Rewatching: Pushing Daisies

“Pushing Daisies” is a murder-mystery comedy television show created by Bryan Fuller that I think everyone should watch and enjoy. It is a two season, 22 episode long series starring Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, and Kristen Chenowith. With this short runtime, amazing cast, and leading by one of the most critically acclaimed television creators of our time, I am amazed that more people have not watched it.

I started watching the show first when it started airing in 2007. The comercials made it seem like a quirky, funny, vibrant show and Bryan Fuller was able to deliver that flawlessly. This is exactly what I was looking for from television at this time and I fell in love. The story was engaging, the sets were gorgeous and the actors were beyond compare. So rarely do these three factors come together so amazingly like they did for this show. I will admit that I was little concerned that maybe I had built the show up too much, but when I started rewatching the box set again recently, all my emotions and love for the show came rushing back.

Lets first look at the design and aesthetics of the show. Bryan Fuller is known for his inventive use of color and using it to portray the themes and mental states of the characters. Look towards “Hannibal’s” amazing uses of reds, blacks, and whites to see an example of this. “Pushing Daisies” also does this, but with a lot more vibrancy. It mostly utilizes greens and yellows, but all the colors in this show are splendid and surprising. From the bright orange morgue to the intense cherry red lights in the Pie Hole, the colors really help to create the universe. From the very first look into the show, we know that this is a different, more colorful universe and the situation within it will be far from normal. This sort of universe building through colors is an expertise that we don’t often see right now as TV likes to now focus on dirt and grime.

Now onto the characters. I have never found characters that I have loved more or had more fun with than the characters in this show. I still have a crush on Lee Pace because of his portrayal of Ned, the Pie-maker. His character is awkward, endearing, and intensely caring. Lee Pace was perfectly cast as he was able to perfectly mix these characteristics into a believable and likable three-dimensional character. In addition Charlotte “Chuck” Charles was also an amazing character. She eventually became the backbone and heart of the trio that was formed between her, Ned, and Emerson Cod (portrayed by Chi McBride). In a great deconstruction of the trope of being the female and heart of the group, she also the strongest, most inquisitive, and most daring member as well, becoming a true center for the show to revolve around. And finally, I would be remiss if I did not discuss Olive Snook, portrayed by Kristin Chenowith. This character is the underdog of the show, but also one of the favorites. She is not a part of the trio that forms, but she is a secondary character that helps when needed. Much of the great comedy from the show comes from Chenowith’s amazing acting and the few musical numbers that they sprinkle in really bring the character to life.

While all of this is great, the story is also something to behold. The story is about Ned, the Pie-maker who has the ability to bring back the dead, with some few restrictions: if they are back for more than 60 seconds, someone else has to die in their place, and if Ned touches them a second time, they are dead forever. While this sounds like the beginning to a dark drama, the show is amazingly bright and humorous. Emerson Cod, a private detective, learns about Ned’s ability and ropes in to his business. Ned wakes the dead long enough to find their murderer and Cod collects the money. Eventually, the victim is Ned’s childhood love, Charlotte “Chuck” Charles. During this investigation, Ned can’t bring himself to kill Charlotte and so she lives with him (with no touching) and comes to help Ned and Emerson with their investigations. As you can probably tell from the description, this is a wildly inventive show and something I can guarantee you have never seen before.

If you have the free time to start a new series, I highly recommend this one. It is something that I have just started rewatching myself and I am still as in love with it as I was when I first started watching it. With only 22, 42 minute long episode, you could finish it in a weekend.