Pushing Daisies is incredibly creative in terms of both design and story. It's a shame we didn't get to see more of this. Due to the writers' strike, many avid series viewers (like me) sought refuge in older series. What better way to get through that period than with a series that was affected by the 2007 strike? For example, I have been able to enjoy Pushing Daisies recently. This series aired on ABC between 2007 and 2009. The two seasons amount to a total of 22 episodes.
In Pushing Daisies we follow Ned (Lee Pace, Halt & Catch Fire), a cake baker with a special gift; he can bring the dead to life by touching them. However, this wonderful superpower has two drawbacks. If Ned touches someone he brought back to life again, that person dies forever. But if anyone he has touched lives for more than a minute, someone else will die in his place. When private detective Emerson Cod (Chi McBride, Boston Public) discovers Ned's gift, he decides to use Ned to solve the most bizarre murder cases.
The storylines and design are both very creative
Pushing Daisies is a series created by Bryan Fuller, executive producer and writer of series such as Hannibal, Dead Like Me and several Star Trek series. Like all of these series, Pushing Daisies is immediately recognizable as a Bryan Fuller series. A lot of attention is paid to the design that fits perfectly with the storyline and themes in each episode. The sets and costumes are colorful and completely over the top, but this never bothers me. For example, during an episode in which a murder is committed in a lighthouse, the viewer is treated to fierce storms, rickety rowing boats and yellow rain capes. Characters also have wonderfully bizarre names such as Dick Dicker, John Joseph Jacobs or Marianne Marie Beetle.
Ned's special power makes for inventive storylines. Because Ned sees his gift as a curse, he is distant. Working together to solve murder cases gives him a new purpose and as a result, he slowly comes out of his shell and starts to enjoy life again. Already in the first episode he receives an unexpected new blow. The victim of Emerson's first case turns out to be Ned's childhood sweetheart Charlotte (Anna Friel, Marcella), and he decides to let her live. This brings a lot of complications and Ned and Charlotte have to make a lot of strange, but highly entertaining leaps to make their relationship work. The chemistry between the protagonists is unmistakable. Kristin Chenoweth (Schmigadoon!), Ellen Greene (Heroes) and Swoosie Kurtz (Call Me Kat) also have fun leading roles.
Unfortunately, the ending is a bit rushed
Unfortunately, Pushing Daisies is a product of the previous writers' strike and it shows several times. Instead of the twenty-two episodes planned, the first season only had nine. This had not been taken into account and the common thread in the story only started very late in the season. This thread is more present in the second season, but when it was announced halfway through the season that the series would be canceled, the makers had to rewrite the last few episodes to complete the story. Although the whole thing has a nicely rounded ending, it was clearly finished in a hurry and feels a bit run-down. There could certainly have been more in this if more episodes could have been made or if the makers had known what was ahead of them.
Despite the fact that Pushing Daisies was the victim of a writers' strike and a (in my opinion) premature cancellation, creator Bryan Fuller did his utmost with a bizarre premise and he succeeded. The concept is unique, the execution is very good, and the absurd design fits in perfectly. If you want something fun to watch during a future writers' strike, I highly recommend this one.
