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SUBVERTS AUDIENCE EXPECTATIONS

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So, all roads lead to Rome, the saying goes? That's surely a good thing.

PICKET FENCES, set in the fictional town of Rome, Wisconsin, impresses me with how much it defies expectations. Particularly in its seasons which were carefully steered by creator David Kelley. Audience-misdirection and trope-disruption occur on nearly every street and cowpath in rural Rome. Enough to make this tale of its denizens my favorite fictional TV series as of this writing, in 2023.

At first blush, PICKET FENCES seems bland and predictable, like classic Hallmark Channel material (in fact, I first caught a lot of it on Hallmark Channel as reruns). Exhibit A—as an attorney in Henry's court might say—is that the small-town setting lacks verve. Exhibit B is that the central character, Jimmy, is somewhat inexpressive. Exhibit C is that the show's tone is old-fashioned: its docile credit sequence and music, its on-the-nose dialogue, etc.

However, PICKET FENCES always turns out to have great surprises. Back in 1992, it must have felt like opening a copy of MIDWEST LIVING and discovering strips from BLOOM COUNTY filling every page. PICKET FENCES's stealthy unpredictability is hard to describe. But let me try...

You know how Aaron Sorkin's TV stuff barrages you with wit and insight in every scene (recall THE WEST WING's early years)? Well, okay, Kelley's PICKET FENCES doesn't do that; but Kelley's work is almost as sharp. Kelley offered wit and insight as unexpected, understated revelations, rather than barrages. So PICKET FENCES's cleverness—of characterization, plotting, and camera work—playfully sneaks up on you. Often with heavy social and psychological themes.

Here is a small example of playful characterization. One of the more brusque characters is a little girl named Cynthia (portrayed by a star of THE WEST WING, coincidentally). In virtually all her scenes, Cynthia makes pithy observations that agitate others. Yet due to her wide-eyed cuteness, Cynthia's bluntness always feels like a huge surprise. Somehow it's jolting every time, even though it happens like clockwork every time.

I can think of just one notable flaw of PICKET FENCES: the actor who played Miriam eventually got replaced, for the worse. That's my only real complaint. And I bet most viewers don't remember Miriam, anyway, because that supporting character is absent from a large majority of episodes.

Last but not least, the fine courtroom segments in PICKET FENCES actually do "out-Sorkin" Sorkin! Prompting me to consider both the judge, Henry, and the canny lawyer, Douglas, to be among TV's best characters. The judge, especially, even more than Sorkin's United States President, tends to be a lynchpin in many prescient storylines with smart lessons.

This stuff's still wondrously relevant, thirty years later. All roads lead to it, indeed.