Object.

A group of heavily armed Chippewa Indians declares war on Rome, seizes, and barricades the courthouse. Ginny stages a protest when Jill begins administering growth hormones to a short boy. Matthew takes on the school bully.

Kimberly and her best female friend exchange a few kisses during a sleepover, leading to rumors that Kimberly is a lesbian. She turns to her birth mother, who had a lesbian affair in college, for advice.

Max delivers a baby and begins adoption procedures when the natural mother disappears. Jill transplants a pig's liver into a blues vocalist after the woman collapses on stage. Guest star: Della Reese.

Mayor Pugen kills a carjacker after the carjacker drops his weapon and Sheriff Brock must decide whether to press murder charges. When he does, the new district attorney has to choose how to prosecute the case.

Douglas Wambaugh appeals Mayor Pugen's murder conviction but the mayor spontaneously combusts. A Catholic couple who carry the genes for Hurler syndrome are tormented by the church's prohibition on contraception. Max's therapist attempts to manipulate her into a sexual relationship and she has him arrested.

Kenny and Max respond to a report of a rape and find a man and woman fighting. Under pressure from Kenny, the man says that it was she who raped him. Following a probable cause hearing, Judge Bone advises the district attorney and Wambaugh to reach a plea bargain. The woman gets a year sentence, suspended, after pleading guilty to misdemeanor assault. Local businesswoman Rachel Harris is sworn in as mayor and she and Jimmy clash over her plans for his office. Max's former therapist manipulates her into dropping charges and they enter into a sexual relationship.

Max lets a drunk driver continue the short distance to her home, but the woman is involved in an accident that leaves the other drive paralyzed. The situation is complicated by Wambaugh's advice to the drunk driver to drink some Scotch to "calm her nerves," and Max's relationship with her therapist. The mayor accuses Jimmy of having problems with having a woman as his boss.

Jill and Zack are among the hostages taken by a group of bank robbers led by a deaf woman (Marlee Matlin) who calls herself "the Dancing Bandit." Jimmy works with the FBI to stop the standoff, but the group proves far craftier than anyone expected.

The town is divided when Jill and the Mayor back a sexy model to be the town's "Dairy Queen," but Sheriff Brock is more interested in the woman's apparently abusive husband and manager. Kimberly and Matthew work on a documentary called "A Day in the Life of a C-Cup," but Kimberly finds herself considering drastic options after seeing how people treat her.

A young woman in a coma following a car accident is found to be four months' pregnant, despite being a virgin. When her father seeks an abortion to try to save her life, the town's Catholic and Protestant clergy intervene, citing possible divine causation. Matthew tells Zack that there is no Santa Claus.

Jill testifies for a man suffering from a rare neurological disorder that distorts vision after he is arrested for the shooting death of his brother. Dr. Vernon Leaky, a specialist on the condition, shows a romantic interest in Ginny. Maxine learns that Kenny and Rachel are having an affair.

A locker search for drugs at the local high school leads to the arrest of Kimberly's best friend, Lisa Fenn. Meanwhile, a protected Federal witness turns up in Rome which leaves Sheriff Brock and his force concerned. Also, Carter has a melancholy reunion with his brother when he arrives in Rome for the funeral of their mother.

Jill is arrested after she performs surgery on a woman whose Christian Science beliefs prohibit medical intervention. Zach wants to convert to Judaism because Jews do not believe in hell.

Matthew's attempts to get revenge for a humiliation by some high-school bullies by threatening them with a gun takes an unexpected turn, which lands one of them in the hospital and Matthew in jail for attempted murder. Meanwhile, Mayor Harris' decision to roll back deputy salaries inspires a round of "blue flu" with Kenny and Maxine.

Littleton and Wambaugh go head to head again in the courtroom as Wambaugh argues that his latest client, Timmy Hendricks, was predisposed to violence because of his exposure to television and movies. Meanwhile, Sheriff Brock reacts with anger against Mayor Harris' attempts to impose a strong police presence in Rome, including fingerprinting all the citizens and random searches of vehicles for weapons.

