Pushing Daisies Season 1 thread (1 Viewer)

[Ethan Riley]

So to summarize: you all loved the show, but have no faith that it will last, and you don't believe the "general audience" will like it, even though you are the general audience?

I have yet to talk to one person who didn't like it.

As for the faith thing, I have to believe the writers are clever enough to keep our interest week after week. We haven't seen the story bible, nor were we invited to the original pitch meeting. I don't think this is a concept that will burn itself out very soon. Anyway, if shows burning out was an issue in television, then "Survivor" and "The Bachelor" would have been cancelled 5 years ago.

 

[Greg_S_H]

That's really sad. She died for something that died again three days later. Wait. No. That's now an eternal fly, as long as it doesn't touch Ned again, if Digby's non-aging is any indication. I wonder who died for Digby.

Jonny, I can see what you're saying, but the show would have limited appeal to me if it was played for serious. It'd just be CSI with a "bring 'em back to life" gimmick. I'd rather them do something original like this, if the budget and creative juices allow the show to continue as it is. I don't think Fuller ever lost the creative spark on Dead Like Me, so it's not an impossibility.

 

[seanOhara]

People who post to Internet message boards about TV shows are not representative of the general audience.

Those of us who doubt the show's longevity are speaking from prior experience with similarly quirky shows that were canceled after a handful of episodes, including one of Bryan Fuller's previous series, Wonderfalls.

 

[Ethan Riley]

I disagree. I believe that the opinions of internet posters are generally indicative of the public at large. I do not believe our opinions to be elitist in that context. We are generally well-informed, well-researched and well-spoken, but what we say is what everyone is pretty much saying or thinking.

I also believe that "Daisies" has had far more press and positive media coverage than did "Wonderfalls." My armchair assessment of "Wonderfalls" coverage is that Fox did their best to emphasize the shows' quirkiness and weirdness. In "Daisies" case, ABC seems to be promoting the show's heart, kindness and fine performances over the bizarre subject matter. They are promoting it as an extremely likeable show, and that will probably help it thru in the long run.

 

[Parker Clack]

I haven't taken to a new show like this one in a long time. I have only found a few shows, over the past few years, that I have taken to on the first episode like this. Heroes was one and Eureka the other. I hope it stays around for several seasons.

 

[Jerome Grate]

Knights of Columbus was one of them I thought. Good show but didn't keep the general viewing population's interest. I think Pushing Daisies might be able to capture a specific audience on one of the premium channels like HBO or Showtime especially if you add some gore like dismembered limbs or bodies ravaged, probably would last a pretty long time. I like the show, hopes it stays but I have to admit it's a little off beat for the average viewer.

 

[Hanson]

I guess they couldn't cast Jake Gyllenhaal and Zooey Deschanel for the leads?

I guess the geek in me wants some rules to what he can touch and what happens. Like, he touches the fruit to revive it. Who pays for that? And why isn't the dog still a puppy if it has eternal life? And if the strawberry regenerates to his touch, why didn't the guy's face start growing back (the one who got mauled by a dog)?

Skating on the edge of too whimiscal for me. I think the narrator is a bit over the top as is the music.

The Tribe

-- man, you have noooo idea.

BTW, Kristin Chenoweth is officially 4' 11".

 

[Jonny P]

I thought "the girl named Chuck" was a dead ringer for Zooey Deschanel (it would've been wonderful if they could've gotten her).

Everyone I know really thought "Pushing Daisies" was cute and fun. As a show, it is sort of like a nice, fluffy meringue.

I just have little faith in the viewing audience.

On NBC, you have the wonderful show "30 Rock" that no one watches. It is clever, smart and probably the best sitcom to air since "Seinfeld" (in my opinion).

And I do wonder how they'll be able to sustain it. This felt like a wonderful premise for a movie -- but it'll be interesting to see where they go from here.

I'll continue to TiVo the show and watch it because it is a lot of fun.

 

[ScottH]

I'd have to agree with Sean on this one, at least if we're talking about HTF. Perhaps the internet as whole is more indicative of the general public, but the posters on HTF certainly are far from it. Just look at the posts/views on threads for shows like CSI, compared to Jericho (which got no ratings).

