Picket Fences
CBS (ended 1996)
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Season 4
- Ep 22Three Weddings and a Meltdown4/24/96
In the final episode, Carter inadvertently proposes to Sue after she gets her wires crossed. Nevertheless, he's 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 re-married in a triple ceremony with Carter & Sue and Kenny & Max. Meanwhile, the Brocks' marriage is in serious trouble, with Jill feeling they've 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. As the cast gather for a group photo in their wedding finery, we wave a sad farewell to Rome.moreless - Ep 21Bye-Bye, Bey-Bey4/24/96
It's 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 doesn't feel they pose a threat to the boy. The court case over, Mrs Bey leaves Rome again under a cloud, and Laurie is emotional as she leaves the baby in the care of his two dads.moreless - Ep 20Liver Let Die6/26/96
Jimmy is called out when a homeless man is found murdered behind Reverend Novotny's church but is suddenly stricken with terrible pains at the scene. Dr Joey discovers he has a potentially cancerous growth on his liver and she takes samples from it, telling him they'll know for sure by the end of the day. He pushes on with the murder investigation to take his mind off it. The victim is identified as a former army veteran and a boy named Jack Klausner, known to Kenny through the basketball team, comes forward as a witness and describes the two men he says were the killers. When his statement is found to be a lie, Jimmy interviews both Jack's mom and his retarded brother, Billy, who tells him that Jack wasn't home the night of the murder, and it emerges he was present when two of his friends killed the man with a brick. He flips out, taking Jimmy hostage at gunpoint, but Kenny brings Billy to the station and he talks him out. The case wrapped up, Jimmy learns he's okay and his growth is benign but, touched by his own mortality, he goes to the military funeral of the murder victim.moreless - Ep 19To Forgive is Divine6/19/96
A young Amish girl, Hannah Beiler, is attacked in the streets of Rome and raped but the Amish community decide not to press charges against the rapist. An attempt is made to force Hannah to testify against her rapist but she refuses, on the grounds of her religious convictions. With no other options or evidence, Jimmy has to let the rapist go free. Shortly after this, a second girl, Peggy Patterson, is also raped by the same man. This time the guy is put behind bars but Peggy's parents, incensed that the Amish people's actions indirectly led to their daughter's rape, take the unusual step of suing the Amish. The Amish hire Wambaugh to defend them in court. Kenny tries to counsel Hannah, confiding in her that his sister was raped the year previous. The Amish ultimately win their case and return to their homestead for Hannah's baptism service, which Kenny attends.moreless - Ep 18Forget Selma6/12/96
Wambaugh is the last person to find out about Myriam's new relationship with a stockbroker. He is devastated and is convinced her new lover has ulterior motives, but his friends believe it is paranoia.'''''''''''''''''' - Ep 17Dante's Inferno4/22/96
With Mayor Bey off on maternity leave, Acting Mayor Max stirs up trouble in Rome with her sweeping changes and orders. Shock jock Chuck Dante makes the situation worse by homing in on her actions on his radio show. And though the situation doesn't seem that serious at first, it becomes that way when Max is gunned down.moreless - Ep 16Winner Takes All6/5/96
The coach of the kids' basketball team collapses at a game and the parents group appoints Jill as interim coach. At first she is determined to play fair and give all the boys a chance, but under pressure from more gung-ho adults, she becomes as obsessed as the rest of them. Fed up with all this, Zach and the other boys on the team take out a court injunction against them. Meanwhile, Matthew becomes hooked on gambling and gets himself into serious trouble.moreless - Ep 15Bottled2/16/96
When feelings that have been bottled up for many years surface at Zach's 13th birthday, Jimmy and the kids have to try and put up with Jill's mid-life crisis. Also Kenny and Max decide to confront their feelings about each other. Wambaugh complains over Bone's lack of respect for him.'' - Ep 14The Z Files2/9/96
When Zach's friend sends him a picture of his teacher over the internet, he creates a computerized pornographic picture of the teacher, and it somehow finds it way onto the web. Also Max finally meets the person she has been chatting with over the internet only to find he is not quite what she was expecting.moreless - Ep 13My Romance1/26/96
