June 19, 2008
Lee Pace has become a fairly common name in television circles over the past year. After all, he stars as Ned in Pushing Daisies, arguably last season's best new series. Or, maybe you remember him from his supporting role in Bryan Fuller's other TV series, the short-lived Wonderfalls. There's no doubt that Pace has been impressive as Ned the Pie-Maker on Pushing Daisies, but he's also done some movies, though you may not have heard about them. Earlier this year, Pace played the male lead in Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day, opposite Amy Adams and Frances McDormand. It failed to set the world on fire. Later this year, Pace will appear in the film Possession next to Sarah Michelle Gellar. Most recently, however, a film was released that stars Lee Pace. It is currently still in theaters, and it is called The Fall.
March 17, 2008
The week-long Paley Festival in Los Angeles has long been hallowed ground for television fans. Over the years, the casts and creative minds behind the most popular and beloved series on TV have been welcomed at the Paley Fest to talk about their show, screen episodes, and interact with the fans. 2008's Paley Fest kicked into high gear on Saturday, when the cast of Pushing Daisies, along with creator/mastermind Bryan Fuller, showed up to entertain the masses. Unfortunately, we at BuddyTV were not in attendance, but thanks to TV Guide, we learned what went down on Saturday night in the Cinerama Dome.
February 11, 2008
Even though the writers' strike is over, ABC isn't waiting for a crop of new pilots to plan its fall schedule. Today the alphabet network announced that nine of its current shows will have a spot on next year's schedule. They represent a cross-section of familiar favorites and hot new shows.
Many of the decisions are no-brainers. Lost, Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives are all coming back next year, as are Ugly Betty and Brothers and Sisters, neither of which suffered from a sophomore slump commonly seen on TV (for example: Heroes).
As for new shows, the powerhouse all-new Wednesday night line-up from the fall will be back, with Pushing Daisies, Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money all picked up for second seasons. Comedy hit Samantha Who?, which benefited largely from airing after Dancing with the Stars, will also return for the 2008-2009 season.
December 24, 2007
Check out all our lists for BuddyTV's Top 7 of '07 to relive the best and the worst of the year in television.
Don Williams ranked Pushing Daisies 4th. He says...
Pushing Daisies isn't a show for everyone. It's like CSI set in a fairytale land, with bright colors, quirky characters, and whip-smart dialogue distracting from the grisly murders on display. It's jam-packed with so much whimsy and style that I can easily see why some people would be turned off by it. However, those people are missing out on what is easily one of the most original, wonderful shows to hit the airwaves in years.
The thing that makes the series a can't-miss experience, aside from the visual splendor and amazing writing, is the cast. There isn't a funnier ensemble on television. Kristin Chenoweth is a comedic force as the plucky, lovelorn Olive Snook, and Chi McBride is great as Emerson Cod, the one character who seems to resent living in such a bright and sunny world. They nearly steal the show every single week. Pushing Daisies is full of heart, humor and just the right dash of delicious darkness. It's a perfect concoction.
(click here to read Don Williams' complete Top 7 list)
December 12, 2007
If that's the last Pushing Daisies we get to see until next Fall, then it was a good one to go out on. There are no more new Pushing Daisies episodes in the can, so until the writers' strike gets resolved, tonight's “Corpsicle” will be where Ned and the gang leaves us for the time being. I'm OK with that. Bryan Fuller said that he tweaked the script for this last episode right before the strike to make it feel more like a season finale. He wasn't kidding. Tonight's was a season finale and “special Holiday episode” wrapped into one, including an out of left field cliffhanger and a holiday miracle performed by a Binobo monkey named Bobo.
December 5, 2007
This is it. The end of the line. One week from today, ABC will air the final finished episode of Pushing Daisies. Now, this is not the last episode ever (well, probably not, hopefully not...good god, it better not be. End, writers' strike, end!), but the last episode for a long time, until at least the end of the strike. Before the strike began, ABC renewed Pushing Daisies for an entire season, which bodes well for the series' future. It's been reported that creator/show runner Bryan Fuller tweaked the script for “Corpsicle” at the last second before the strike began to make it feel more like a season finale. The final moments of last week's episode lend credence to this claim, when Ned spilled the beans to Chuck about inadvertently killing her father. Thanks to Isabelle the Great of SpoilerFix, we have a bit of spoiler-y information regarding next Wednesday's last 2007 episode of Pushing Daisies.
November 28, 2007
To hell with you, formula! Pushing Daisies, we know, is not a typical television show. Words like “original,” “quirky” and “whimsical” have been used to describe what Daisies brings to the table, and all would be correct. Up until tonight's episode, though, the show had retained a formulaic structure similar to those of crime procedurals. While dressed up in an exceptionally original package, Pushing Daisies was at its heart no different than CSI. Tonight's episode kicked that notion in the groin. The writers threw that formula out the window, rounded up a bunch of guest stars, pondered the usefulness of truth and the truth of metaphors, and gave us another taste of why Pushing Daisies is the best new show of the year.
November 26, 2007
One of the things that makes ABC's Pushing Daisies different from other dramedies on television today is its unique take on the concept of forbidden love. The show's lead characters, Ned, played by Lee Pace, and Chuck, played by Anna Friel, cannot physically come together because if they do, one of them is certain to die.
This is because Chuck is only among those whom Ned brings back to life with his special touch, and the moment they come into contact once again, Ned will send her back to the great beyond permanently.