Howard Buss's son Kevin will die without a heart transplant so Howard, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, seeks a court order to allow him the right to assisted suicide so he can give his heart to his son. Frank the Potato Man sues the town for a place to live, claiming an implied social contract.

Valentine's Day brings romance to many members of the community. Maxine helps Carter woo Stacy Halford, a local widow. Kimberly and her boyfriend find they have different attitudes regarding sexual-consent guidelines, and Zack takes a dare and kisses his girlfriend only to find himself in trouble.

A 25-year-old softcore pornographic video of Mayor Rachel Harris surfaces. The town clergy lead a movement to remove her from office. Howard Buss, as senior member of the town council, becomes acting mayor.

Kimberly is kidnapped and held hostage by a man (Louis Gossett, Jr.) who wants revenge over her father, Sheriff Brock.

A 500-pound woman confesses to murdering her husband by sitting on his head. Douglas Wambaugh is expelled from his synagogue and seeks a ruling in a Jewish religious court to be reinstated.

A high-profile murder trial in which the defendant is accused of murdering two police officers is transferred to Rome. Sheriff Brock winds up as the foreman of the jury that must decide the defendant's fate.

Max arrests Jill's father. The Brocks invite her to dinner in hopes of smoothing things over but end up confronting their own issues with each other as well.

The town learns of Father Gary Barrett's fetish for women's shoes following a fire in the church rectory. Matthew has been having sexual fantasies and he fears his sexual feelings are a sin.

The parents of a boy dying of leukemia seek a court order to allow them to place the child in cryonic suspension.

Howard Buss' Alzheimer's disease worsens and his anguished son Kevin shoots him to death. Kevin is put on trial for murder.

A local girl disappears and Sherriff Brock suspects her boyfriend, Brian Latham, is involved. Meanwhile, Jill opposes a grade school teacher who is teaching creationism.

District Attorney Littleton and defense lawyer Douglas Wambaugh prepare for the upcoming murder trial of Brian Latham. Littleton is concerned that his case will be hampered by the absence of hard evidence.

A Wisconsin Federal judge orders that 400 black students from the Green Bay ghetto be bused to Rome's schools, prompting panic among Sheriff Brock and the parents, knowing that a good number of them are lowlifes and drug dealers that come from that neighborhood. Meanwhile, Wambaugh gets a surprising response to his appeal of the Brian Latham murder conviction to go the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington DC. Also, Maxine makes a mess of her relationship with Littleton.

Jill and Judge Nance air their feelings in a heated face-to-face exchange after she is arrested when she reveals that she performed surgery on the Christian Science man. Meanwhile, Kimberly has a run-in with one of Green Bay's transfer students, named Aisha, who initially responds with hostility. Also, Littleton asks Maxine out on a date.

After a young girl spray paints a pentacle on a wall at school, Sheriff Brock removes her from the custody of her mother, a practicing Wiccan, and a court custody battle ensues. Max and Kenny discover Ginny frozen to death in her own freezer. Her brother (played by Paul Williams) holds a memorial service at which he sings "The Rainbow Connection" (a song written by Williams for The Muppet Movie).

Jill's mayoral campaign is damaged when Zach writes a school report filled with racist content, which he copied from an out-of-date book. Kimberly befriends Aisha when her classmate is bullied over good grades.

Wambaugh accompanies Jill Brock to Chicago where he receives a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis at Chicago Hope Hospital in this series crossover episode. Jill clashes with Dr. Jeffrey Geiger (Mandy Patinkin) who, she feels, looks down on her as a small-town doctor.

Wambaugh realizes the dream of a lifetime when he presents oral arguments before the Supreme Court.

While Brian Latham continues to proclaim his innocence, Kenny and Max review the evidence of the case and begin to believe he is telling the truth. Jimmy turns 55 and suffers a midlife crisis.

