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Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode 10, "The Norwegians"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:44:47 -0800

The final episode of Pushing Daisies of 2008 is a doozy, all full of daddy issues and betrayals and Norwegians. Yup, turns out that Emerson's PI business has a rival in the form of three Norwegian detectives who are surprisingly reminiscent of some other folks we know, and Vivian's hired them for a case pretty close to Emerson's heart: the mysterious disappearance of one Dwight Dixon. This episode has a lot of twists and turns and one shocking reveal, so to get to talking about it, just

Buzz News Roundup, 12/17

BuzzSugar — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:30:36 -0800

Jesse Eisenberg and Pushing Daisies' Anna Friel are set to star together in the romantic comedy The Wedding. — The Hollywood Reporter
Jessica Alba and Cloris Leachman are the newest guest stars for the post-Super Bowl episode of The Office. — TV Guide
Olivia Wilde has landed the female lead in Disney's Tron sequel. — Variety
Four Christmases director Seth Gordon will direct the comedy Mr. Romance. — ComingSoon
Taylor Swift bested Britney Spears in album sales this week. — Billboard
Lionsgate has acquired screen rights to Loving Frank, a historical novel about architect Frank Lloyd Wright. — Variety
Oprah's production company will produce films and documentaries exclusively for HBO starting in 2009. — New York Times
BBC America will air the Life on Mars sequel Ashes to Ashes starting in March. — Broadcasting and Cable
Jennifer Lopez will star in the movie Plan B as a single woman who becomes pregnant via artificial insemination only to meet Mr. Right. — E! Online
Rob Zombie will definitely write and direct the next Halloween movie. — ComingSoon

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Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode Nine, "The Legend of Merle McQuoddy"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:30:32 -0800

On this week's Pushing Daisies, Charles Charles is still alive and well-ish thanks to Ned's powers and Chuck's reckless decisions — but let's just say gratitude isn't exactly the first emotion he's showing. Meanwhile, Shane Botwin (er, Alexander Gould) turns up as the son of a lighthouse operator who's been fried to death on her own spotlight. It may have been one of my favorite Daisies episodes of all time — was anyone else loving it? To talk about it, just

Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode Eight, "Comfort Food"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:30:45 -0800

On this episode of Pushing Daisies, Chuck stirs up all kinds of trouble in the graveyard, doing the one thing that Ned probably wishes she wouldn't. But Ned doesn't know about it till the very end, because he spends most of the time baking pies and fighting crime with Olive at the annual comfort food cook-off, complete with silly hats. This episode has intrigue, romance, jealousy, and singing, and if you're ready to talk about it, you should

Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode Seven, "Robbing Hood"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:00:25 -0800

On this week's Pushing Daisies, Dwight Dixon is getting dangerously close to the truth about Chuck, tempting Vivian into giving up more details than she should about her niece's tragic death. Meanwhile, the gang investigates a murder that involves do-gooders doing more wrong than good. (Is that a lesson for Ned?) To chat about it, just

Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode 6, "Oh, Oh, Oh...It's Magic"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:30:21 -0800

A few weeks back, it was the circus that got a melancholy treatment on Pushing Daisies, and this week, it's magic. No cute bunny rabbits and white handkerchiefs here — just a whopping dose of death, daddy issues, and the dastardly Dwight Dixon. Ready to chat about it? Just

TV Tonight: Pushing Daisies

BuzzSugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:30:46 -0800

Quick — everyone go make friends with a Nielsen family. Pushing Daisies returns tonight after a long absence (the last new episode aired before Halloween!), and the ratings for this episode will be very important.

How important? Well, for any show on the verge of cancellation, the ratings always matter. But for Daisies in particular, it could mean the difference between life and death (or, as Ned might say, "alive again" and "dead again, forever"). "We do want to see how Daisies does in the postelection viewing environment," an ABC source told E!. "The next week or two will be critical."

Y'all hear that? Critical!

So if you want this show to live on, call up everyone you know (bonus points if they have a Nielsen box) and tell them about this episode, which is called "Oh Oh Oh . . . It's Magic" and once again features Ned's half-brothers, the magicians Maurice and Ralston. The mystery involves the boys' surrogate father, "The Great Herrmann" (played by guest star Fred Willard), whose assistants are being killed in a series of suspicious murders. Speaking of suspicious, the creepy Dwight Dixon is back, this time cozying up to Chuck's aunts.

