In Five Reasons, TV.com takes an early look at upcoming episodes of shows and scoops what's good and bad about the program we just watched. We're not telling you to watch it or telling you to avoid it--we're just offering up our two cents as a helpful guide.
"Just want you to stop staring at that spot where your father died."--Lily Charles, Pushing Daisies
Bees are their bees-ness.
The facts are these: ABC's Pushing Daisies was critically acclaimed in its debut season last year, got screwed by the writers' strike, and is like nothing you've ever seen on television.
If you know nothing about the show, what I am about to say may just leave you scratching your head or banging your skull against a wall...or it may just be right up your alley. That's the thing about Pushing Daisies, it separates the freaks from the norms.
The drama/comedy follows Ned (Lee Pace), a pie-maker who can bring back the dead with the touch of his hand. But there are rules: touch them again and they're dead for good; don't touch them again within a minute and someone else dies. So naturally, Ned revives his childhood crush, who he can never touch again, and goes on to solve murder mysteries by talking to the deceased victims and figuring out whodunit.
Pushing Daisies certainly isn't for everyone, but now is as good a time as ever to get into it. Does Pushing Daisies still have the magic touch? We give you five reasons to watch and not to watch...now!
Five reasons you should watch Pushing Daisies
McBride steals several scenes.
1. The cast (especially Chi McBride)
Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Kristen Chenoweth, Chi McBride, Swoosie Kurtz, and Ellen Greene are picture-perfect for Pushing Daisies. Pace and Friel play off each other with impeccable timing, Chenoweth is pint-size energy, and Kurtz and Greene are adorable (did I just say "adorable"?) as the recently sort-of-deceased aunts of Chuck (short for Charlotte, played by Friel). But the real draw here is McBride as Emerson Cod, the scheming, money-hungry detective who exploits Ned's gift and delivers the best one-liners on television. Plus, episode one features guest stars French Stewart (3rd Rock From the Sun), Missi Pyle (Galaxy Quest), and Autumn Reeser (The O.C.).
2. Creator Bryan Fuller
Genius doesn't even begin to describe Fuller. Easily one of television's most creative showrunners, Fuller is a hero for anyone who has a romantic-goth sensibility but doesn't enjoy wearing black nail polish. He's the brains behind Dead Like Me and the wonderfully twisted Wonderfalls (seriously--rent the DVD NOW), and his obsession with quirkiness, beauty, and death live on in Pushing Daisies.
3. Escapism from boring-catraz
Pushing Daisies, with its fairy-tale-like atmosphere, is the best way to leave behind a lame 9-to-5 job, those pesky house payments, and everything else that sucks in your life. The season premiere blasts into outer space with some of the nuttiest escapism seen in the series, including a Sound of Music nod featuring Olive (Chenoweth).
4. Production values are BIG
Pushing Daisies' set design, costuming, and editing are HUGE. Episode 2.01 (that's fancy talk for the first episode of season two) involves a murder at Betty's Bees honey products, and the company's headquarters are decked out in honeycomb-shaped everything. Bonus: the honeycomb-shaped doors in the main office! Check the show out in high-definition and get ready for a color-filled spectacle.
5. The impossible love story
The awwwwww-inspiring love story between Ned and Chuck tugs at the heartstrings. Two people obviously meant to be together but who can never touch each other (if Ned does, Chuck is dead forever) is beautifully tragic.
Five reasons you shouldn't watch Pushing Daisies
Friel in the honeycomb hideout.
1. Some "gag me" lovey dovey stuff
The romance between Ned and Chuck is cute...too cute. They'll say something to each other that will make the soft of heart swoon, but the rest of us swallow bile.
2. Snooty dialogue
Fuller has a knack for rapid-fire dialogue swollen with puns, alliteration, and other wordplay. Personally, I love it, but some may find it a little too much to swallow.
3. It doesn't fit into any genre
For those of you out there who need to know if you are watching a comedy or a drama or whatever, good luck pigeonholing Pushing Daisies. It's a lethal cocktail of whimsy, laughs, romance, and a murder mystery--and I have a feeling that just doesn't sit too well with some people.
4. Quirkiness overload
I can not stress this enough: Pushing Daisies is quirky with a capital 'Q' and a dollop of totally freakin' weird. To like the show, you'll have to accept a weird honey company, a nun-tastic Sound of Music homage, and a new bovine friend for Olive. You certainly won't see that kind of stuff on CSI.
5. The impossible love story
Arghhhhh! Won't they just get it on already or move on!?!?!?
Season two of Pushing Daisies airs Wednesday night at 8 p.m. Are you one of those who "gets" the show, or is this not even close to your cup of tea? Comment below!
Comments (54)
The five reasons to watch Pushing Daisies are right on the money but us true Pushing Daisies fans don't want to hear all its faults. It's a wonderful show so don't ruin it for first-viewers of this show.
Dude, the five reasons to watch are cool, but since it's getting bad ratings anyway, do we really need to give people five reasons NOT to watch?
i love this show and would hate to see it canceled. it airs opposite knight rider which has got to be one of the worst shows on tv!
i love it!
Pushing Daisies is an amazing show. I love it!ABC can't cancel it!
Having watched my normal batch of the regular shows such as Fringe and NCIS and the like during the week it's nice to sit back and watch the weeks previously recorded episode of PD. It's like having a wonderful meal followed by the perfect desert to round the week off nicely. A clever fun, bright show that I hope will run for many seasons to come.
i just simply love the show..
The show is beautiful and utterly a dream...
I love everything about this show! The characters (all of them), the romance, the witty dialogue, twisty plots, perfect pacing and use of color. The attention to detail in this show is amazing; it is one of my all-time favorites.
