Bryan Fuller is the mind behind some popular TV shows, such asHannibal, as well as a crime comedy drama show with 96% onRotten Tomatoesthat wascanceled way too soon. Bryan Fuller found his place on TV, serving as writer, producer, and/or director of a variety of TV shows since the late 1990s. Fuller’s first writing credit was inStar Trek: Deep Space Ninein 1997 with two episodes, followed by various episodes ofStar Trek: Voyager, where he also served as co-producer in season 7.
In 2003, Fuller brought the comedy-drama TV seriesDead Like Me, followed one year later by the fantasy comedy dramaWonderfalls, which he co-created with Todd Holland. Fuller’s most successful and popular TV show to date (either created or developed by him) isHannibal, starring Mads Mikkelsen as the title horror character.Hannibalwas praised by critics and built a strong and loyal fanbase, but a couple of years before it, Fuller created another crime TV show with a twist, which was, unfortunately, canceled too soon.
Pushing Daisies Was A Different Type Of Crime Show
Pushing Daisies Mixed Crime, Drama, & Comedy
In 2007, Bryan Fuller createdPushing Daisies, starring Lee Pace and Anna Friel.Pushing Daisiesis unlike other crime shows as it has an interesting twist in its protagonist, who has a very special power.Pushing Daisiesfollows Ned (Pace), known as “The Piemaker”, as he’s the owner of the restaurant The Pie Hole. When he was a child,Ned discovered he has the ability to reanimate the dead by touching them, but if the reanimated being stays alive for more than one minute, a similar “life value” in the vicinity dies as a way to keep balance.
Ned brings murder victims back to life for less than a minute so P.I. Emerson can get the details of their deaths, and they split the reward money.
On top of that,if Ned touches the revived being a second time, they die permanently. Ned’s powers are accidentally discovered by private investigator Emerson Cod (Chi McBride), who offers him a deal: Ned will bring murder victims back to life for less than a minute so Emerson can get the details of their deaths, and they split the reward money. Ned’s life takes a wild turn when his childhood sweetheart, Chuck (Friel), is murdered, and he revives her, but he can’t bring himself to let her die permanently.
What makes Pushing Daisies stand out even more is its whimsical tone.
Ned and Chuck fall in love and do what they can to avoid touching each other, and Chuck joins Ned and Emerson in their investigations, and together they solve her murder. Not only doesPushing Daisiesbring comedy, with Ned’s quirks, Emerson’s sense of humor, and Olive’s (Kristin Chenoweth) obsession with Ned, but it also has a dose of drama in the family tragedies of Ned and Chuck. However, what makesPushing Daisiesstand out even more is its whimsical tone, with bright colors everywhere, quirky designs and characters, and a much lighter tone than most crime shows.
Why Pushing Daisies Was Canceled After 2 Seasons (& Could It Be Revived?)
Pushing Daisies Ended In 2009
Pushing Daisiesreceived praise from critics and general audiences, but this wasn’t enough to save it from cancellation – and that decision had nothing to do with the show’s quality. WhenPushing Daisieswas greenlit, it was given a 13-episode order and later a full season order. However,only the scripts for nine episodes were completed before the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strikebegan (viaThe Wall Street Journal), and those were the episodes that could be completed instead of 22.
The writers ofPushing Daisiesbegan planning the second season, buta decline in ratings led to ABC canceling the show after season 2. Unfortunately, although season 2 did its best to offer some closure, the finale ofPushing Daisieswas rushed and left more questions than answers. Since then, and thanks to the support of fans of the show, Fuller has teased the possibility of a miniseries, a movie, and even a stage adaptation, but none of these have happened, and it doesn’t seem likePushing Daisiescould join the trend of revivals and reboots.
