I have never loved a TV show more than I love "Pushing Daisies."
In 2007, in the midst of the Writers' Guild of America strike turmoil, ABC premiered the show, a perfect blend of crime procedural, fantasy epic and fairy tale.
The facts are these: In the pilot-or "Pie-Lette," as the episode is titled-we are introduced to Ned the Piemaker (Lee Pace), who runs the Pie Hole and assists private investigator Emerson Cod (Chi McBride) in murder investigations, putting to work his hidden talent of being able to bring the dead back to life.
The first episode utilizes flashbacks to Ned's childhood to explain the limitations of his supernatural power. The first time he touches a dead body, he brings it back to life. The second time, the person is dead forever; no third touch to bring them to life again.
The second limitation of his power: If the person (or animal) is alive for more than a minute, someone (or something) else nearby dies instead.
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Ned learned these lessons in the most unfortunate manner-when he brought his mother back to life after her sudden death, his childhood sweetheart's father met an untimely demise. Later that night, when his mom went to tuck him in bed, there was another touch, and she was gone forever.
Back in present day, things get complicated when Ned and Emerson work on a case involving Ned's aforementioned childhood sweetheart, Charlotte "Chuck" Charles (Anna Friel).
This series is not all doom and gloom, though. It is light, entertaining and vivacious, thanks in large part to the Emmy-winning performance by Kristin Chenoweth as Olive Snook, the musically gifted Pie Hole waitress who is hopelessly devoted to Ned.
Rounding out the cast as Chuck's shut-in aunts, former synchronized swimming duo The Darling Mermaid Darlings, are Swoosie Kurtz as Lily and Ellen Greene as Vivian.
These six characters are the heart of "Pushing Daisies" as the show's plot moves from one outlandish murder case to solve to another (death by crash test dummy, death by scratch 'n sniff, death by taffy, etc.).
Ongoing appreciation
Back to the "Pie-Lette." The phrase "That's how I roll" is a staple of my vocabulary, and the second The Piemaker uttered those words, I was in love with "Pushing Daisies." In order for me to like any TV show, movie or music, I have to be sold on the words, and this show definitely accomplished that with its quick-witted, pop culture-referencing dialogue.
It doesn't take long for anyone to get swept up in the romance, the comedy, the dialogue and the characters. I have introduced a lot of people to this show since it first aired, and none of them have ever hated it. So yes, it is that good.
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Of all the rabid fans who exclaim that their shows were canceled too soon, "Pushing Daisies" seems to be at the top of the list. It was even named the champion of Esquire magazine's online TV Reboot Tournament earlier this year-yes, 2015, six years after its cancellation-as the dropped series fans most want to see continue. It beat out "Firefly," "Freaks and Geeks" and "Party Down," among others.
In the wake of the 2007-08 writers' strike, which caused turmoil for many shows during that time, "Pushing Daisies" only lasted two seasons-22 episodes in total-before being unceremoniously canceled by ABC in 2009.
Prompted by last month's column on the similarly canceled-too-soon "Hannibal," which is also from the mind of "Pushing Daisies" showrunner Bryan Fuller, and the unexpected presence of a piemaker in my own life, I recently started rewatching the show for at least the 10th time.
Every time I watch an episode of "Pushing Daisies," I am stunned by the level of detail it goes into with both the storytelling and the physical aspects, including the set design, costumes and cinematography. I always find yet another reason to love what is hands-down my favorite TV show of all time.
Like the rest of its legion of fans, I'm still hoping for at least one more tale of Ned, Chuck, Olive, Emerson, Vivian, Lily, Digby (the dog), the pies and the bizarre murder mysteries. Maybe now that "Hannibal" is done, Fuller can make the Esquire tournament results a reality and bring this fractured fairy tale to life yet again, not unlike Ned and all those corpses.
Both seasons of "Pushing Daisies" are available on DVD, Blu-Ray and to stream on services including Amazon Instant Video.