After being struck by a falling power line in a fluke accident, Carter meets his long dead Grandpa Bob while clinically dead for about 3 minutes. This causes him to question his relationship both with God, and his girlfriend Sue. Judge Bone meets up with an old flame from over 50 years ago, both of them now widowed, and a little flames are rekindled. Zack gets a crush on a beautiful young Asian gal that is in their home for a week for some kind of musical competition; she is a cello prodigy. However, she has eyes for Zack's older brother, Matthew, and Zack catches them kissing after dark, and is heartbroken.moreless - Ep 12Snow Exit1/19/96
In the middle of a major snow storm, Judge Bone has a heart attack while, snowed-in at the police station, Mayor Bey goes into labor with only Jimmy to deliver her baby. Meanwhile, it's bonding time with lots of alcohol for Jill, Kimberly and Lydia, as Max is reunited with an old adversary - the one and only Barney Bratwurst.moreless - Ep 11Bloodlines1/12/96
Matthew's classmate commits suicide, leaving Matthew extremely traumatized. So Jimmy tries to spend more time with him so he can get over it. Meanwhile Wanbaugh tries to convince Judge Bone to counsel the boys grieving mother and Kenny assumes the role of Mayor Bey's Lamaze partner.'''' - Ep 10Dem Bones1/5/96
A skeleton discovered is that of a suspected Nazi murdered 50 years before. Suspicions fall on Jacob Levine, the son of a persecuted Jewish butcher, who vowed revenge on the man. Wambaugh is up for the defense, but it is his son returns to prosecute the case.'' - Ep 9Witness for the Prosecution12/15/95
Rome is in a flutter when Mayor Bey announces that the Pope himself is coming to visit the town. It's a day of celebration as His Holiness arrives, but the walk down main street ends in chaos when someone in the crowd opens fire, killing a man. The resulting investigation reveals the death was suicide, according to the dead man's gay lover... until the Pope announces he saw the whole thing and that it was, in fact, murder. The court case that follows threatens to end Judge Bone and Wambaugh's tempestuous friendship for good.moreless - Ep 8This Little Piggy12/8/95
Animal-rights activist Kimberly is arrested for a felony involving pig-wrestling at the town fair. Meanwhile an elderly man's medical treatment is inhibited by his daughter's religious beliefs, while Dr. Joey becomes very attached to the patient. - Ep 7Down The Tube11/3/95
- Ep 7Down the Tubes11/3/95
Pregnant Mayor Bey shields the baby's father as Jill considers tubal ligation. Meanwhile, Littleton is haunted by memories of his brother and makes some big decisions about his future. - Ep 6Heart of Saturday Night10/27/95
Saturday night in Rome and the residents' minds turn to leisure activities. Matthew goes cruising with his pals. Jill and Jimmy's attempt at romance leaves him in an extremely painful position. Meanwhile, Judge Bone and Wambaugh's poker gang loses a player when one of them drops dead at the table. - Ep 5Dog Eat Dog10/20/95
Max gets into serious trouble when he shoots a man dressed in a bratwurst costume. Meanwhile Jill grows suspicious of Kimberly when she goes to Dr. Joey and tries to cover it up, jumping to the conclusion that she is pregnant. - Ep 4Bloodbrothers10/13/95
Two escaped convicts show up in Rome looking for one's half-brother, Littleton causing a lot of trouble in the process. Meanwhile Kenny is shot by one of the fugitives, and Matthew pleads with Zack not to tell their parents about an incident involving cigarettes. '' - Ep 3Pal Joey10/6/95
A talk-show-host/physician tries to take over Jill's practice. An Asian man, trying to marry a woman according to his culture's customs gets arrested and Kenny uses a video-dating service.'' - Ep 2Reap the Whirlwind9/29/95
A tornado threatens Rome and Zach is so worried for Kimberly's safety that he sets out on his bike to warn her. Kenny's hooker is arrested in a sting operation organised by Max, who ends up committing a felony by covering for him. Wambaugh's wife leaves him in the middle of their anniversary party.moreless - Ep 1A Change of Season9/22/95
Following Carter's narrow escape from a house fire, Jill fears he tried to commit suicide. Kimberly makes a career decision: she's not going to be a lawyer after all, she's going to be a doctor. Jill is both shocked and a little delighted.