 

[Jason Seaver]

I hope not, but 22 episodes a year for five years (a frequent definition of "success" where TV shows are concerned) is a lot of television. And it's not even that the concept itself is limited; pretty much any concept is unlimited but the people writing it are only human, and this seems like a series that asks a lot from its writers. I saw Darin Morgan's name in the opening credits, and he seems like a good fit (although he isn't exactly prolific). Plus, not every episode is going to be directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, and this is a show where the difference between a director who really gets the material and a guy who is just picking up a paycheck could be huge.

So, yeah, I worry a bit about it. But most of the shows I like are high-risk/high-reward, and even if this does go off the rails by the end of the season, it won't hurt the great pilot retroactively.

 

[Lance_R]

A squirrel did if I remember right, they showed a squirrel falling out of tree.

 

[Chris]

Example: Clerks: The Animated Series.

Well followed thread here, lots of websites and internet following and.. nothing.

The bad thing is, and the internet is to blame for this too.. shows widely addressed on the internet are often available on the net, sans commercials and thus, sans ratings..

 

[Greg.K]

The pilot err pie-lette repeats tomorrow night for those who missed it (like me).

 

[JohnS]

I'm wondering what Ron thought of this.
I'm sure he loved it.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I'm pretty sure Sonnenfield got fired halfway through filming the second episode, when the shoot was running long and overbudget. Apparently things have been patched up between the two sides since.

 

[Ethan Riley]

Ah, yes. Sonnenfeld...the man who brought you "Wild Wild West." If I were producer, I'd keep him on a short lease too.

But anyway, the only thing that would piss me off about this show in the long run is if the narrator keeps referring to him as "The Pie Maker" forever and ever. That annoyed the crap out of me, now that I think about it.

Btw, is this Jim Dale the same Jim Dale who played the bad guy in "Pete's Dragon?"

 

[Jason Seaver]

To be fair, Sonnenfeld also did Get Shorty, the Addams Family and Men In Black movies, Big Trouble and the pilots to The Tick and Maximum Bob. Anyone can look bad when you cherry pick some of their worst work to identify them. I mean, Bryan Fuller wrote Star Trek: Voyager for a year or two.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Yes. He's more famously known now as the voice of the American Harry Potter audiobooks.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Yeah I did!

Sorry I'm in here late. I had to finish watching
The War on my Tivo before I was able to check this out.

Everyone else pretty much referred to Tim Burton, and as soon
as I saw "The Pie Hole" that was exactly who I thought of. I am
a big fan of Burton, so you can imagine how comfortable this show
became for me.

Wonderfully narrated, brilliantly executed and unlike anything I have
seen on television before it.

The problem? I have to agree that the "gimmick" of this show is
going to wear out its welcome very fast if the storylines don't hold
up week after week. I mean, it's very difficult to imagine just what
they are going to do with this show. Will there be a continued
storyline or just odd little fables centered around these characters
week after week?

Another problem? Commercials every 5 minutes. TGFTivo!

...and was that Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors? Yeah, had to be her!

Right now, count me in as one who was highly entertained by this
show.

BTW, it looks SUPERB in high definition, though the opening romp
through the daisies field showed all sorts of picture noise due to
DirecTV compressing their HD signal. Can't wait till I hook up with
Fios later this year.

 

[Paul Padilla]

To quote the Guinness commercials....Brilliant!!! Couldn't have loved this show more. I'm happy Ron piped in on Burton's side. I've loved most everything he's done and that similarity was a bonus for me in this show. Daisies was a last minute DVR pick for us and it immediatly went on an all episodes setting. I agree with the Big Fish comparison, at least in look and atmosphere. Imagine...a show with a real fairy tale feel, complete with the British narration in prime time and sliding in "bitch" and "masturbate".


While I'm sad to say you're probably right...it's a profoundly sad statement to the lack of imagination of the general populous. But the fairy tale aspects are exactly what opens the door for essentially anything to happen. This show is so completely different from anything else on TV. It isn't a crime show ala CSI-insert yet another city. It doesn't have to obey any rules except to be entertaining. The longevity could be questionable, but when you stop believing that TV viewers have even an ounce of creativity in their souls you get yet another so called reality show.

We dropped the Housewives because it had gotten outrageous for the sake of it. Daisies just took it's place.