This week, Lipstick Jungle proved that even a small ratings boost can bring a show back from the brink of death. Can the same happen for Daisies? To watch a preview, just

Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode 5, "Dim Sum, Lose Some"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:44:51 -0700

It's probably not surprising for one with his particular gift/predicament, but Ned the piemaker has never been much of a gambler. On this week's episode of Pushing Daisies, Ned reveals a little more of the background that's kept him away from most games of chance. Emerson, on the other hand, takes some chances of his own with love on the brain, and the murder made me suddenly, insatiably hungry for pork buns. To talk about this episode, just

Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode Four, "Frescorts"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 09:30:21 -0700

Ah, friendship. As all of the Pushing Daisies characters learn one way or another, it's a necessary component to a full life. Then again, when you get trapped in a locker or gifted a creepy taxidermied dog, friends don't look so good, do they? This episode is one quirky meditation on friendship, and we can talk about it if you

Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode Three, "Bad Habits"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:30:57 -0700

Pushing Daisies started this season by piling secrets on top of secrets, and this week, many of them come tumbling out. A suspicious death at the nunnery forces Ned, Olive, and Chuck together again, which means Olive's faced with everything she'd "taken the veil" to avoid. The episode involves Night Ranger references, glitter paint family trees, and gourmet truffles, so to talk about it, just

Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode Two, "Circus Circus"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:30:27 -0700

Pushing Daisies usually manages to make morbid things seem sweet, so it's interesting to see the show take happy things and make them sad. This week, Ned and Emerson investigate a crime at the world's biggest bummer of a circus and Ned faces the idea that Chuck's independent new beginning means the end of something wonderful. To talk about it, just

Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode One, "Bzzzzzzzzz"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:30:05 -0700

Oh, joy! Pushing Daisies is back! And it seems to have returned perfectly in form, too, with a premiere that finds Chuck putting her love of bees to use, Olive letting secrets get the best of her, and the introduction of a pig named Pigby. I wish I could just scoop this show up into a big bear hug.

If you missed the first season, the first five or so minutes of this one would get you caught up right quick, as we zoom through a quickie explanation of Ned's powers and Chuck's resurrection. But the good stuff starts with Chuck's dead bees, so to talk about it, just

First Look: Pushing Daisies Season Two

BuzzSugar — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:52 -0700

One of the (many) highlights of the Pushing Daisies panel at Comic-Con was seeing the first footage from season two. Bright and colorful and surreal as always, the trailer (set to a slowed-down remix of the show's theme song) gave a tantalizing glimpse of the scrapes Ned, Chuck, Emerson, Olive, and the aunts will be getting themselves into when the new season premieres in October.

Well, I don't know how they did it, but the good folks at the Pie Maker got their hands on a copy — and not a jumpy bootleg copy, either. This is the real thing! I probably don't have to warn you that there are spoilers (delicious, delicious spoilers) ahead, but if you want to check it out, just

Pushing Daisies Delightfully Teases Season Two at Comic-Con

BuzzSugar — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 14:00:00 -0700

Daddy issues, daughter issues, mommy issues, half-brother issues — there's going to be a lot of family drama when Pushing Daisies returns in October, the show's cast and crew revealed over the weekend at Comic-Con. But fans of the whimsical series need not despair: If anything, the Daisies folks promised, the show is overall lighter and even more delightful this year.

Creator Bryan Fuller and executive producer Barry Sonnenfeld also revealed the first footage from season two — after a brief snafu in which the video for the pilot started playing instead, prompting the two to run out to the podium early to apologize — and teased what's going on in the land of Coeur d’Coeurs when we return Oct. 1. To hear about what's coming up (plus some other highlights and a ton of pictures from the panel), just

Which British Actors Have the Best American Accents on TV?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 May 2008 12:45:56 -0700

Acording to a poll conducted by RadioTimes, (a kind of UK TV Guide) Hugh Laurie of House is the Brit who does the best American accent on TV. In second place is Anna Friel from Pushing Daisies, followed by Michelle Ryan of the ill-fated Bionic Woman. Damian Lewis takes the fourth spot for his work on Band of Brothers, and the stars of The Riches, Minnie Driver and Eddie Izzard are at the fifth and sixth spots, respectively.