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Season 3
- Ep 22The Song of Rome5/12/95
When a youth shoots Father Barrett during confession so they can rob the church, Judge Bone has problems trying to be objective with the youth responsible. Meanwhile when the mayor announces his decision to continue planning the spring ''pageant it causes problems with some of the townsfolk. - Ep 21Upbringings5/5/95
Jimmy's father visits and causes problems in the Brock household when he announces that he wants to take over the law practice. But the generous offer angers Jimmy when a troubled relationship resurfaces.'' - Ep 20Saint Zach4/28/95
When a religious experience causes the stigmata appear on Zach's hands it creates a huge uproar in the town of Rome. Meanwhile Brock makes a revelation about his own personal beliefs during the incident with Zach. '' - Ep 19Final Judgement4/7/95
While Jill awaits sentencing in the aftermath of her trial, her lawyers ask Judge Bone to put the euthanasia law on trial. Kenny and Carter investigate an attack on swans in a local pond. '' - Ep 18Without Mercy3/31/95
When a cancer patient dies of a morphine overdose, Brock's newfound commitment to police work leads him to believe that the morphine could not have been self-administered. This causes Jimmy to look in Jill's direction.'''''' - Ep 17Changing of the Guard3/10/95
Jimmy goes outside of his department to get the help me needs to find Lawson who is wanted for murder. Meanwhile the town launches its own search to find Lawson, and Kenny and Max are caught kissing on the job. - Ep 16Heroes and Villains3/3/95
The Dancing Bandit returns to Rome to help Zack celebrate his birthday but finds federal agents waiting for her. - Ep 15When in Rome2/24/95
When a child molester moves to Rome after spending 26 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. - Ep 14Close Encounters2/3/95
Littleton copes with his attraction to an 18-year-old assistant, Aiesha. Max and Kenny decide to put an end to their sexual tension. And Carter has a close encounter with a very special woman.'' - Ep 13Mr. Seed Goes to Town1/20/95
Jimmy is faced with a surprise visit by his ex-wife Lydia who causes problems in the Brock household when she tells him that he wants to use his frozen sperm so she can have another child, despite a complicating genetic deficiency that could cause problems for the child. - Ep 12Frogman Returns1/13/95
The frogman's son tries of his father and goes to court for emancipation. Meanwhile Zach is injured in a terrible accident and Jill over reacts and strikes Matthew for accidentally hurting Zach. - Ep 11Freezer Burn1/6/95
Brock investigates a strange case, when a message therapist is found dead in a freezer. But when Brock investigates further into the case he uncovers a scandal among his women clientèle whom he appears to have been very popular with. - Ep 10Away in the Manger12/16/94
Jimmy investigates cows that are suspected to have been injected with alien DNA, but the Sheriff's department soon finds that the truth is even stranger than fiction and that the cows are being used to help breed human babies. - Ep 9For Whom the Wind Blows12/2/94
When Jimmy experiences a mid-life crisis on his 51st birthday, it causes him to question his resolve as sheriff. Meanwhile Max and Kenny re-open the Latham case while Wambaugh hopes that his client's conviction can be overturned.