Carter Pike suspects that bizarre genetic experiments are being carried out on cows at a remote farm. This episode was originally planned as a crossover with The X-Files.

A masseur known for giving erotic massages to many female residents of the town is found dead in his freezer. Jimmy Brock is upset when he learns that his wife, Jill, was one of the masseur's clients.

The Frog Man's son tires of his father and goes to court for emancipation. Meanwhile, Zach is injured in a terrible accident and Jill overreacts, striking Matthew for accidentally hurting Zach.

Jimmy Brock's ex-wife, Lydia, visits unexpectedly and brings with her an unusual request — she wants to have another baby, and she wants Jimmy to father it.

Carter pronounces a woman dead after she collapses while singing, but she later "wakes up" in the morgue and sees Carter as her soulmate. Meanwhile, Kenny and Max take their relationship to the next level.

When a child molester moves to Rome after spending 16 years in prison it causes big problems for the local residents, especially with Jill and Jimmy, who are struggling to reconcile parental concerns with their professional duties.

The hearing impaired Dancing Bandit is arrested when she visits Zach on his birthday. Federal authorities want her trial to be set in Rome, where the jury reaches a surprising verdict.

Jimmy goes outside of his department to get the help he needs to find Ed Lawson, who is wanted for murder. Meanwhile, the town launches its own search to find a new mayor, and Kenny and Max are caught kissing on the job.

Jimmy consults Jill when a terminal cancer patient dies of a morphine overdose.

When Jill is found guilty of physician-assisted suicide, Wambaugh insists that Judge Bone put the issue of euthanasia on trial. Meanwhile, Kenny and Carter discover that Zack has been killing swans in a nearby pond.

When Zach develops stigmata-like sores on his hands, his friends believe he has healing powers, and a classmate asks him to cure his brother of leukemia.

Jimmy's father, Walter Brock (played by James Coburn), pays an unexpected visit and asks Jimmy to take over his law firm. This offer provokes long-standing father-son animosities, with Jimmy finally admitting that he dropped out of law school because he believed he would never measure up to his father's expectations of him.

After Father Gary Barrett is shot and killed during a robbery at the church, Mayor Bey proposes holding a spring musical pageant to help pull the community out of its somber mood

Kimberly surprises her parents with her plans to attend medical school out of state. Carter Pike's house catches fire after he had taken some sedatives, leaving Jill Brock to suspect a suicide attempt.

The Wambaughs have an argument on their 50th anniversary as a tornado threatens the town. Jimmy and Jill worry about Kimberly who is away at college. Meanwhile, Carter meets an interesting new woman while buying quilting supplies.

A former talk show host, Dr. Joanna "Joey" Diamond (Amy Aquino) joins Jill's medical practice. Kenny begins using a dating service.

District Attorney John Littleton's convict brother escapes from prison and makes his way to Rome.

Maxine is in trouble after she shoots a man wearing a bratwurst costume. Meanwhile, Jill assumes Kimberly is pregnant when she learns her daughter saw Dr. Joey and concealed the office visit from Jill.

It is Saturday night in Rome, and the townspeople are looking at various ways to spend the evening. Matthew cruises the town with his friends. Jimmy and Jill make an attempt at romance. Judge Bone and Wambaugh play poker, but one of the men in their group drops dead. Note- In 1997 TV Guide ranked this episode number 96 on it's '100 Greatest Episodes of All Time' list.

Jill considers tubal ligation. Brock must dance the polka with the Mayor for charity. Haunted by the death of his brother, Littleton returns to Chicago.

Kimberly is arrested for protesting pig-wrestling at the town fair.

During a celebration welcoming the Pope to town, someone opens fire, and a man is killed. The victim's gay lover says the man committed suicide, but the Pope says he saw the whole thing and that it was murder. The Pope, therefore, becomes the chief witness in a murder case in Rome, Wisconsin.

