Wednesday, November 21, 2007, 3:04 pm
Pushing Daisies... the best hour on television!
Finally, there's a show on television worth watching! And it comes from someone who's known for phenomenal shows... hopefully this one will enjoy a significant run!
Most people who know me, know that I've been a bit jaded towards TV since the cancellation of a little show called Wonderfalls. It was quirky, fun, and had a "fairy tale" feel to it without giving us those saccharin-sweet fairy tale characters. In fact, the characters were quite dysfunctional. The cast had a great chemistry from the start, and it was an all-around great experience.
The Nielsen families didn't think so... the ratings tanked and the show was cancelled after four episodes. However, this isn't going to be my forum against the pathetically antiquated method of recording viewership. I'll save that for later... today's a day to be thankful!
The next show to hit my radar was Dead Like Me, which was also quirky, fun, with a "fairy tale" feel with those less-than-fairy-tale characters. Showtime gave that one two seasons before killing it.
Now, Bryan Fuller brings us a wonderful romp called Pushing Daisies, which is easily the best show on television. It again breaks the traditional televion sitcom formula (dumb guy, hot wife, kids smarter than the adults), by giving us a quirky, fun, fairy tale... complete with narration from Jim Dale (from the Harry Potter audiobooks), and a wonderful cast of characters who's dysfunctions aren't immediately apparent.
Supposedly, this show's a hit! About time!
If you haven't seen it, give it a chance. There is a time line, but as long as you know the origin of the story (which is still run at the beginning of each episode), you can jump right in like you haven't missed a beat! Lee Pace plays a pie maker with a gift. With one touch, he can bring the dead back to life. However, a second touch results in immediate death... that he cannot resurrect. Also, to allow the deceased to live for more than one minute results in the sacrifice of another life.
He chooses to keep his childhood love (played brilliantly by the beautiful, charming Anna Friel) among the living, even though someone else (who turned out to be a bad man anyway) dies... and he can never "touch" the woman he loves. Quite a bit different from those unrequited love stories that create sexual tension... because she's very much in love with him as well.
There's this scene where they kiss through a sheet of saran wrap that's surprisingly pretty hot... even as innocent as the scene is.
It's on tonight... watch it! There's a lot more to the story...
I just hope the networks figure out something to appease the writers... the writers are justivied in their cause, but the bean counters are afraid of giving too much away of a pie that they are completely uncertain how it will turn out. The Internet is still a very young method of delivering entertainment! However, they need to do something, because the writers deserve a cut!
Another former favorite show of mine, as I recall, had three major stumbling blocks: production issues, infighting, and the writer's strike. Ok, four... if you count that after the strike the writing absolutely sucked.
Moonlighting was that series. I'd hate to see a significant work stoppage threaten another fantastic show!
Angelfish
Angelfish