Just a quick note…if you’re still using the archaic VCR to record your favorite shows, or if you plan to tune in live, be warned…Pushing Daisies has been pushed back an hour tonight. Normally running at 8/7c, television’s best new show will now be airing at 9/8c, and ABC will run Shrek the Halls and How the Grinch Stole Christmas in Daisies previous slot.

Adjust your viewing schedule accordingly.

Season 1, Episode 7 – Smell of Success

To be completely honest, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find new things to say about Pushing Daisies. It remains far and away the most original show on television today, and it is consistently my most anticipated show of the week.

My main complaint is the same as I had last week…the mystery. Yes, it’s original, and yes, it holds my interest, but it’s not the big draw of the show. I’m far more interested in the development of the relationship between Ned and Chuck, as well as the development of Chuck’s aunts’ storyline. Seeing them come out of their shell to a neat little cover of “Morning Has Broken” was pure bliss, in my opinion. I never expected that they would become regulars way back in the pilot, but they have, and they’re great to watch.

I also enjoyed the bit of apparent foreshadowing that Ned had about Chuck and Olive’s blossoming friendship. Nothing good can come of that, and I expect sparks to fly big time. The only question is…will it happen before the strike?

Also Paul Reubens was a tremendous addition to tonight’s episode. It’s fun to see him in over-the-top Pee Wee mode, but it’s also nice to see him in his more serious moments. He’s great in everything he does, and I hope he sticks around for more than just one more episode. Maybe the mysterious smelly sweater will stick around for a bit longer. Next week, in what I hope is one more of many guest stars, we’ll see Molly Shannon take on the part of a mysterious taffy-shop owner down the road from the Pie Hole.

But, as for this episode, what more is there to say? Just another week of goodness. A

Season 1, Episode 6 – “Bitches”

Has it really only been two weeks since Daisies was on? It feels like sooooo much longer. The last episode was the best episode since the pilot, and, while this week wasn’t as good, it’s definitely still not lacking.

Unfortunately, the mystery is the part that is beginning to show some signs of strain. I remember reading way back that the procedural element of the show was something that was kind of forced by the network. So it doesn’t surprise me that the actual mysteries are becoming my least favorite part of the show. Don’t get me wrong, this week’s mystery is just as inventive as previous episodes, and it gives Olive an excuse to get in on the sleuthing, but I find myself ready to get back into everything that is not the mystery of the week.

I’m really getting to love the developing love triangle between Ned, Chuck and Olive. Even thought we’re supposed to be pulling for Ned and Chuck to end up together, I really appreciate the fact that they are not putting Olive out there as the evil shrew bent on breaking up true love. She genuinely wants Ned to be happy, and, albeit reluctantly, won’t do anything to hurt Chuck. I wouldn’t be heartbroken if they ended up together.

And as always, Emerson ends up with the greatest one-liners of the night. Man, oh man, this is such a tremendous show.

A

According to TVGuide, Pushing Daisies is preparing for the show’s ninth episode to serve as the season finale, much like many of the programs being hit by the strike. “As we were scrambling to re-write [Episode 9],” creator Bryan Fuller said, “we added several elements that will put many balls into the air and hopefully encourage the audience to come back and see how they land.”

This just stinks. This week was lame enough without new Daisies, how bad when it’s gone for good in three weeks?

Just when I wasn’t sure how much farther I could fall for Pushing Daisies, it just continues to pull back the layers. 

Tonight, we were treated with yet another charming story, but, as usual, the true magic comes from the characters.  The tension between Olive and Chuck seems to have eased a bit, as Ned’s admirer-from-afar gets a dose of conscience and realizes that exposing Chuck’s deception may not be the best thing to do.  Otherwise, broken-record time…performances, perfect;  comedy, sharp;  dialogue, witty…not a lot to add that I haven’t already said.  This was my favorite episode thus far.  I loved the noir-ish moments with Olive and Emmerson toward the beginning of the episode, and Ned’s character development continues to amaze me.

I think, however, that I have found the thing that will grate on my nerves with this show.  In the first few episodes, the longing glances that Ned and Chuck exchanged were cute.  But now, it’s starting to get a bit sickening.  We get it, you’re the love of each others’ lives.  Ease up with the goo-goo eyes. 

Despite that, A.

Season 1 Episode 4

Too often, shows find themselves on a roller coaster, with a lot of highs, but just as many lows. This week, Pushing Daisies may have hit a low. Fortunately, though, at its lowest, it is still excellent television.

In “Pigeon”, the pie maker and his gang are investigating an apparent suicide by way of plane crash. Through the course of things, Ned and Chuck’s relationship is taken to the next level: jealosy. Even though the moment was pretty short-lived, I loved that Ned is already having doubts about maintaining Chuck’s affection.

Meanwhile, Olive continues her infatuation with Ned from afar. Now, however, she has a bit of the upper hand. Though she doesn’t yet have all the facts, she knows that he and Chuck are hiding something. I’m ready to see how this plays out over the season.

I’ve gotta say, as much as I love Ned and Chuck’s witty banter, the ones that make it for me are Chi McBride as Emmerson Cod and Kristen Chenowith as Violet. They bring some of the best moments in the series.

