Pushing Daisies is an American television series created by Bryan Fuller that aired on ABC from October 3, 2007 to June 13, 2009. Touted as a "forensic fairy tale", Pushing Daisies centers around a pie-maker with the ability to bring the dead back to life with minor stipulations.Pushing Daisies reviewed

Plot

Pushing Daisies centers on the life of Ned, a pie-maker gifted with the mysterious ability to bring dead things back to life by touching them. There are some conditions to this somewhat unusual talent. Ned quickly learns that if something is revived for more than exactly one minute, something of similar "life value" in the vicinity drops dead, as a form of balance. Additionally, if he touches the revived person or thing a second time, it falls dead again, this time permanently.

In the pilot episode, Ned discovers his gift as a child by resurrecting his Golden Retriever, Digby, after the dog is hit by a truck. He later brings back his mother when she dies of an aneurysm. However, in doing this, he accidentally causes the death of the father of his childhood sweetheart, Charlotte "Chuck" Charles, as the "price" of keeping his mother alive. Even worse, Ned's mother falls dead permanently when she gives him a good-night kiss (which is how he learns the effect of the second touch).

In their childhood, Ned and Chuck become separated after Chuck's agoraphobic aunts, Vivian and Lily, move in to take the role of her parents, while Ned is shipped off by his father to a lonely boarding school.

Inheriting his mother's baking talents, Ned becomes a pie-maker who owns a restaurant called "The Pie Hole", which he runs with the help of waitress Olive Snook (Kristin Chenoweth). The restaurant is failing financially when private investigator Emerson Cod (Chi McBride) accidentally discovers Ned's gift and offers him a proposal: Ned will temporarily bring murder victims back to life, allowing Emerson to inquire about the circumstances of their demise, quickly solve the case and split the reward money with him.

The scheme succeeds until they learn that Chuck, whom Ned hasn't seen since childhood, was murdered while on a cruise ship. When her body is shipped back home, Ned revives her, but can't bring himself to allow her to stay dead by touching her a second time. Against his better judgment, Ned allows her to live and the larcenous funeral home director falls dead in her place. Ned and Chuck fall in love again and he brings her home to live with him under the unique circumstances of their never being able to touch each other. Chuck is extraordinarily grateful upon receiving a second chance at life, and as such she starts to appreciate life as a truly precious resource and Ned, witnessing his vivacious beauty's happiness, begins to break out of his lonely shell. Chuck joins Ned and Emerson in investigating deaths for reward money, starting with tracking down her own killer. Despite Emerson's disapproval of "dead girl," he often allows Chuck to assist when necessary. Other storylines include Emerson's search for his missing daughter, after she was taken away by her mother, a con woman. During the series he works on a pop-up book called "Lil' Gumshoe" in hopes that it will be published and that his daughter will read the book and find her way back to him. Olive Snook pines away for Ned. Chuck's aunts slowly learn to accept the death of their only niece, and become friends with Olive, who brings them pie laced with homeopathic mood enhancers baked by Chuck to uplift their spirits.

An epilogue at the end of the series reveals that Emerson's daughter returns to him, Chuck is able to reveal that she is alive to Lily and Vivian, and Olive has fallen in love and opens her own restaurant dedicated to macaroni and cheese.

Cast

Cast	Character	Notes
Lee Pace	Ned	Pie Hole owner and head pie maker
Anna Friel	Charlotte "Chuck" Charles	Ned's childhood sweetheart, murdered, but brought back to life by Ned
Chi McBride	Emerson Cod	Private eye, Ned's business partner
Jim Dale	Narrator	Third-person omniscient
Field Cate	Young Ned	Made a regular in the second season premiere
Ellen Greene	Vivian Charles	Chuck's aunt
Swoosie Kurtz	Lily Charles	Vivian's sister and Chuck's mother, though Vivian is not aware of this until the last episode.
Kristin Chenoweth	Olive Snook	Pie Hole waitress, and "hopelessly devoted" to Ned.
Orbit & Orion	Digby	Ned's dog

