‘Pushing Daisies,’ Season One: An Unusual Modern Fantasy That Will Delight

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To say that I thought this show sounded crazy-insane is giving it the benefit of a doubt. My curiosity was aroused by a pair of trusted reviews and after that a personal recommendation. Following that, I promptly found it at a video store, rented the first disc, popped it into the player and fell “head over heels” in love with the charms of Pushing Daisies, season one.

Pushing Daisies, Season One (2007) TV Review

alas, the neighbor almost immediately dies. Later that night, Ned’s mother dies all over again. Ned’s world further shatters when his grief-stricken father ships him off to boarding school, separating him not only from his remaining parent, but his childhood sweetheart, Charlotte.

Time passes, and Ned learns to cope with his curse; he soon realizes that he can bring something – or someone back to life, but only for one minute and if he were to touch that person again, they’d die: forever.Years go by and Ned (Lee Pace) becomes an established bakery owner. He also has a partnership with a private detective named Emerson Cod (Chi McBride), who uses Ned’s ability to solve cases. All of it is a well-oiled process until a young woman by the name of  Chuck Charles becomes the top story on the ten ‘o clock news.

Chuck dies under mysterious circumstances. Raised by her recluse aunts (Ellen Greene, Swoosie Kurtz), Chuck was a sheltered free-spirit. When Chuck is rumored to have been murdered on cruise ship, Emerson nabs the case and brings his trusty sidekick along. Only problem is, when Ned lays eyes on “Chuck,” he realizes it’s Charlotte, the one girl he never forgot. Awakening Chuck (Anna Friel), Ned tries to follow the rules that his gift demands, but he can’t let go a second time. Oh, and his ability to bring back the dead has another catch: if he doesn’t touch the person a second time, someone else must perish.

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Okay, so anyone who likes quirky productions cannot go wrong with this show. It’s most definitely on the good kind of “insane” and is still to this day one of the most creative programs I’ve seen. ABC developed a plot that works in their favor because there really is nothing else like it on television. The premise could be thought morbid – or rather it is, but there is something about the show that is happy. The nature of the show remains light; kind of like sitting down to a warm cup of your favorite tea or hot chocolate and catching up with old, treasured friends.

It takes the right kind of audience to find something special in a series such as this. Not everyone will think it worth a look because of how the premise might present itself. The fact that Ned can wake the dead is, I’ll admit, is a stretch, but the show has an infectious energy. All of this praise doesn’t even go into the wonderful characters. The way that Ned and Chuck respond to one another is perfectly charming. They have such a tender chemistry that it’s hard not to root for their happiness; Olive (Kristen Chenoweth) is hilarious and Emerson’s deadpan humorous voice is brilliant. (Two of my very favorite episodes are “Dummy” and “Bitter Sweet.”)

Whether or not you’ve already seen this, or are just getting into the series, know this; you’re not likely to see television or anything so charming, quite like this anytime soon.

‘Pushing Daisies,’ Season One: An Unusual Modern Fantasy That Will Delight. A TV show review of ABC's PUSHING DAISIES, a quirky comedy! #TVShows #PushingDaisies #LeePace #TVArchives Share on X

CONTENT: There’s plenty of sexual innuendo. Naturally, the better part of the show is morbid, so the humor sometimes follows suit. At least one episode implies intimate relations between an unmarried couple. We see lots of bodies in the morgue – the camera pans most of the murders. Pushing Daisies is TV14.