10 Reasons To Miss ‘Pushing Daisies’

(Written by (our newest contributor) Brittany Goldfield Rodrigues)

10 REASONS TO MISS ‘PUSHING DAISIES’

When one of your favourite series ends, it kind of feels like your heart is being ripped out then stomped on aggressively. Now picture that, but double the pain, when said series doesn’t conclude completely. Nothing sucks more than getting an unsatisfying ending to one of your favorite shows. Plot arcs that aren’t concluded, new characters that fans will never see developed, and cliff-hangers that will never be followed up on, it’s all just one big mess that makes you want to shake network producers and scream “why.” When this happens, it feels like you are being personally victimized. I would know because this is exactly what happened with one of the most genius and short lived televisions shows, Bryan Fuller’s Pushing Daisies.

Pushing Daisies told the story of pie maker Ned who could bring someone to life with one touch, and take it away with another. The show was creative, innovative, had phenomenal casting and incredible writing. The list of amazing things about this show could just go on and on and on. When Pushing Daisies ended, it ended with cliff-hangers, unexplored plot lines, and new characters we never got to see develop. Basically, fans felt like their hearts had been ripped out, etcetera etcetera, see above.

When Kickstarter proved to be an effective business and financing tool, basically when it helped make Veronica Mars movie happen, writers of shows with inconclusive endings were addressed.  In an interview with FilmSchoolRejects, Fuller addressed the option of Kickstarter to revive the series. He said, “I would love to revisit both Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies, because they were very positive creative experiences for me. I had actually started writing a Pushing Daisies film, and I had the first act of it. I thought it was my pallet cleanser after writing, for the better part of the year now, about really, really dark material. “

This sounds promising, but he also noted that Pushing Daisies would cost more than a lot. He said, “We have to build the pie hole, visual effects, have zombie makeup, and there’s a lot more production elements involved. We made the one-hour pilot for $6 million. Every [other] episode was about $3m to make for the series. To do a movie, I believe we would need between $10-15 million to do it.“

Just 10 Million?  So, it looks like the future of getting closure with Pushing Daisies, the story of a pie maker who could both bring back and end life is unknown. Still, that doesn`t stop fans from missing the always entertaining series.

1) The Effects

Pushing Daisies was visually stunning. Although the plot line sounds morbid with the whole `for every life Ned saves, another ends` thing, the show was lighthearted. The vivid colours of the show made it lively and surreal. The cinematography was incredible, and the sets were larger than life. The bakery, the aunts home, Olive`s convent; it was all created with amazing attention to detail. It is safe to say there is no other show on air right now with the same bright colours and stunning scenery.

2) The Aunt’s

Played respectively by Ellen Greene and Swoosie Kurtz, Chuck’s aunt’s Vivian and Lily Charles were an epic comedic duo. They were quirky, odd, and previously a synchronized swimming duo called the Darling Mermaid Darlings. It is later revealed that Lily is Chuck’s mother. The pair’s social anxieties and phobias made them a little crazy, but always entertaining to watch. They were easy to sympathize with, and always tugged at your heartstrings when they reminisced over their beloved niece who they didn’t know was alive until the series finale.

3) The Suspense

The way Ned’s power worked, was that with every life he gives, he takes away one. You never knew if it will be a human life or animal life that would be taken when he kept someone alive for too long. You never knew if someone “good” or “bad” would pass in its place. Ned always tried to touch his subject a second time to prevent another live lost, and the suspense was always incredible, as you waited to see what would happen.

4) Kristin Chenoweth

As Olive Snook, the waitress at the Pie Hole, Kristin Chenoweth stole every scene. She was fun, bubbly, and always hysterical. In fact, Cheno won an Emmy for her performance in the short-lived show.  Cheno is reason enough to miss this show being on air, because her disposition always put a smile on the face of viewers. In the show she sang, sassed, and pined for Ned. Olive Snook was a once in a lifetime character, and Kristin Chenoweth played her to a tee, making her a lovable, hilarious character who we always rooted for.

5) The Romance

Ned and Chuck’s romantic story line is anything but your typical “Boy meets Girl” story. It’s more, “Boy meets Girl when kids. Boy falls in love with Girl. Girl moves. Girl dies years later. Boy brings Girl back to life. Boy and Girl fall in love. Boy can’t touch Girl or she dies again.” Not your ideal story, but the two are adorable. Ned wears gloves in the winter and kisses Chuck through plastic to be intimate while still preserving her life. It’s weirdly adorable. Unique love stories like these aren’t on television anymore, so it’s definitely a reason to miss having this innovative show on air.

6) The Detective of it All

Some may believe that Ned is cheating using his “power” for detective work. Hell, Ned thinks its cheating too. Considering he is not really a detective, he is kind of a tool utilized by detective Emmerson Cod. When you put it that way, it’s not so bad. The whole detective mystery aspect of the show is one of the many things that make it so lovable. Every episode is kind of a mini movie, as you are introduced to a mystery in the beginning of an episode, and by it’s end the villain is nabbed and put into jail. There is always a larger plot arc that extends over all the episodes, but the mini stories make the show lovable. Every case is more crazy and outrageous than the next, so the mystery of it all is definitely missed. There are so many more crazy cases Ned could potentially help Emmerson take on.

7) The Pie Hole

Kind of the equivalent to Friends’ Central Perk, is Pushing Daisies’ Pie Hole. The restaurant is the place where the characters get together to scheme, talk, and eat pie. It is a unique, delicious, and colourful meeting ground for characters. The whole concept of Ned being a pie maker makes the otherwise  sort of morbid concept lighter, and creative.

8) Guest stars

Since every episode was a new “mystery” for Ned and Emmerson to solve, a new set of characters appeared in every episode alongside the shows main characters.  The likes of Raul Esperaza, Molly Shannon, and Missi Pyle showed up at random throughout the shows run. Such cameo’s are definitely missed because unlike shows today, Pushing Daisies’ guest stars were random, not necessarily a-listers, but great actors with familiar faces.

9) Music

If you put Broadway vet Kristin Chenoweth in a syndicated show that doesn’t feature song and dance, there is only one thing you can do. Incorporate song and dance for the one and only Cheno. On the show, she belted “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” and more. You can’t beat a spontaneous singing and dancing Kristin Chenoweth. The instrumental score itself as well is a good reason to be missing this fantastic show.

10) Jim Dale

The narrator of the show, Jim Dale, will definitely missed. He is one of those people with a perfect voice for narrating and guiding. If you have no idea who Jim Dale is, refer to audio-books of the Harry Potter series. Yup, he is a elderly English gentleman, and no, there is no better narrator than a Brit.