Guest stars

• It was originally announced that Paul Reubens would be guesting as Alfredo Aldarisio, a traveling homeopathic antidepressant representative/salesman. The role was recast with three-time Tony nominee Raul Esparza. Reubens instead has been cast in the recurring role of Oscar Vibenius, a former olfactory expert who works for the Department of Water and Power. Oscar smells something peculiar about Chuck — and Digby, as well — and decides to get to the bottom of it.
• E! Online columnist Kristin Dos Santos did a one-line cameo in episode 1.03, "The Fun in Funeral".The Fun in Funeral
• Jayma Mays appeared in episode 1.04 "Pigeon" as Elsa/Elsita.
• The Soup host Joel McHale appeared in episode 1.06 as Harold Hundin, a polygamist dog breeder who was killed by one of his wives.
• Molly Shannon appeared as Dilly Balsam, the owner of a saltwater-taffy emporium that sets up a shop across the street from the Pie Hole. It was originally planned for Shannon to be in more than one episode.Exclusive: Molly Shannon Is Pushing Daisies! from the TV Guide website However, due to the strike, this was not to be.
• Mike White appeared as Dilly Balsam's brother and co-owner of a saltwater-taffy emporium, Billy Balsam.
• Christopher Sieber appeared as Napoleon LeNez in episode 1.07
• Peter Cambor played "Dusty Fitz" in episode 2.01 "Bzzzzzzz!"
• In "Circus, Circus", actress Rachael Harris played Georgeann Heaps.
• Wonderfalls alumna Diana Scarwid played the Mother Mary Mary, the Mother Superior of the nunnery that Olive joins, in the first three episodes of the second season.
• David Arquette appeared in several episodes as "Randy Mann", a man who befriends Ned and is described by Bryan Fuller as the sort of man Ned would be had he not had the magical powers.
• Stephen Root appeared in a four-episode arc as Dwight Dixon, a mysterious man who is connected to both Ned and Chuck's fathers.
• Fred Willard appeared in the episode "Oh Oh Oh...It's Magic" as magician The Great Herrmann. Reno 911s Kerri Kenney played his assistant, Alexandria.
• Best Week Ever host Paul F. Tompkins appeared as The Geek in "Oh Oh Oh... It's Magic".
• Josh Randall appeared in two episodes as Chuck's father Charles Charles.
• Daeg Faerch appeared as Ingmar in "Dim Sum, Lose Some" and "Comfort Food"
• French Stewart appeared as Woolsey Nicholls in the episode "Bzzzzzzz!"
• David Koechner appeared as Merle McQuoddy in the second season's episode "The Legend of Merle McQuoddy"
• Orlando Jones appeared as Magnus Olsdatter in the second season episode "The Norwegians"
• Willie Garson as Dick Dicker in "Window Dressed to Kill".
• Michael Weaver appeared as Nils Nilson in the second season episode "The Norwegians"
• Ivana Miličević appeared as Hedda Lillihammer in the second season episode "The Norwegians"
• George Hamilton made an uncredited cameo appearance as Ned's father in the second season episode "The Norwegians"
• Comedian Shelley Berman played the late Gustav Hoffer in "Robbing Hood"
• Wilson Cruz appeared as Sid Tango, a flamboyant water dancer in the second season episode "Kerplunk".
• Nora Dunn and Wendy Malick appeared as The Aquadolls, rival synchronized swimming team to the Darling Mermaid Darlings, in the second season episode "Kerplunk".
• Riki Lindhome appeared as Jeanine, a bulimic dandelion girl, in the second season episode "Dummy"
• Constance Zimmer appeared as Coco Juniper, a department store window artist in the second season episode "Window Dressed to Kill"