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'' - Ep 8May It Please the Court11/18/94
Wambaugh and Littleton argue their case concerning Latham in the Supreme Court. Back in Rome, Pike's quest for fatherhood causes controversy when he hires a surrogate mother to have his child. '' - Ep 7Rebels with Causes11/11/94
Jill and Wambaugh travel to Chicago for specialized treatment, but she keeps with arguing with Geiger over how to practice medicine. Meanwhile there is a surprise announcement by Kimberly and Kenny, but it really angers Jimmy.'' - Ep 6Elective Conduct11/4/94
Racial tensions escalate as the mayoral campaign progresses. While Zach pens a report that gets him suspended from school and hurts Jill's mayoral campaign just before a crucial debate and the election. Meanwhile Kimberly gives Aisha a vote of confidence when the teen is mocked for getting good grades. - Ep 5Cold Spell10/28/94
Brock investigates the home life of a girl who spray-painted a pentacle on a school wall. A custody trial ensues when her mother, a practicing Wiccan, is charged with being an unfit mother because of her religion. Max and Kenny are horrified to find Ginny, frozen to death after falling into her freezer.moreless - Ep 4Enemy Lines (2)10/14/94
Jill and Judge Nance have a heated face-to-face meeting which results in Jill being jailed for interfering with the busing order. Kimberly has a run-in with a newly arrived student and also Littleton asks Max out on a date but she takes time to consider. - Ep 3The Bus Stops Here (1)10/7/94
As temporary co-mayor, Jill copes with racial tensions from a judge's decision to bus tough black students from Green Bay to Rome's schools. - Ep 2Systematic Abuse9/30/94
DA Littleton prepares for a showdown with Wambaugh as the case against suspected murderer Brian Latham goes to trial. Littleton feels Brock's department is hampering the investigation of a girl's murder as there is a lack of hard evidence. '' - Ep 1Survival of the Fittest9/23/94
Sheriff Brock fears the worst when a local teenager disappears and he is forced to convict the prime suspect as community pressure mounts. Meanwhile, members of the community are concerned that a school teacher may be advocating creationism in the class room.
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Season 2
- Ep 22Howard's End5/13/94
Howard's struggle with Alzheimer's affects his family and the town when his situation continues to worsen. Then Jill's decision during surgery may revoke her hospital privileges. - Ep 21Frosted Flakes5/6/94
The parents of a dying boy try to get the court's permission to use an unorthodox procedure to save the child's life. But this decision gets the whole town asking questions about death and the afterlife. - Ep 20My Left Shoe4/29/94
Father Barrett may lose his parish after Jimmy and Kenny find women's shoes in his closet. Things get worse when the Mayor criticizes the Father on public-access cable, prompting a lawsuit. Matthew fears his sexual curiosities are a sin. - Ep 19Buried Alive4/8/94
A visit by Jill's father leads to a lively evening of therapy in the Brock household. Jimmy invites Max to dinner after she arrests Jill's father for disorderly conduct. - Ep 18System Down4/1/94
Jimmy becomes the unlikely foreman of a jury deciding the case of a suspect accused of murdering two policemen. But he must put his own personal feelings aside for this case. - Ep 17Squatter's Rights3/11/94
When an obese woman confesses to murdering her husband by sitting on him, Max has some doubts about the motive. A synagogue ostracizes Wambaugh. - Ep 16Terms of Estrangement3/4/94
Sheriff Brock tries to remain professional when Kimberly is kidnapped---and his onetime partner, who he once testified against, is the prime suspect. But it appears Brocks old partner wants to settle an old score by unsettling the sheriff...'''' - Ep 15Divine Recall2/11/94
Mayor Rachel scolds Father Barrett for giving a pep talk colored with religious ideals to a public school's hockey team. Meanwhile, a risque video from Rachel's past jeopardizes her career as Kenny admits their affair to Jimmy. - Ep 14Supreme Courting2/4/94
Valentine's Day brings love and controversy to assorted age groups: Max helps Carter woo a widow he is smitten with, Zack finds his first love but gets in trouble for kissing her, and Kimberly's boyfriend is too prudent as they struggle with sexual-consent guidelines. - Ep 13Abominable Snowman1/28/94
