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 Pushing Daisies

(September 26th, 2007. - Editor)          Lee Pace (The Good Shepherd), Anna Friel (Rogue Trader), Chi McBride (Boston Public), Swoosie Kurtz (Sisters), Kristin Chenoweth (The West Wing) and Jim Dale star in the quirky drama Pushing Daisies, airing Wednesdays on ABC.

          Once upon a time, a mild-mannered boy named Ned realized he could touch dead things and bring them back to life. He also learned a very difficult lesson about his gift. If he selects someone to bring back from the dead, someone else will die to take their place unless he touches the first person a second time, returning them to death, in one minute or less. And once he has brought someone back to life for more than a minute, if he touches them again, he kills them again permanently. Grown-up Ned puts his ability to good use, not only touching dead fruit and making it ripe with everlasting flavor, but working with Emmerson (McBride), an investigator, to crack murder cases by bring the deceased back to life long enough to name their killers. But the tale gets complicated when Ned brings his childhood sweetheart, Chuck (Friel), back from the dead and keeps her alive. Chuck encourages him to use his power to help others, instead of merely solving mysteries and collecting the rewards. Life would be perfect for Ned and Chuck, except for one cruel twist: If he ever touches her again, she’ll go back to being dead, this time for good.

          Series Writer Bryan Fuller (Heroes) and Director Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black) call this series an unprecedented blend of romance, crime procedural and high-concept fantasy. As soon as I figure out what they mean by that I'll see if I agree. Likewise, as soon as I figure out exactly what this series is trying to accomplish . I'll let you know. Certainly this is a beautifully crafted and photographed series, but I'm still trying to decide what they are doing, and why I would have any interest in the characters or the subject matter. I am familiar with Black Comedy, but this show is not true to that genre. There are certainly elements that are on the dark side, but this series seems to have settled somewhere between sarcasm and irony, depending on your point of view. I'm not sure the average television viewer wants to spend an hour debating it on a weekly basis either.

          The script for this series is so offbeat that it creates a problem for the cast to try and make the pages come to life. The two-dimensional characters they have been asked to play are difficult to humanize. Somehow most of the members of this large cast manage to find a way to make themselves believable. In particular supporting actress Swoosie Kurtz plays her character for all it is worth and in the process, becomes the only member of the cast who seems to fit into the setting. The rest of the actors deliver their lines with little or no conviction, as if even they can't believe what they are being asked to say. 

      This effort does not have the staying power to make it a full season. What little creative juice there is in this effort will be deader and drier than the fruit the star character brings back to life for his pies. I would like to see Barry Sonnenfeld working in television. His style for the photographic image and flair for comedy are a rare thing that should be encouraged. Even when he produces a clunker like this one, he will learn from it and bring something better to the screen next time.

-- Editor --

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