Pushing Daisies

As if it isn’t obvious already I really enjoy quirky TV series and they don’t come quirkier than Pushing Daisies.

The facts were these: Pushing Daisies is a series about a Pie Maker, Ned, who has the ability to bring dead things back to life. First touch= life; second touch= death again, but this time permanently. Bring something back to life for longer than 60 seconds, just one minute, and something else of equal value has to die in its place.

Ned’s uncomplicated life of making pies and solving murders using his special gift with Private Detective Emerson Cod is vastly complicated by the sudden and untimely of death of his long-lost Charlotte, or Chuck, as she is known to him.

Life would be perfect, except for one cruel twist: if Ned ever touches Chuck again, she'll lose the life that he's given her, forever.  Chuck, grateful for her second chance at life, begins to appreciate life as a precious resource; and Ned, witnessing her happiness, begins to break out of his lonely shell. Chuck joins Ned and Emerson in investigating deaths for reward money. The trio, aided occasionally by Olive Snook, helps solve the mysteries of various murders, whose murderer is often surprising.

"Well, I suppose dying's as good an excuse as any to start living."

— Charlotte "Chuck" Charles

Touted as a "forensic fairy tale", the series is known for its unique visual style, quirky characters, and fast-paced dialogue, often employing wordplay, metaphor, and double entendre. Narrated by the brilliant Jim Dale is beautiful and extremely lyrical and at times it feels like the script was written by Dr. Seus himself.

In a nutshell the show is about showing how people connect, or don't connect, with their fellow humans. It speaks a powerful message about the fact that love can still exist without physical contact.

Lee Pace is adorable as the Pie-Maker and the way he lights up when Chuck is around is so heart-warming.  One of the best things about the show is Olive Snook, played by the insanely talented Kristin Chenoweth, who sang all her own songs in the show. I love Kristin Chenoweth so much! I wish I could be her…

Unfortunately, the show ended up doomed to live up to its name. The first season was truncated by the 2007 Writers Strike, and the second season didn't have much of a head of steam under it. The writing team was given 3 episodes to wrap up the series, and the last episode was aired on June 13, 2009 - one year, eight months, one week and three days after the first. The two seasons together make up a normal full-sized season.