With his mind failing due to Alzheimer's, Howard Buss proposes that doctors harvest his heart for the transplant his son needs. Meanwhile, Wambaugh pleads with the city to house Frank the Potato Man. - Ep 12Remote Control1/21/94
The debate over crime reaches a fever pitch Wambaugh blames violence in the media for his client's assault on Matthew. Rachel launches a war on crime and moves forward with new legislation to curb violence. - Ep 11Guns 'R' Us1/14/94
Embarrassed by a prank, Matthew tries to get even with some boys, but the practical joking gets out of hand, which may result in paralysis for him. Meanwhile, budget cuts hit the sheriff's department and Max fills in as sheriff. - Ep 10Paging Doctor God1/7/94
Jill does her best to uphold the Hippocratic oath when she performs emergency surgery on a pregnant Christian Scientist, who has refused care and whose husband takes the fight to court. Zach wants to convert to Judaism. - Ep 9Blue Christmas12/17/93
The drug war comes to Rome in place of Santa: controlled substances are found on the high school campus during a drug sweep, Kimberly's friend is arrested and a federal witness turns up in town. Carter is devastated when his mother dies of a heart attack, and it brings out the worst in him.moreless - Ep 8Cross Examination12/3/93
Some members of the community don't know what to believe when a woman pulled from a submerged vehicle is discovered to be pregnant - even though she is technically a virgin. Matthew decides to tell Zach about Santa Claus. - Ep 7Strangers12/10/93
A jury must decide if it's murder or a mistake after Leonard Taylor, a man with a brain disease that distorts vision, shoots and kills his own brother Brian, when the sibling enters his home in the middle of the night. As Jill and Jimmy clash over his motives, Ginny is romanced by Dr Vernon Leaky, a specialist on the brain condition who arrives in Rome for the trial. Meanwhile, Max is horrified to discover that Kenny and Mayor Rachel have been having an affair.moreless - Ep 6The Dancing Bandit11/12/93
Laurie Bey, who robs from the rich to give to the poor, arrives with her husband, Cole, and her gang. She's nicknamed "The Dancing Bandit" because she does a dance after a hold-up. They take hostages at the Rome bank, including Jill and Zach, and hold it up before escaping. When Laurie learns Zach's sign language lessons were cancelled due to lack of cash, the gang dress as Dorothy and friends from the Wizard of Oz to teach his class how to sign "Over the Rainbow." They flee as the cops arrive but Jimmy shoots Laurie in the back. The gang bring her to Jill's office for treatment, and Jill finds she has a heart arrythmia. Zach visits Laurie in hospital. Having quickly formed a bond with her, he's mad with Jimmy for shooting her but she tells him not to be angry with him. A chopper arrives to fly Laurie to Chicago for surgery, but Jill later learns Cole gave her an injection to fake the arrythmia and there was nothing wrong with her - it was all a ploy to help her escape, and the chopper was flown by the gang. Cole tells Jill she'll be back - she promised, and she always keeps her promises.moreless - Ep 5Dairy Queen11/26/93
Jimmy, Jill, Rachel and Father Barrett debate employing a scantily-clad pin-up model, a battered wife, to help promote the dairy industry in Rome. Kimberly considers getting breast implants. - Ep 4Under the Influence11/5/93
Still reeling from her relationship with Dr. Shreve, Max allows a drunken driver to continue on home. She then feels indirectly responsible when a traffic accident occurs involving the driver, critically injuring another motorist. - Ep 3Unlawful Entries10/29/93
Things don't add up when a math teacher says he was a date-rape victim. Jimmy locks horns with a new mayor and Max decides to prosecute her therapist. - Ep 2Duty Free Rome10/28/93
Wambaugh appeals Mayor Pugen's conviction and uncovers a technicality that could secure a new trial. Max's therapist admits his attraction to her and the feeling is mutual, raising ethical issues. Father Barrett confronts his church's stand on birth control. - Ep 1Turpitude10/22/93
Mayor Pugen is caught between a Brock and a hard place when the Sheriff arrests him for murdering a disarmed carjacker, leaving him to rely on Wambaugh for his defense. Frightened at the level of violence creeping up on the Rome people, Jill buys a gun to protect her family.