Production

Production history

The series was greenlit and given a 13-episode order by ABC on May 11, 2007. On October 23, 2007, the show received a full season order.Exclusive: Full Season Blossoms for Pushing Daisies - Ausiello Report | TVGuide.com However, scripts for only nine episodes were completed before the start of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Bryan Fuller reportedly made last-minute changes to the ninth episode to allow it to serve as a season finale, adjusting the episode to be a cliffhanger.Scoop! Daisies, Trees Prep Season Finales - Ausiello Report | TVGuide.com

Because of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, the show completed only nine episodes of a full 22-episode season.ABC Picks More 'Daisies,' Scripts Added to 'Carpoolers', 'Moonlight' from TheFutonCritic.com Instead of attempting to complete the first season, the writers planned to start work on the second season with production restarting around March to June 2008. Although ABC picked Pushing Daisies up for the 2008–09 television season, when ratings quickly declined ABC opted not to order any additional episodes beyond the second season's initial thirteen.ABC Announces Scripted Show RenewalsTVWeek.com By November 20, 2008, Fuller had confirmed that Pushing Daisies had been cancelled by ABC and expressed the possibility of wrapping up any lingering plotlines in a comic book or movie sequel."Daisies", "Eli Stone" and "Dirty Sexy" Cancelled, E! Online, November 20, 2008

On July 17, 2008, Pushing Daisies was nominated for twelve Emmy awards, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Lee Pace), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Kristin Chenoweth), and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (Bryan Fuller). It won three, for Outstanding Direction of a Comedy Series (Barry Sonnenfeld), Outstanding Original Score (Jim Dooley), and Outstanding Editing of a Comedy Series.60th Primetime Emmy Awards

The last scheduled episode of the show was broadcast in the US on December 17, 2008, leaving three episodes unaired, although those episodes were screened at the 2009 Paley Fest."PaleyFest09 Lineup, PaleyFest09 Lineup, February 27, 2009 ABC was in negotiations at one time to forfeit broadcast rights to the shows and make the un-aired episodes available exclusively onlineABC Likely to Give Up on Unaired Episodes, Post-Gazette, January 17, 2009ABC Shows May Finish Runs Online, Journal Gazette, January 20, 2009ABC Drags Out Finales?, Hollywood.com, January 16, 2009, but announced on April 3, 2009 the final three episodes would be broadcast on ABC Saturdays at 10pm beginning May 30.www.sitcomsonline.com/blog/2009/04/abc-to-air-animated-comedy-goode-family.html According to Chenoweth, these episodes do not provide a narrative conclusion to the series.Chenoweth: Pushing Daisies Olive Should End Up with Ned, TV Guide, December 17, 2008

The final three episodes aired on ABC on successive Saturdays at 10:00 PM Eastern/9:00 PM Central, from Saturday, May 30, 2009 to June 13, 2009,www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20090408abc01 having already aired elsewhere around the world. In India, the last episode aired on February 27, 2009 as a world premiere. In Germany, the television network ProSieben showed the last three episodes of Pushing Daisies on March 4, 2009 ("Window Dressed to Kill") and March 11, 2009 ("Water and Power", "Kerplunk"). The three remaining unaired episodes were also broadcast in the UK as ITV1 announced it would be showing the complete season during its run on the channel. [1].

Visual design

Production Designer Michael Wylie told TV Guide that, "My goal was a storybook come to life. I wanted everything to look almost like an illustration." He achieved this by "concentrating on conflicting patterns in different colors, particularly reds and oranges, but per director Barry Sonnenfeld, virtually no blues."Pushing Daisies Secrets Revealed - Celebrity and Entertainment News | TVGuide.com Cinematographer Michael Weaver told Variety that he and the producers decided the visuals should "feel somewhere between Amélie and a Tim Burton film — something big, bright and bigger than life."Michael Weaver - Entertainment News, 10 Cinematographers to Watch, Media - Variety

The distinctive storybook-esque style is continued within the overall design of the visual aspects. Circular background shapes, circular windows, and framing shots within circles was a common theme consistent throughout the series. Regardless of the fact that the show focuses on murder investigations, the morgue is still painted in candy-cane stripes and many of the outfits worn by the characters are vibrantly colored, bright, and cheery (for example, Olive's work uniform is a lime-green pinstriped dress, and Emerson is frequently seen wearing shades of purple).