The skeleton of a Nazi sympathizer is found and suspicion falls on Jacob Levine, the son of a Jewish butcher who was persecuted by the dead man. Wambaugh rises to Levine's defense only to find himself facing an unexpected prosecuting attorney — his son David, from whom he has been estranged for many years.

Matthew is deeply depressed after a friend commits suicide and Jimmy takes him on a trip in order to help him overcome his grief.

A blizzard hits town, stranding Jill and Kimberly in a bar where Lydia is making her singing debut. Likewise, Jimmy is snowed in at the sheriff's office and is the only person available to deliver the Mayor's baby when she goes into labor.

After being struck by a falling power line, Carter sees his deceased grandfather Bob while he is clinically dead for three minutes. This experience causes him to reevaluate his relationship with God and with his girlfriend Sue. Judge Bone meets an old flame of 50 years ago while Zack gets a crush on a young cello prodigy who is visiting for a musical competition. Unfortunately, the girl only has eyes for Matthew.

Zack inserts his teacher's face in a pornographic video and his friend uploads it to the Internet. Maxine meets an online friend in person.

Jill's emotions take control as the family celebrates Zack's 13th birthday.

Maxine Stuart meets with opposition when she fills in as mayor and enacts some unpopular policies and changes. Shock jock Chuck Dante adds fuel to the fire on his radio show. The situation becomes serious when one of Dante's followers shoots Maxine.

It is the christening of Mayor Bey's baby, Michael, but the Rome residents are flabbergasted when Laurie announces that she had the baby for her brother Jerry and his lover Gordy, who plan to raise the baby in the town. The Beys' estranged mother Christine, who turned her back on her children because she was deaf and he was gay, turns up and announces she is taking them all to court to get custody of her grandson. Tension brews in Rome as the people take sides on the issue and a campaign begins to have Laurie removed as Mayor, resulting in Jerry and Gordy being attacked at the supermarket by a vicious homophobic gang. Despite attempts by the prosecution to discredit the men and prove their lifestyle is unsuitable to raise a child in, Judge Bone ultimately rules in their favor and allows them to keep baby Michael, saying he does not feel they pose a threat to the boy.

Carter inadvertently proposes to Sue after she gets her wires crossed. Nevertheless, he is a man of his word and they announce their engagement to the people of Rome. Their sudden decision to wed prompts Kenny and Max to do the same, although they later begin to experience cold feet. Digging in her friend Selma's backyard, Myriam Wambaugh discovers human remains and Selma goes on trial for murder. Persuaded to defend her by his ex-wife, Wambaugh manages to get her off and passion erupts again for Doug and Myriam, who decide to get remarried in a triple ceremony with Carter & Sue and Kenny & Max. Meanwhile, the Brocks' marriage is in serious trouble, with Jill feeling they have come to the end of the line. She moves in with Joey to do some thinking and Jimmy is left to do the same. At the wedding, the three happy couples tie the knot and the wedding fever gets to Jimmy and Jill, who make up and get back together.

Jill fills in as the school's interim basketball coach when the regular coach collapses during a game. Under pressure from the parents, she becomes obsessed with winning, leading Zack and his teammates to obtain an injunction to remove her. Matthew develops a gambling addiction.

When Wambaugh learns that Miriam has a new man in her life, he suspects that the man must have an ulterior motive.

When an Amish girl is raped, she refuses to testify against her rapist due to her religious beliefs. The rapist goes free and rapes another girl whose outraged family sue the Amish community, blaming them for the rape.

Jimmy learns he might have a cancerous growth on his liver. At the same time, he investigates the murder of a homeless man found behind Reverend Novotny's church. The murder suspect grabs Jimmy's gun and holds him hostage at the sheriff's office, but Jimmy and Kenny convince the man to give up the weapon. Later that day, Jimmy learns that the growth on his liver is benign.