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Season 1
- Ep 22The Lullaby League5/6/93
Zach plays horn for an ailing blues legend but Jill is frustrated when the woman takes ill and fails to appreciate medicine's ability to keep her alive. Max delivers a criminal's baby and begins procedures to adopt it. - Ep 21Sugar and Spice4/29/93
Attraction to a girlfriend confuses Kimberly, and matters get worse when she is caught kissing a girlfriend by Matthew. Meanwhile Max and Kenny vie for undersheriff but Max loses out on the promotion. - Ep 20Rights of Passage4/15/93
A group of heavily armed Chippewa Indians declares war on Rome and takes over the courthouse, as a dispute over enlarging the golf course gets violent. Ginny accuses Jill of discrimination when she agrees to give an abnormally young boy a controversial growth treatment. Matthew stands up for Zach against the school bully.moreless - Ep 19Sightings4/8/93
A corpse found in the Brocks' trash is found to be a sheriff who mysteriously disappeared 38 years earlier. Carter believes he may have been killed by radiation emitted by a UFO, bringing alien enthusiasts to town. - Ep 18Fetal Attraction4/1/93
Jill asks Dr. David Williams, her ex-fiancé, to perform a controversial fetal tissue transplant on a man suffering from Parkinson's Disease, in the hopes it can cure him. However, Brock wonders if Jill's interest is purely professional. - Ep 17Be My Valentine2/12/93
Max goes undercover to catch a vicious serial killer named 'Cupid' who murders women he meets through classified ads. So when she gets a odd response to a personal ad, she goes deep undercover to catch the killer. - Ep 16The Body Politic2/5/93
An HIV-positive dentist sues the city of Rome after being fired. A man and his mother-in-law battle over whether to keep his brain-dead pregnant wife alive, until she can give birth to the child. Meanwhile Kenny tries dating twins. - Ep 15Nuclear Meltdowns1/22/93
When a school friend gets pregnant, Kimberly tells her parents she thinks it resulted from incest. Kenny's girlfriend meets her long-lost twin and Cynthia Parks' pet duck is sacrificed. - Ep 14Bad Moons Rising1/15/93
When Alice Freeman is charged with murdering her estranged husband by running him down with a steamroller, Wambaugh defends her by claiming insanity as the result of the menopause. The onset of puberty unsettles Matthew. - Ep 13Frog Man1/8/93
Investigating a burglary with Max, Kenny is shot and seriously injured by the Frog Man, a burglar who leaves live frogs at the scene of his crimes. - Ep 12High Tidings12/18/92
Brock catches Kimberly in bed with her boyfriend, arrests him and cancels Christmas in the household. At the Sheriff Station, Max and Ginny are held hostage at gunpoint by an elderly man dressed as Santa Claus. - Ep 11Pageantry12/11/92
Zach's teacher, Louise Talbot, defies a court-ordered ban of the annual Christmas pageant on public property, after which disturbing facts come to light about her. - Ep 10The Snake Lady12/4/92
Jimmy, Max and Kenny investigate the mysterious death of a woman who may or may not have committed suicide. Suspects in her death are her snake-raising sister and her own husband, who gets involved with Max. - Ep 9Thanksgiving11/13/92
Jill's father arrives for Thanksgiving with a young love in tow. Wambaugh has his wife Myriam arrested after he catches her in bed with Harold Lundstrom. It all adds up to a typically riotous and far from peaceful holiday in the Brock house. - Ep 8Sacred Hearts11/6/92
Max searches for a nun suspected of killing an elderly leukemia patient. When the nun is caught, she confesses to committing a series of mercy killings and the furore over prosecuting her divides the town and causes Zachary to fear death. - Ep 7The Contenders10/30/92
Jimmy considered it before but now Jill decides she will run for mayor after Bill Pugen ignores women's rights once too often. At a police speed checkpoint, Max and Kenny stop a man with false papers and Kenny, recognizing him as former Middle-Weight Champion of the world Jeff Freed, wants to waive the charges against him. He then arranges a match between himself and Freed, with half of the proceeds going to the boxer and the other half going to a local charity.moreless - Ep 6Remembering Rosemary10/26/92