PD is a great show!!!
WHen it first started last season I didn't think I was going to watch, but during th Writer's strike they reaird the Pilot, I watched (as nothing else on) and fell in love with the show.
The new season looks like it is going to be even better.
Daises is a great show and I hope it is around for ever.
Brilliant show. Original, quirky, entertaining. Love it!
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Pushing Daisies. Its brilliant, colorful, amazing, I could go on and on. I completely agree it doesn't fall into a particular genre, but that's part of its appeal. Its quirkyness, its inpredictability. The quality of this show is so rare these days. For those who are on the fence about watching this show, just watch Pie-lette (The Pilot) and I guarantee you'll fall in love with this show.
saw the bee episode thought it was great. think i will be watching more and buying season 1
Daisies is must watch TV for me.
Pushing Daisies is a show that is completely and utterly of it's own genre. Nothing else like it on TV. Unfortunately, I think people have gotten so lazy about their television viewing, that when something interesting and fresh comes along, they immediately dislike it because it's 'Not what they're used to'. Well ... I wasn't used to walking up three flights of stairs when I got my first apartment either. But since I wanted to lay my head on my pillow, I got used to it. <br><br>Besides, Pushing Daisies is just plain 'ol BRILLIANT!!!
Pushing Daisies IMO is a very good show. However, it is true that not everyone will like it. You have to not take it too seriously or analyse it, just go with it and you'll enjoy it.
I get and love it
FYI: Bovine means of or resembling a cow. Pigby is a pig so is porcine.
Still not sure... should i start watching this show or not...
Oh I get it alright. This is not unlike the first seasons of Moonlighting. Okay, that got very tired towards the end but there was some brilliant repartee in the early years. I say we just enjoy the riide while it lasts. I've already ordered the series one DVD.
I love, love, LOVE this show. It's definitely escapism and that works just fine for me. My favorite part is Ned and Chuck. I like Kristin Chenoweth, but I find Olive annoying. This show is like living in Alice in Wonderland and Willy Wonka all at the same time. I find myself always focusing on their fake eyelashes and wondering what it would be like to have to wear those big things all day. The love-story is crazy and amazing and I can't wait to see what they do with it. I Tivo'd it last night and watched it right before I went to bed....with a big smile on my face. :>
Pushing Daisies is different in a good way. A love story like no other :). The Pie-Maker and Olive are my fave characters! Cant wait for this season.
Saw recently the first season on dvd. The show gets better along the line. Very funny and sometimes a bit melancholic too.
Huge fan of Pushing Daisies, love it! The characters are charismatic, the sets/colours are to die for, and the love story is so sweet. Everyone could sure use some of this quirkiness in their lives!
Just started watching it, enjoying so far.
I absolutely LOVE this show and I am so happy it is back!!!!!
I love this show. It's original and entertaining.
Awesome, it's on tonight! cant wait!!
I can't wait to watch it. I got into it because of the bright colors and the quirkiness. It's awesome!
Reason #6: To extract information out of enemy combantants. I mean seriously, people--this is one of the most wretched pieces of crap ever to smear itself onto a television set. I'd rather be strapped to a chair and forced to watch a Groomer Has It marathon with my eyes clamped open clockwork-orange-style than have to endure another episode of this drivel.
Love this show can't wait to watch it tonight :)
Pushing Daisies is probably one of the rarest shows out there these days that combine the intrigue, suspense, investigative-ness, with the quick-witted dialogue, and the cheeky-ness that a lot of shows seem to miss. Plus the amazing color that the show utilizes, backgrounds, clothing, landscapes helps blend the storylines, and makes the show all the more interesting, not to mention Jim Dale's narration.
its pretty shweeet!
This show is freakin' amazing! I'd recommend it to anyone just to give it a try. It's really awesome!
I love it! For some reason, though, Chuck annoys the heck out of me. Ned and Olive are adorable though.
You hit the nail on the head about the Quirkiness, that is why I cant really watch the show, tooooo quirky.
LOVE Pushing Daisies! Can't wait til tonight!
Not my type of show, but I'm all for quirky.
i love this show it is great
This is a show I can take or leave. The quirkiness is a little over the top for me. If it airs opposite something I watch I probably won't be watching it.
its in a genre of its own thats for sure, which is totally awesome, and McBride isn't the scene stealer, for me its definitely Chenoweth and Friel
Haha, this is like 10 reasons to watch the show. I actually like the five reasons not to watch, so that adds up to 10 pros and 0 cons. Pushing Daisies is amazing, funny, very original, a great cast and jaw dropping production values. Like I said before......not really crazy about this 'five reasons' feature. Or is it just me?
Absolutely amazing show!!! (If you go in for total escapism, that is... and I do!)
I kinda loved it at first only to see Lee Pace, his pouty mouth makes me fairly swoon, but Emerson Cod and his snarky attitude, especially concerning Chuck, keep me full of the belly laughs. Plus, all the quirky one can handle! I love love love Pushing Daisies, can't wait till tonight!
Pushing Daissies is well worth watching if you want escapism. The 5 reasons to watch or not to watch are very fair. For me the reasons to watch out weigh the reasons not to. It's cute and funny and most of all original. There is nothing like it on tv and that is the beauty of it.
With Eli Stone & Supernatural...Pushing Daisies is one of the three most emotional fairy tales in today's television...Pushing Daisies (and of course Chi McBride) rocks...
i adore "Pushing Daisies"! It's the best thing ever on TV!
I love Pushing Daisies :D.
They do need to "get it on" LOL