Who do you think does the best American accents on TV? And who does the worst? For the full list of the top 20 best American accents on TV according to the RadioTimes poll,

Buzz Trivia: How Well Do You Remember This Season of Pushing Daisies?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 05:30:00 -0800

It seems like ages since the darling Pushing Daisies last graced our television screens. The show completed just nine episodes before the writers' strike halted production. But since talks have resumed, I've gotten more hopeful that the show could be back sooner rather than later. Do you still remember the first half of the season? Test your memory with this quiz.

Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode 9, "Corpsicle"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 13:15:54 -0800

When I first heard that Pushing Daisies would be ending the first part of this strike-addled season on a major cliffhanger, I assumed it would be Ned telling Chuck he killed her father. But then that happened, and I was left wondering: What could be more major than that? Well, I'm not sure if the cliffhanger that closed "Corpsicle" was bigger, necessarily — but it certainly wasn't something I saw coming.

The good news: If that's our last Pushing Daisies for quite some time, it left on a high note, with a great balance between drama and chuckle-out-loud cleverness. To talk about the episode, just

Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode 8, "Bitter Sweets"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 09:42:05 -0800

Wow, that was maybe the most jam-packed Pushing Daisies episode yet. Molly Shannon turned up as the owner of a taffy business that's trying to steal the Pie Hole's customers, Ned solved a murder and ended up framed for another, and Olive had a new romantic opportunity — if only she could have recognized it. But my favorite thing about the episode was how much we learned about Ned, so to read the rest of my take and add your thoughts, just

Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode 7, "Smell of Success"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 05:00:57 -0800

This week's episode of Pushing Daisies gave us our first whiff of something new for the show: a plot thread not involving our core characters that could continue for more than one episode. Paul "Pee Wee Herman" Reubens, who was initially supposed to appear on the show earlier this season, finally turned up as a scent expert who sniffed something peculiar on Chuck, and I'm not sure we've seen the last of him. Elsewhere, Olive and Chuck's cheer-up mission with the aunts reached a new level, and we learned how Ned found himself making pies in the first place. For my thoughts on the episode and to add your own, just

Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode 6, "B*tches"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:29:40 -0800

Dear Pushing Daisies: I already spend most Wednesdays in sugar shock over your preciousness, so did you really need to amp it up this week by bringing in puppies? If there's such a thing as a cuteness heart attack (a cute-attack?), I was definitely having one.

But the Coll-A-Dor-Russell-A-Poo wasn't the only thing making me swoon during this episode. There were also some truly adorable moments between Ned and Chuck, a whole new side to Emerson Cod, Claymation dreams, and a potentially fatal dose of "almond-flavored coffee cream creamer." It's really saying something when the closest thing your show has to a villain is a wisp of a woman named Olive Snook. To read the rest of my take on this episode, just

Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode 5, "Girth"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 10:56:14 -0700

My first thought when I learned Pushing Daisies was doing a Halloween episode: "Aren't they all?" But it turns out that Daisies lends itself perfectly to even spookier stories of hauntings and ghosts. "Girth" was definitely a Halloween treat, and to read my thoughts on it, just

Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode 4, "Pigeon"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 09:38:25 -0700

"What's a rooftop full of bees compared to someone who can catch her when she falls?" — Ned

Poor Ned. The man who's so afraid of intimacy solved some of his problems when he brought his childhood sweetheart back to life, but this episode of Pushing Daisies revealed the hard part of having Chuck back. Meanwhile, the team investigated why a crop duster crashed into a luxury apartment, and Olive pondered what to do about Chuck's secret. To read my take on the episode and add your thoughts, just

Pushing Daisies Wins a Full Season

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:02:30 -0700

Dandelion high-fives all around for this news: Pushing Daisies has become the newest series to get a full-season order! It joins Gossip Girl, Private Practice, and the Big Bang Theory as the only series guaranteed to stick around for the whole TV season.

With the threat of a writers' strike looming, I expect we'll be hearing about more pickup orders in the coming weeks. Here are some of the series that may be well on their way:

Carpoolers has just gotten an order for three more scripts, and CBS asked for four more scripts from Moonlight.
There have been reports that Reaper and Aliens in America will be picked up soon.
All of NBC's new series and Cane on CBS received script orders a while back.

How psyched are you about Daisies? And which other series should get to stick around?

Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode 3, "The Fun in Funeral"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:33:56 -0700

This was supposed to be the episode of Pushing Daisies where everything fell apart, minus big-time director Barry Sonnenfeld and his equally big-time budget. But I'm thoroughly reassured by this episode of Daisies, which kept plenty of visual whimsy while delivering some of the most quotable one-liners of this young TV season. To hear my thoughts and share your own, just

"Pushing Daisies" Rundown: Episode 2, "Dummy"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 09:28:07 -0700

If you thought "Pushing Daisies" couldn't get any cuter than last week's pie-lette, think again. This week's episode brought us a singing Kristin Chenoweth, knitted gun cozies, and a car that runs on dandelions. I thought it was perfect, but was it too twee for you? To see my thoughts and add your own, just

TV Tonight: "Pushing Daisies"

BuzzSugar — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 07:30:00 -0700

A couple of my favorite shows this year — "Chuck" and "Reaper," most notably — have already fallen prey to the Curse of the Second Episode, where the second installment of a show can't quite match the energy and excitement of the pilot. Here's hoping that doesn't happen with "Pushing Daisies" tonight. Last week's pie-lette was so adorable that I'd hate to see tonight's second episode be anything short of brilliant.

The story has Chuck officially joining Ned and Emerson's investigative team as they search out the truth behind a sketchy-seeming hit-and-run that killed an automotive expert. Meanwhile, Chuck still has quite a few questions for Ned about how he brought her back to life. From the pictures and previews I've seen, it seems like the whimsy of the first episode is definitely still present. To watch a preview, just

"Pushing Daisies" Rundown: Episode 1, "Pie-lette"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:30:26 -0700

Well, wasn't that delightful? The confection of a TV show that is "Pushing Daisies" finally arrived on Wednesday, bringing the world of the Pie Hole to living rooms everywhere. I can't wait to hear what you all thought of this sweet treat, so just

TV Tonight: "Pushing Daisies"

BuzzSugar — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 08:30:00 -0700

Yes, I know this is my second "Pushing Daisies" post of the day — did you read my interview with Lee Pace yet? — but bear with me. After all, it's not every day that my favorite new show of the season makes its debut.

Besides, I've been waiting since July to find out what you guys make of "Pushing Daisies," ABC's "forensic fairytale" about a pie maker who can bring people back to life with a single touch. I adored the show's first episode; I also realize it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea. The show is thoroughly precious — I mean, they're calling the pilot episode a "Pie-lette," for heaven's sake — and I found the whimsy, the saturated landscape and the clever dialogue endearing. Others, though, might call those same things over-the-top and annoying. More than any other show this season, its success or failure could come down to a simple matter of taste.

Even if you're not sure "Pushing Daisies" will be for you, I urge you to check out tonight's first episode. It's gorgeous to look at, if nothing else, and Lee Pace and his co-star Anna Friel just might win your heart. To watch a preview,

Pilot Watch: "Pushing Daisies"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 04:30:00 -0700

The networks have announced their fall schedules, but which of the series will actually be worth watching? Throughout the summer, as I watch the pilots, I'll be posting my first impressions. Note that a lot can change before a show actually makes it to air, so these aren't comprehensive reviews, just quick thoughts on how the shows look now. Today's installment: ABC's "Pushing Daisies."

What's it about? A man who can bring people back to life with a single touch resurrects his childhood sweetheart — but if he touches her again, she will die for good.

Who's in it? Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Kristin Chenoweth, Swoosie Kurtz, Chi McBride

The good: Everything. OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but this is my favorite pilot so far. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, the pilot thrusts us into Lee's colorful, quirky world, populated by crazy aunts, seemingly immortal dogs, and a restaurant called the Pie Hole. The show comes from the mind of "Dead Like Me" and "Wonderfalls" writer-producer Bryan Fuller, and the show bears his signature surrealistic stamp. ABC is marketing the show as a "forensic fairy tale," and I think it's a perfect description; the show feels like the strangest fable you've ever heard. The dialogue is quick and smart, so full of subtle puns that I wanted to watch the pilot again to make sure I caught them all.

The bad: I'm scared for this show. Fuller has worked on a couple of critically acclaimed series that haven't caught on with the public, and I'm afraid this might be so out there that it won't ever break out of "cult hit" territory. The pilot felt like a movie, and I'm not sure that the show will be able to hit that same level of production and storytelling each week — though I can't wait to watch the cast and crew give it a shot.

Will I watch? Yes, yes, a million times yes. Maybe my hopes are too high, but I thought the pilot was one of the more creative and well-constructed pieces of television I've seen this year.

To watch a preview for the show and check out a gallery of photos,