CGI is very prominent in the series, with much use of blue screen technology (the shop window, similar set pieces and outdoor scenery outside often cast a blue halo tinge) and 3D set-extensions (streets, grass and landscape, the pie shop façade). It has been criticized that due to the lack of blue hues in the background replacements, a green screen would have fared slightly better for chroma key effects. It has mostly been given a "not-quite photo-realistic" look to emphasize the storybook surreality.

Automobiles featured in the series are often mint-condition vintage vehicles, though some newer vehicles have been used (such as a mid-1990s Chevrolet Lumina APV minivan, a Hummer, or a 2006 Toyota Prius). Emerson drives a mid-1960s Lincoln Continental with suicide doors in like-new condition. Ned is also seen driving a very old, but like-new car, a Mercedes-Benz W108. Other characters drive decades-old vehicles as well. 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor cars in their ambulance and hearse configurations figure frequently in the series. Old-fashioned trolley cars can also be seen in several shots panning in to the Pie Hole.

Quirkiness

Critics have noted that "Pushing Daisies" has a distinctive visual style (a NYTimes critic describes "candy-colored, computer-generated bucolic scenery"Stanley, Alessandra. "Loner Finds He Has a Touch for Piemaking and Undeadmaking." NYTimes. 3 October 2007. Accessed 2009-10-1. and another describes a "Technicolor world that seems to exist at right angles to our own"Sepinwall, Alan. "Sepinwall on TV: 'Pushing Daisies' review. 1 October 2008. Accessed 2009-10-1.). They also note "bizarre dialogue" and the use of alliterative and near-duplicate names of both characters (such as Deedee Duffield, Billy Balsam, Charles Charles, Charlotte "Chuck" Charles, John Joseph Jacobs, etc.) and locations (Boutique Travel Travel Boutique, Darling Mermaid Darlings, etc.).

Music

The show contains original music composed and arranged by Jim Dooley.Interview with Composer James Michael Dooley at Tracksounds.com The first six minutes of the series pilot, "Pie-lette" were composed by Blake Neely. Dooley describes the musical score as having an Amélie type of sound (Yann Tiersen), which is a "wide-angled," adult fairy tale, with a narrator and this super-real world." It was recently announced on Dooley's web site that the soundtrack of the first season was originally going to be released by Varese Sarabande on October 21, 2008, then was pushed back to November 4, 2008, then was pushed back again to December 9, 2008, then again to December 16, 2008, and a fourth time to December 23, 2008. The reason for these delays is to clear negotiations with various record labels to use the songs in the show as well as with Sony Classical to use Kristin Chenoweth's voice on the album. As of December 10, 2008, the soundtrack is available on iTunes.

Both Kristin Chenoweth and Ellen Greene have backgrounds in musical theater, and have performed musical numbers in some episodes. In Dummy, Chenoweth sang "Hopelessly Devoted to You" from the movie musical Grease. In Pigeon, Chenoweth and Greene harmonized on the They Might Be Giants hit, "Birdhouse in Your Soul". Also in Smell of Success, Greene sang "Morning Has Broken". Chenoweth had requested to sing "Eternal Flame" in an episode, which Bryan Fuller had agreed to accommodate. The song was sung in episode 8 of season 2. She also performed a cover of Lionel Richie's "Hello" in episode 11.

