Pilot Review: Pushing Daisies

Pushing Daisies
ABC. Wednesdays at 8.
Cast: Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Kristin Chenoweth, Swoosie Kurtz, Ellen Greene, and Jim Dale.

What can I say about Pushing Daisies? Well, one thing that I know I can say is that it’s the best pilot I’ve seen so far. I’m fairly confident that, even only having seen 4 pilots for next season, I can say that this will be the best show on primetime television next year, considering that spot was just vacated by the now unfortunately cancelled Veronica Mars. One last thing I can say about this pilot is that this is the best show I’ve seen since I saw the pilot for Veronica Mars. It may even be better. You may not realize, but that means A LOT from me.

The show is at its core about a man who can bring people back from the dead. He runs a pie shop called “The Pie Hole” and he doesn’t exactly have strong social skills. See, he discovered his power when he was a child but he also learned its caveats then, when, after bringing his mother back after an aneurysm, he killed his neighbor’s, who he had a crush on dad. Apparently, he can only bring them back from the dead for a minute, or someone else in the near vicinity drops dead in their place. But, when his mom kissed him that night, she dropped dead too. Because one touch means life, a second touch means death again. Seeing as how he killed his neighbor and his mom, he was sent away and now runs a pie shop. Until an enterprising PI found out about his power and started working with him to collect rewards. His latest one is for a girl who mysteriously died on a cruise ship. It turn out that the victim is his old neighbor, Chuck (a girl, not a guy), who he keeps alive for more than a minute. He and Chuck still have feelings, but they can’t touch.

While my summary of events and the show’s premise may not have been good, the show certainly is. This is the most visually lush thing I have ever seen on a major channel. Watching this is like entering a painted world, where colors hint at everything from mood to personality. And the fantastic (as in fantasy related, all though it is fantastic to look at) backdrop is perfect because the show plays and feels like a fairy tale. Every note just hits right. Lee Pace feels perfect as Ned, and his chemistry with Anna Friel’s Chuck is endearing and feels completely true. Chuck’s two aunts (Kurtz and Greene) with matching personality disorders feel so right at home in this universe that you can’t help but find them hilarious. Chenoweth as The Pie Hole’s only employee hits every note right with her performance. Jim Dale’s narration makes it seem even more like a fairy tale. McBride is the weakest link, but he still makes you enjoy his morally ambiguous character. The dialogue is snappy, as would be expected from Bryan Fuller, who created two of my other favorite shows of the last five years (Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me). Barry Sonnenfeld’s pilot direction is superb, as is the show’s cinematography, which makes every color and set pop on screen. Honestly, there is absolutely nothing I dislike
about this pilot, which is why it gets:

Rating: You Must Watch This Show