Pushing Daisies
This marvellously quirky, original show was about Ned the Pie-Maker (Lee Pace, Wonderfalls), who possesses the weird ability to revive the dead with his touch. The catch (there’s always a catch) is that if he touches them again, they die forever. The other catch is that if he does nottouch them within one minute, even though the revived person lives, karmic balance requires that someone close by will die. Now there’s a moral dilemma to rival just about anything I’ve seen on television in a long, long time.
Sounds crazy? Maybe, but the execution of this idea was a landmark in black humor that somehow managed to be both warm and ironic. This was the finest and most original new series of the decade. Cancelled, due to low viewer ratings, by ABC in November, 2008.
SEASON TWO
Bzzzzzz! – The death of a spokesmodel for a honey-based cosmetics company draws Emerson and Ned to investigate. Chuck goes undercover and Olive cloisters herself. – Airdate 1 October 2008
Circus, Circus – Emerson Cod is hired to chase down a runaway, and finds himself adrift in a circus. Meanwhile, Olive continues to struggle with a secret that is not hers. – Airdate 8 October 2008
Bad Habits – When Olive’s convent friend dies, she hires Emerson, Ned and Chuck to prove that it was not a suicide. – Airdate 15 October 2008
Frescorts – Emerson reunites with his mother; the Pie Hole detectives investigate the murder of a “frescort”, a friend for rent. Airdate 22 October 2008.
Dim Some, Lose Sum – Emerson Cod gets a personal note in a fortune cookie, and Ned is greatly disturbed when a man turns up in the Pie Hole looking for Ned’s father. Airdate 29 October 2008.
Oh, Oh, Oh, It’s Magic – Ned confronts father/abandonment issues with his siblings, Chuck confronts mother/abandonment issues over Lily, and the rest of the Pie PIs investigate the murder of a stage magician during his disappearing act. Airdate 19 November 2008
Robbing Hood – The Pie-Hole PIs are hired to investigate the death by chandelier of millionaire Gustav Holst; menawhile, private investigator Dwight Dixon continues to investigate the private investigators, as well as the aunts. Ned’s getting nervous. Airdate 26 November 2008
Comfort Food – Chuck calls on Emerson to help her with a serious ethical dilemma, while Ned and Olive battle cook-off rivals and saboteurs to find out who deep-fried the chicken colonel. Airdate 3 December 2008
Lighthouse – The murder of a lighthouse keeper gives Olive a chance to take a more active role in the Pie-Hole PIs, while Ned struggles to shed some light on an old mystery in his past. Airdate 10 December 2008
The Norwegians – Aunt Vivian hires a team of Norwegian PIs to investigate the disappearance of her erstwhile beau, an investigation which threatens to expose everyone’s secrets. Airdate 17 December 2008
Window Dressed to Kill – Ned pretends to be engaged to Olive while Chuck and Emerson team up to solve the murders of two window dressers. Airdate 30 May 2009.
Water and Power – Emerson Cod finds himself caught between two powerful women when Simone (“Bitches”) re-appears at the same time as the mother of his missing daughter. Airdate 6 June 2009.
Kerplunk – Aunts Lily and Viviane finally venture forth from their self-imposed isolation to enjoy a night at an aquacade. Their former rivals taunt them, sharks eat one of them, and Chuck dares Ned to tell her aunts the truth about her own comeback. Series finale. Airdate 13 June 2009.
SEASON ONE
Pie-lette (Pilot) – Pie-Maker Ned uses his unique gift to bring the dead back to life, and teams up with PI Emerson Cod to collect the rewards for solving murders. But when he brings his dead childhood love, Charlotte “Chuck” Charles, back to life, complications ensue. Air date 3 October 2007.
Dummy – When a dead automotive engineer claims he was murdered by a crash test dummy, Ned, Emerson and Chuck investigate an innovative auto manufacturer. Air date 10 October 2007.
The Fun in Funeral – Emerson “investigates” the death of the funeral director whose death allowed Chuck to continue to live. Olive learns Chuck’s secret when she visits the aunts. Air date 17 October 2007.
Pigeon – A revived pigeon and a crashed crop-duster start Emerson, Ned and Chuck on the trail of an escaped prisoner and an old trove of stolen diamonds. Air date 24 October 2007.
Girth – On Halloween, Ned revisits his past and Olive hires Emerson to solve the murder of a jockey, a task which reveals a secret in Olive’s past. Olive threatens to reveal Chuck’s secret to the aunts. Air date 31 October 2007.
Bitches – A dog breeder’s murder reveals his bigamous relationships, and Ned must deal with the repercussions of a kiss from Olive. Air date 14 November 2007.
Smell of Success – An explosion in an olfactory research lab brings Ned, Emerson, Chuck and Olive into the cutthroat world of publishing. Air date 21 November 2007.
Bitter Sweets – A candy store sets up shop down the street from The Pie Hole, challenging The Pie-Maker’s supremacy in baked desserts. Air date 28 November 2007.
Corpsicle – Ned and Emerson try to solve the murders of several insurance adjusters, and Chuck tries to adjust to some troubling news about her father’s death. Airdate 12 December 2007. Season Finale