Comics

The show's official website included a comic book that was distributed at the 2007 Comic-Con International in San Diego, which features new mysteries and background information not shown on the televised episodes.Pushing Daisies - Comic Book - ABC.com The book also contains recaps of aired episodes.Pushing Daisies - Comic Book Recaps - ABC.com

After the show struggled in the ratings during its second season, Bryan Fuller said that should ABC not pick up the series for additional episodes he would release comic books, and maybe a movie, based on the show in order to wrap up outstanding stories for fans.'Daisies' Staff Not Ready to Say Die Warner Bros. has given the okay to Fuller to produce comic books.Ask Ausiello: Spoilers on 'Lost,' 'House,' 'Gossip Girl,' 'The Office,' 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Medium,' 'Chuck,' '24,' 'Brothers & Sisters,' and more!

Fuller has stated that the "third season" will be twelve issues long and is a fresh take on the zombie genre starring all of the characters from the show. It will be published by DC Comics.[2] On October 13, 2009, Entertainment Weekly reported that Bryan Fuller had just turned in the script for the first comic issue and he’s currently working with the show’s writers on the next three comic scripts.[3]

Connections to other shows

• In "Bzzzzzzz!" Ned says he's a temp from Happy Time Temporary Services. This is the temp agency that George Lass works at in Bryan Fuller's Dead Like Me.
• Beth Grant reprised her role as Marianne Marie Beetle from the Wonderfalls episode "Muffin Buffalo" in the second season episode "Comfort Food".
• Diana Scarwid starred as Lee Pace's mother on the series Wonderfalls, plays Mother Superior in Pushing Daisies.
• In the episode "Legend of Merle McQuoddy", many references to the 1977 Disney movie Pete's Dragon can be found: A lighthouse keeper loses her lover to a storm at sea, and continues watching for him from her lighthouse. Her son is named Elliot, her husband named Merle and their last name is McQuoddy. At one point, two characters seek refuge in a cave by the sea. "Candle on the Water", a song from Pete's Dragon, is sung. Also, series regular Jim Dale (the narrator), starred as Doc Terminus in Pete's Dragon.
• In "Kerplunk" Randy Mann carries a sack of Macaroni featuring the same "Lil' Ivey" Bunny that speaks to Jaye in the episode "Cocktail Bunny" of Wonderfalls.
• In "Kerplunk" the Louisiana license plate that falls out of Bubba The Shark, reads the same as the one that falls out of the tiger shark in the 1975 film Jaws.
• Narrator Jim Dale played the (human) lead in the 1973 film Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World. Ned’s dog in Pushing Daisies is called Digby.
• The portrait of Dwight Dixon wearing the pocket watch around his neck, which Vivian Charles shows to Emerson Cod in order to locate him, looks exactly like the portrait of Rose (Kate Winslet's character) in Titanic, wearing the diamond necklace.

Reception

U.S. ratings

See List of Pushing Daisies episodes for per-episode ratings

According to The Los Angeles Times, the heavily-promoted pilot episode ("Pie-lette") attracted over 13 million viewers in the United States; it was the most-watched new series and 14th in overall viewership for the week.www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-tvratingstext10oct10,0,5431873,full.story

Season		Episodes	Premiere	Finale	Timeslot	U.S. ratings	Rank	Network
1	2007	9	October 3 2007	December 12 2007	Wednesday 8:00 PM ET	9.42 million	#46	ABC
2	2008–2009	13	October 1 2008	June 13 2009	Wednesday 8:00 PM ET (October 1, 2008 – December 17, 2008) Saturday 10:00 PM ET (May 30, 2009 – June 13, 2009)	6.1 millionwww.abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=052709_07	#91	ABC
Overall						7.76 million		ABC

Critical reception

Critics responded well to the series, comparing the style and direction to that of director Tim Burton. The pilot, before it officially aired, was well-received by critics who were able to screen it. TV Guides Michael Ausiello claimed that "ABC has found its next Lost!" upon review and the series has also been touted as "the fall show with the most spring buzz" by many, including the trade publication Variety. New York Magazine also provided it with a rave review, calling it "funny, imaginative and smart" while also claiming it "boasts Gilmore Girls-speed wit." Television Without Pity declared it "one of the most original, most genuinely entertaining shows on TV. It's filled with tongue-tying turns of phrase, fabulous set design and a fantastic cast." Time magazine's James Poniewozik named it one of the Top 10 New TV Series of 2007, ranking it at #5.Poniewozik, James; Top 10 New TV Series; time.com The show was also heavily promoted by E! online columnist Kristin Dos Santos (who guest starred in one episode as the "'30s Woman") and was featured in her Top 10 shows of 2007.