Man, I love this show.

A-

 You may remember last week when Private Practice got the full season pickup, I had some confusion and thought that Pushing Daisies had been picked up instead.  Luckily, I was confident enough that Daisies would be picked up, too, so I saved my story in that event.  Today, I am vindicated!

So here’s the story I actually wrote on Thursday, with a bit of information changed.

———-

I feel like it’s pretty safe to say now that Pushing Daisies is my new favorite show on television. I was concerned that it would not be able to maintain the quality of the pilot, but it did. I was concerned that the second episode would be a fluke and that the show would start to show signs of strain with the third episode, but it didn’t. I believe that it’s here to stay.

So great news for fans of the show…eOnline is confirming that ABC has given Daisies a full-season pickup. The show has pulled in some pretty decent ratings in its time on the air so I think the choice is well-founded.

What about you guys…are you glad Pushing Daisies got the first touch of life, or do you wish ABC would give it that second fatal touch?

When I got to check out the Pushing Daisies “Pi-lette” back in July, I gave it glowing reviews, as did many of the early reviewers.  I felt like it was one of the best pilots I had ever seen, so, of course, I was concerned that the show would struggle to live up to the magic.  A large part of the magic of the show centered on the development of the relationship between Ned and Chuck, so, once the story moved beyond that, I wasn’t sure how it would maintain its appeal.

So, to my surprise, it’s still got it.  The quirky, random humor is still there.  The larger-than-life characters are still there.  Everything I loved about the pilot is still there.  And there’s even a musical number thrown in for kicks.

They’ve now proven that they can keep the magic up over two episodes.  If this momentum can be maintained, Pushing Daisies could become my favorite show.

If you live in Los Angeles, on Thursday, August 16 you can check out a public screening of my favorite upcoming show, Pushing Daisies (read my review here).

The showing will take place at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, CA tomorrow at 8:00 p.m.

From the article at AICN:

Bryan Fuller, who created “Daisies” (he also created “Dead Like Me” and “Wonderfalls” and wrote some of the best episodes of “Heroes” last season), will be on hand to introduce, as will “Men in Black” director Barry Sonnenfeld, who helmed the pilot.

If you’re in the area, check it out.  I think you’ll enjoy it.

From the first frame, it’s obvious ‘Pushing Daisies’ is unlike anything you have ever seen on television.

We open with a boy and his dog running through an unbelievably yellow field (I didn’t know that a field could be unbelievably yellow, but it can).   The narrator, perfectly performed by Jim Dale, proceeds to tell us the exact age, in years, months, days and minutes, of the dog happily running through the field…promptly before it runs into the road and is hit by a semi.

This is our first glimpse at the hook of the show…a tearful Ned kneels beside his lifeless pooch, and as he strokes him, the dog leaps up, full of life again.

Through the course of the pilot, we come to understand the scope of Ned’s ability: with one touch, he can bring the dead back to life.  The power comes with a few caveats, though.  Those that return to the land of the living only have one minute…after which someone nearby will suddenly die to take their place. Also, if the risen are touched by Ned again, they die again, never to be revived.

The premise sounds like a CW drama, but, lo and behold, it’s a comedy.  A very funny one, at that. 

As an adult, Ned (Lee Pace) has opened his own pie shop, called The Pie Hole.  One day, Emerson Cod (Chi McBride), a private investigator witnesses Ned’s unlikely power when a suspect that he is chasing falls off of a roof, and is subsequently re-animated and de-animated by Ned.  The two team up, and begin to solve murders, mostly for rewards, by bringing the victims back long enough to find the identity of their attacker, and then returning them to the afterlife.

Throughout the course of the narrative, we come to find that Charlotte “Chuck” Charles (Anna Friel), Ned’s childhood sweetheart, has been murdered.  So Ned, motivated by reuniting with his first love, and Emerson, spurred by the $50,000 reward, go to the funeral home where Chuck’s body lies.  She is brought back, but Ned can’t let her die again, so she is snuck out of the funeral home and goes to temporarily live with Ned, where it’s apparent that love is blooming.  The irony that the kiss that the two shared when they were in grade school is the only contact that they can ever have is beautiful.

The whole show is very surreal, and very…random…absurd, even.  Events, especially those in Ned’s childhood memories, are larger than life.  In fact, it’s very reminiscent of one of my very favorite Tim Burton movies, Big Fish, in a lot of ways.  The colors are very vibrant, and give virtually every shot, from the yellow daisy-covered field in the opening shot, to the childhood flashbacks, to The Pie Hole, a sort of dream-like appearance.  The comedy is very random, but never falls flat.  Even the characters, like Chuck’s agoraphobic great-aunts who used to be professional synchronized swimmers until an unfortunate kitty litter accident ended their career (See? Random.), are in-a-good-way ridiculous.

I honestly feel like this is the best pilot I’ve seen since ‘Lost’ debuted back in 2004.  Rather than the thirst for knowing what will happen to the heroes, though, I can’t wait to see what the imaginations of Bruce Cohen, Bryan Fuller, Dan Jinks and Barry Sonnenfeld have in store for us next.

A+

‘Pushing Daisies’ debuts Wednesday, October 3 at 8/7c on ABC.