Thursday, October 04, 2007

First Impressions: Pushing Daisies


Rarely does anything live up to the hype. This is one of the many reasons I don’t watch Battlestar Galactica besides if I did watch it I’d have to start kicking my own butt. And every time I hear someone tell me I must watch it makes it want to watch it even less. Plus how am I supposed to take television recommendation from people who also list The Hills as part of about twenty other shows as must see television at any given time. This is why I don’t try to overhype thing here at the 9th Green. In fact in over a year and a half years writing there are only four albums that have gotten the coveted Severe rating on my Terror Alert Scale.

The cast of Pushing DaisiesWith all that said, you must watch Pushing Daisies. For those that missed the premiere, do yourself a favor and tune in this Friday at 8:00 on ABC when they re-air the first episode (or stream it anytime over at ABC.com). Then of course switch over to NBC at 9:00 to check out the season premiere of Friday Night Lights which would be enough to keep anyone in on Friday nights it were the case every week. And for those of us that have lives, this is the reason why God gave us the VCR (or Tivo for you pretentious type). Back to Pushing Daisies, one of the reasons why I hate when people tell me I have to watch something is because it is rarely ever followed up with a why. So here are the top five reasons why you should watch Pushing Daisies:

1. Brian Fuller: The guy behind the show who also created Wonderfalls (which also stared Lee Pace, the lead of Pushing Daisies), which just so happened to be the number one reason why I no longer watch Fox. Here is a guy that is great at creating a fantasy worlds and the one he did for Pushing Daisies is no exception where he mixes the macabre and the whimsical perfectly. And I don’t think it is a coincidence that he wrote the best episode of Heroes so far, Company Man.

Kristen Chenoweth: I'd like a piece of that pie2. Chi McBride: Loved him in Boston Public (the number five reason why I no longer watch Fox) and he is even better as Emerson, the shady detective that abuses Ned’s ability for profit. He also gets some of the best lines of the Pilot especially the one when he learns that when Ned tells him that someone else in proximity drops dead if he doesn’t retouch the dead in under a minute.

3. Kristen Chenoweth: Seriously, is there anything she isn’t great in? I’m not talking just good but great. And her overly sunshiny disposition will no doubt fit well in this world. Hopefully she gets more of a spotlight as Ned’s obsessed employee. Start getting your pie jokes and innuendos ready now.

4. The Look: Even after watching the promos, YouTube videos and had an expectation of the look of the show, I was still in shock on just amazing everything looked. As long as this show is on the air, the Emmys might as well not even bother nominating any other show for Best Art Direction.

Anna Friel: not too shabby for a dead chick5. Anna Friel: An amazing mix of naïveté and sexiness that the roll of Chuck really needs. I first (and only) remember her from the short-lived The Jury (reason number nine of why I don’t watch Fox). My only complaint about her was the bad hair. Yeah you should give a girl a break on account that she was dead and all, but it seems like chicks’ hair across the board have been bad this television season. Was there a hairdresser strike that I don’t know about? The only female that doesn’t seem affected is the Token Hot Chick and her pigtails on Chuck (more on her Sunday).

With that said, as good as the first episode was, it will only get better as it suffered a little from Pilotitis where they have to spend too much time explaining the show before they can get into an interesting plot as well as seeing a few of the scene thanks to seeing the promos one too many times all summer long (at least there were no, “Mom you smell different” moments). With those out of the way the next episode should prove much more enjoyable thanks to the reasons above.

Verdict: Pushing Daisies not only has the potential of being the best new show of the year (it already is by a very long shot) but could possibly end up being in the discussion of the best of the decade. Thank God it isn’t on Fox or they may have already canceled it by their reputation. Now ABC, you jerked me around last year by poorly treating Let’s Rob Mick Jagger, don’t let the same thing happen to this show. Pushing Daisies airs Wednesdays at 8:00 on ABC. You can also stream the episodes over at ABC.com.

5 comments:

  1. I'm glad you loved Kristin! I would have thought you'd hate her or something too since it seems like PD's biggest complaint, though I really don't see how. She fits perfectly into the show!

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  2. Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! and YES! I agree wholeheartedly!! I was in love with this show from the first minute. I am telling everybody about it. Kinda like I do with FNL.

    We haven't agreed on much in a while, now, Scoot. I'm happy we have 2 shows in common, now. Not sure WHY that makes me happy, but it does.

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  3. Vance: Short, blonde, southern belle, an annoyingly sexy voice, what is there not to love about Kristin? There is really no one better to fit in this world that they created better than her.

    Angie: Wait, there are things you don't argree with me on? That may have to make me rething this whole "I'm always right" thing I got going on. Naw, I'm sure I'm always right about everything.

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  4. The pilot for PD was pretty good except for the overly long and boring intro. However I must say that I don't think Chenoweth is going to make it. She's a fine actress but her role on the show sucks. I hope they revamp her role so that she has something to work with. And get rid of the dog. Who in Hell is going to believe the kid never even once re-touched the dog after it got hit by the truck 20 something years ago?

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  5. Utenzi: The "overly long and boring intro" was part of what I called Pilotitis and that should be cured in future episodes.

    And Chenoweth was a little one-note in the first episode, but I have faith she will have more interesting things to do in the future. You don't bring in an actress of that caliber just to waste her, if that was the case they would have just gotten someone half her age and twice as hot who doesn't have much of an acting range.

    I don't mind the dog because I'll suspend reality for a while since Ned obviously has intimacy issues thanks to his touch killing his mom. But I do wonder why he can't sratch his dog with gloves on or how the dog is still alive 20 something years later? Do the things Ned touch become immortal and never die ever unless he touches them again?

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