Pushing Daisies has been canceled.  Dirty Sexy Money has been canceled.  Eli Stone has been canceled.  ABC isn't using that dreaded c-word in its statements today, but it matters not.  You can't argue your way out of reality, and semantics only serve to soften the blow.  The producers on all three of those shows were informed today that ABC would not be picking up the second halves of their respective seasons, and that they have no intention of ever ordering new episodes.  This is the harsh reality of the television business, but it is little solace to the fans, rabid as they were, for each of these three shows.  That shows like Two and a Half Men and CSI: Miami can thrive while the likes of Pushing Daisies are largely ignored is at once unfathomable and depressing. 

While Eli Stone and Dirty Sexy Money have their fans, and rightfully so, Pushing Daisies is the show I'd like to key on here.  Ever since I had the privilege of watching a screener copy of the Daisies' pilot prior to its network premiere last year, I was in love.  The imagination on display, both visually and in terms of story-telling, was awe-inspiring.  Never had I seen a TV show so vibrant and secure in its own little fantasy world.  Dealing with a subject (death) in the way it did, was a hit of pure oxygen.  TV, filled as it is with CSI and its various knock-offs, who deal with mortality with all the subtlety and grace of a twelve year old playing Grand Theft Auto, needed a difference maker like Pushing Daisies. 

I can understand if you tuned into Pushing Daisies once or twice, found it a peculiar trifle, and never returned.  This is your prerogative, and to talk down to any non-watchers on the basis of them simply “not getting it” would be solipsistic.  That being said, the potential audience for Pushing Daisies was surely bigger than its poor ratings let on.  Remember, the season one ratings were significantly more impressive that they became in season two.  ABC opted to delay production last year on both Dirty Sexy Money and Pushing Daisies until this Fall instead of returning for additional post-strike episodes.  This was a risky ploy that, ultimately, failed.  Would viewers have remained loyal had they been reminded of Pushing Daisies' existence last Spring?  Maybe.  In hindsight, it was worth a shot, though I remember praising the move last season. 

Bryan Fuller, the creator and mastermind behind Pushing Daisies, has stated that the tales of Ned and Chuck and Emerson would not end even if the series were canceled.  A comic book is a possibility, perhaps even a film, though that is doubtful.  Perhaps, in a few months, the ABC offices will find a Pie-Maker of their own, and life will be given back to Pushing Daisies.  I advise against such optimism in this case, however, because it is a monumental long shot.  Regardless, it was good while it lasted.


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
(Image Courtesy of ABC)