Molly Shannon, a former cast member on Saturday Night Live, is the newest name attached to ABC's fairy-tale/black comedy/drama Pushing Daisies.  The ABC show, which stars Lee Pace as a pie-maker with the ability to bring the dead back to life, is being regarded as one of the best, if not THE best, new TV show of the fall.  Molly Shannon is best known for the bizarre characters she played on Saturday Night Live, including armpit-smelling, Catholic schoolgirl Mary Katherine Gallagher.  Shannon's multi-episode arc on Pushing Daisies will begin around Sweeps time.

The character Shannon is playing on Pushing Daisies is called Dilly Balsam.  Balsam opens a saltwater taffy emporium across the street from the Ned's pie shop, The Pie Hole.  This is in addition to Paul Reubens, formerly Pee-Wee Herman, joining the cast in a guest capacity as a traveling salesman.  It's becoming more and more clear exactly how out there Pushing Daisies is going to venture.  The show isn't heading as far away from normal as it can and, really, it's a breath of fresh air.  I applaud ABC for putting something on their schedule that is truly different, even if it might be difficult to bring casual viewers into the fold.

There appears to be a cynical faction of TV fans these days that just assume that a show as different and bizarre and good as Pushing Daisies will be canceled almost immediately after its premiere.  It doesn't have to be that way.  Sometimes really good shows get really good ratings.  Maybe this will happen with Pushing Daisies, but if it doesn't, it certainly won't be the fault of the show, because from what anyone has seen, it's pretty great.  Molly Shannon, although not one of my favorites, is an interesting choice for Pushing Daisies.  I'm eager to see what she can do.  Hopefully, she'll be able to leave herself out of the character and create something new.


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
Source: TV Guide
(Image Courtesy of NBC)