Petticoat Junction was an American situation comedy that was produced by Filmways, Inc. and originally aired on the CBS network from 1963 to 1970. The rights to the show are held by CBS Paramount Domestic Television.

The "petticoats" of the otherwise obscure title referred to the many women of the Shady Rest Hotel; in the opening sequence, it was implied that Kate Bradley's three daughters swam nude in a water tower, with their petticoats hung over the side. The "junction" in the title refers to the fact it was situated on a train line in the country.

Set in the rural town of Hooterville, the show followed the goings-on at the Shady Rest Hotel, of which Kate Bradley (Bea Benaderet) was the proprietor. Her lazy uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan) helped her in the day-to-day running of the business, while she served as a mediator in the various minor crises that befell her daughters: Betty Jo, Bobbie Jo, and Billie Jo. The actresses portraying Billie Jo and Bobbie Jo varied over the years: Billie Jo was played by Jeannine Riley the first two seasons, then by Gunilla Hutton for one year with the role going to Meredith MacRae for the show's remaining seasons. Pat Woodell was the original Bobbie Jo for two years, Lori Saunders played the part subsequently. Buffs generally consider MacRae and Saunders the "real" Billie Jo and Bobbie Jo, given they played the roles the longest and the shows' early years with Riley and Woodall were not rerun in syndication. Betty Jo was consistently portrayed by Linda Kaye (Henning), daughter of series creator Paul Henning.

Much of the original focus of the show was on the Hooterville Cannonball, a steam-driven train (serviced by the above-mentioned water tower) run more like a taxi service by its engineer, Charley Pratt (Smiley Burnette) and conductor, Floyd Smoot (Rufe Davis). It was not uncommon for the Cannonball to make an unscheduled stop in order to go fishing or pick fruit for Kate Bradley's menu at the Shady Rest Hotel. Occasionally, Betty Jo Bradley could be found with her hand on the Cannonball's throttle, as driving the train home from trips into town was one of her favorite pastimes. Those trips usually consisted of a stop at "Drucker's Store," proprietized by Sam Drucker (Frank Cady).