It's Halloween and Jimmy decides to reopen the ten year old suicide case of Rosemary Bauer when Karina Shaw, her former maid who hasn't spoken since the death, suddenly utters the word "murder." On the strength of this new piece of evidence, the case is reopened and elderly Rome resident Howard Buss confesses to killing Rosemary, bringing proof of his guilt to the authorities. Meanwhile, holiday tricks get out of hand.moreless - Ep 5Frank the Potato Man10/23/92
The townspeople of Rome are plagued by a mysterious "serial bather", who sneaks into their homes while they are out and has a bath. The pressure is on for the Sheriff's department to apprehend the disturbed felon as suspicion falls on Frank the Potato Man, a homeless man who lives in the woods around the town. Meanwhile, a farmer claims a neighbor's still intoxicates his cows.moreless - Ep 4The Autumn of Rome10/16/92
As the campaigns for the Mayoral election begin, Mayor Pugen is involved in a serious car accident: while eating an egg salad sandwich behind the wheel, he swerves and hits a tree and has to be lifted out of the wreckage with a crane. Wambaugh, Pugen's opponent, turns his campaign into a circus with marching bands and fake assassination attempts. As the campaign deteriorates into a petty dirty tricks battle, Jimmy is asked by the church to consider running against them. He considers it, but when Wambaugh produces a huge photo of Pugen being lifted out of the wreckage during a public meeting, he instead takes the opportunity to publicly berate them both for their antics and warns the residents their town is going to hell. In the aftermath of the car accident, Kenny discovers incriminating photographs in the back of Pugen's car. It leads them to dodgy dealings involving shady local businessman Pauly Thigpen. When Thigpen has Harold beaten up to keep him quiet, Kenny retaliates by doing the same to Thigpen and gets suspended over it.moreless - Ep 3Mr. Dreeb Comes to Town10/2/92
A midget named Mr Dreeb rides into Rome on a sick elephant, which promptly crushes Max and Kenny's patrol car. The elephant takes up residence in the Brocks' garage and Jill has to perform an emergency enema on it. It transpires Mr Dreeb stole Big John, the elephant, from its circus owners. He accuses them of cruelty and a custody battle begins over Big John's wellbeing. Judge Bone concurs there is evidence of cruelty and rules that Big John go to a zoo until alternative custody can be sorted out. Max and Mr Dreeb fall for each other but she realises that it would never work out - he can never fit her profile of the "ideal man" - so he and Big John leave Rome, bound for the sanctuary of the zoo. Meanwhile, Kimberly's favourite teacher starts acting oddly and further tests reveal that a potentially fatal brain tumour is the cause of his erratic behaviour. He is fired from his job on the grounds he could endanger his students and decides to undergo risky surgery to remove the tumour. However, his heart arrests during the procedure and he dies in theatre.moreless - Ep 2The Green Bay Chopper9/25/92
A bizarre case begins to unravel when a girl in Zach's class brings a severed hand in a jar into Show and Tell. Then another hand is discovered on the highway that runs from Rome to nearby Green Bay, which leads the Rome Sheriff's Department on a hunt to find a particularly vicious assailant, dubbed the "Green Bay Chopper," who severs the hands of each of his victims. Max, especially, becomes obsessed with cracking the case and refuses to bow to the FBI's authority when they arrive to take charge of the situation. The FBI order Jimmy to keep away from "their" case but things change, however, when Carter delivers interesting news about the latest victim. Unlike the previous victims, this man was dead, and that means the case remains under the jurisdiction of Jimmy and his officers, not the FBI. Max and Kenny follow up a hunch she has about the case and manage to track down a suspect; he turns out to be their man but he opens fire when they go to arrest him and is gunned down by Max. It's the first time she killed someone and she's shaken up by it.moreless - Ep 1Pilot9/18/92
In this first episode, The sudden death of the Tin Man during a community performance of The Wizard of Oz throws the normally sleepy town of Rome, Wisconsin, into chaos and throws Sheriff Jimmy Brock right into the middle of a difficult murder investigation. Meanwhile, when the favourite singing group of Brock's teenage daughter Kimberly arrive in town, they prove not to be what either she or Deputy Kenny had anticipated.moreless