Awards and nominations

The show was nominated for 57 awards, and won 18 of them, including seven Emmys.


Barry Sonnenfield received a Primetime Emmy Award for Directing In A Comedy Series in 2008 for his work on the show's pilot. That year, the show earned 12 nominations, including 3 wins.

Kristin Chenoweth won a Primetime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series in 2009, many months after the show's end. That year, the show was well-received by the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. It earned 4 Emmy Awards, including Chenoweth's Emmy.

DVD and Blu-ray release

Season 1 was released simultaneously on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in Region 2 on June 23, 2008.Pushing Daisies - Complete Season 1, Amazon.co.uk Retrieved on April 26, 2008. and Region 1 on September 16 2008.TV Shows on DVD< It was released in Region 4 on December 9 2008.www.avh.com.ar/detallepelicula.aspx?id=5635

The bonus features are encompassed in one "delicious interactive featurette with flavorful, fresh-baked pie slices as your entree and cast/creative team members dishing forkfuls of series secrets." The featurette, entitled Pie Time—Time for Pie, includes mini-commentaries of most episodes with creator Bryan Fuller and actor Lee Pace and behind-the-scenes information on set design, the visual aspects of the show, the casting, the costume design, and the special effects.

The second season DVD was released in the UK on May 25, 2009[4], Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved on March 21, 2009. and in the US on July 21, 2009.‘Pushing Daisies’ Season Two Due July 21

International broadcasters

Country	Broadcaster	Series Premiere	Timeslot
	W. Channel	April 7, 2009 (Season 1) June 13, 2009 (Season 2)	19:30
	VT4	October 8, 2008	23:05
	Warner Channel		???
	Nova Television	March 7 2009	Saturdays at 11:00
	TV3 Puls	March 29, 2009	21:00
	Kanal 2	2009	23:20
	SubTV	January 20, 2009	22:00
	Canal+ NRJ 12	November 27, 2008 October 2009	20:50
	ProSieben	October 22, 2008 (Series 1)

January 14, 2009 (Series 2)
21:15 Star Channel November 8, 2008 17:45 TVB Pearl May 5, 2008 (Season 1) October 19, 2009 (Season 2)
22:35 20:30
Viasat 3 September 8, 2008 22:05 Zee Café May 7, 2008 22:00 Yes Stars Drama/HD April 8, 2008 21:15 Joi October 8, 2008 (Season 1) February 25, 2009 (Season 2)
21:00 TV1 July 18, 2009 (Season 1) 17:00 8TV TV2 22:30 2nd Avenue 2008 22:00 Canal+ April 24, 2008 (Season 1) April 9, 2009 (Season 2)
21:55 RTP2 14:15 NTV May 18, 2009 23:20 M-Net Series Channel
January 15, 2008 (Season 1) October 28, 2009 (Season 2)
19:30 Canal+ ??? 21:30 TV3 June 21, 2009 19:00 SF zwei March 30, 2009 20:50 True Series July 17, 2008 (Season 1) April 23, 2009 (Season 2)
22:00 CNBC-e February 19, 2008 20:00 ITV April 12, 2008 (Series 1) January 30, 2009 (Series 2)
22:35 Warner Channel Novyi Kanal 2008 (Series 1) 2009 (Series 2)
23:40
In Australia the Pushing Daisies was intended to be broadcast by the Nine Network, and a summer season run was promoted. However, the show never aired as promoted by the network, and subsequently was first screened in Australia by the subscription W. Channel.