Pushing Daisies

[Geekyfanboy]

How will Daisies fare upon its return?

August 25, 2008 by Michael Hickerson 

When it returns to the airwaves on October 1, ABC's "Pushing Daisies" will have been off the air for ten months.   A combination of factors from the writer's strike to the overruns in filming caused the ABC series to air only nine episodes last year before it shut down production on the first season.

The season was a relative hit, winning respectable ratings, critical acclaim and a devoted audience of fans.  But with so few episodes aired last year and such a long gap with no network repeats, many are wondering how the show will fare when it returns to ABC later this year.

"Daisies" is one of several new shows that suffered a shortened freshman season due to the writers' strike.  In some ways, the strike was good news for these shows.  With fewer pilots in productions, networks opted to stay with the shows they had and attempt to relaunch them this fall.  Two Slice of SciFi favorites "Pushing Daisies" and "Chuck" will be part of network pushes to re-launch this fall.

But at least "Chuck" got to run 13 episodes last year and didn't suffer as much as "Pushing Daisies" did from the writer's strike.   Many of the cast and crew of "Pushing Daisies" are concerned the long hiatus could have a negative impact for the series.

Co-star Chi McBride says he's "concerned" about the potential disruptive effect of a still-gestating series being off the air for so long. He points to the effect of the long break on some top shows.

"The audience does not like to be fooled around with," McBride said. "You look at 'Grey's Anatomy's' numbers when they came back — there was a huge drop-off. Eventually I think we can get them back, but these hiccups have got to stop."

Another factor is that the ABC drama is a very quirky and ambitious one.  Last year, early scripts was so ambitious that they required longer shooting schedules, leading to delays in the editing process.   Many times, the episodes were being edited up to the time they went to air on ABC.  ABC has stepped in and tried to "reign in" the series this year, hoping to widen its appeal.

"We were hemorrhaging costs trying to accelerate post-production," said creator Bryan Fuller.

"Last year, our scripts were big, and we had a lot of scenes. And we just figured we couldn't keep up with production under that model," Fuller said. "It was not necessarily a tug of war for the soul of the show, but it was, 'How do we get this done in a responsible way?' "

"The first part of (this) season was really tough," Fuller continued. "They were like, 'Let's ground the show a little more; it can't be a cartoon. We can't have the show be weird and not get an audience.' And we were like, 'We can't have the show be boring and not get the people back we had last year.' The challenge to me was to make sure the fundamental DNA of the show didn't change."

In order to win back the audience it had and bring in new fans, "Daisies" second season will start with a bit of a re-cap, almost like a second pilot. 

Another issue "Daisies" faces is it was given a 13-episode order for its second season, instead of a standard 22-epiosde pick-up.  With the writer's strike and a plethora of pilots coming for potential mid-season slots, "Daisies" could face even more pressure to perform out of the gate or risk being replaced by mid-season entry.

But surely in the vast landscape of television, there has to be room for a quirky drama along the lines of "Pushing Daisies."  ABC thinks there is.  The big question now is–will the network's willingness to stay with the show pay off or will the show soon be part of the "Brilliant But Cancelled" rotation?

[Geekyfanboy]

Daisies Takes Pie On Tour

ABC is planning a publicity tour, including a traveling bakery and free pie, to promote the fanciful drama Pushing Daisies, the network announced. The interactive experience will travel to 10 major markets across the country in the weeks leading up to the second-season premiere of the show on Wednesday, Oct. 1, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Guests will be able to enjoy free pie and the company of outgoing servers in a temporary location inspired by The Pie Hole, the restaurant owned by the show's lead character, Ned (Lee Pace). Balloons with the show's logo, posters and daisy decals on the floor will also decorate the site.

In addition, Pushing Daisies footage will play on plasma televisions on site and waitresses on whimsically decorated daisy bicycles will direct people to the restaurant prior to the event. Guests will also have the opportunity to receive branded Pushing Daisies magnets, pie cutters and spatulas.

A specially devoted Web site will chart the mobile Pie Hole's travels and offer Daisy messages that can be sent to friends online.

The schedule for the Pushing Daisies Touch of Wonder Tour follows.

Aug. 31 - Anaheim, CA – Downtown Disney
Sept. 7 - San Francisco, CA – Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festival
Sept. 10 - Los Angeles, CA – Santa Monica 3rd Street Promenade
Sept. 12 - Las Vegas, NV – Fashion Show Mall
Sept. 14 - Phoenix, AZ – Westgate Complex
Sept. 17 - Denver, CO – Larimer Square
Sept. 20 - Dallas, TX – Addison Oktober Fest
Sept. 24 - Chicago, IL – Lincoln Park
Sept. 26 - Philadelphia, PA – The Shops at Liberty Place
Sept. 29 - New York, NY – Times Square

[Geekyfanboy]

Whooo hoooo it's back and it's as great as ever.. I love this series.

[Geekyfanboy]

Just finished watching the DVD extras for season one... they are really good.. there are about 20 one to three minute pieces.. about the actors, sfx, the look, director, writing and a bunch of different topics. If you are a Daisies fan you should pick up this box set.. also please pass the word to everyone that they need to watch this series.. it's on the verge of being cancelled. :(

[Geekyfanboy]

Daisies Fans Campaign!

Fans of ABC's Pushing Daisies are donating hundreds of dollars in a campaign to send bouquets of--you guessed it--daisies to network executives to persuade them to keep the show alive.

Daisies, a critical and cult darling, has suffered in the ratings in its current second season.

Two shipments of flowers have gone out so far, with more scheduled, organizer Paul S. White told SCI FI Wire. More than 27,000 fans have also signed an online petition to save the show. Pushing Daisies airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

[Geekyfanboy]

Sad news indeed...

Pushing Daisies Near Death?

TV Week, citing anonymous sources, reported that ABC may be close to pulling the plug on the critically acclaimed Pushing Daisies.

ABC has decided not to produce any more episodes of the critically beloved show this season beyond the initial 13 already produced, the weekly reported.

An ABC spokeswoman insisted to the weekly that no decision has been made on the show's fate.

Daisies wrapped production on its 13-episode fall order on Nov. 13. A decision to end the show has been expected for some time now, but it nonetheless represents a stunning reversal of fortune for the Warner Brothers Television-produced fantasy drama.

While the show's ratings trended downward after its premiere, Daisies nonetheless did well during the fall, scoring a full-season pickup just weeks after its fall 2007 premiere. But then came the writers' strike.

The second season of Daisies premiered to far lower ratings than the first. Earlier this week, Daisies creator Bryan Fuller said he plans to wrap up the show's storylines via a comic book.

[KC]

Ever since my Mass Communications classes began, I've come to learn that ABC might have moved the show's timeslot and did little advertising on purpose in order to get the show of the air and make room for something else.  It sounds really weird and conspiracy-driven, but you never know.  But I'm glad Bryan Fuller is considering carrying on the story in a different media format ala Joss Whedon.

[Geekyfanboy]

Another fantastic series has bitten the dust.. I'm am soooo depressed.

Pushing Daisies is one of the most innovated and cinematographly beautiful series around.. it will be missed.


This is from EOnline.com

ABC has canceled Pushing Daisies, executive producer Bryan Fuller confirms to me exclusively.

According to our inside sources, Eli Stone and Dirty Sexy Money have also been canceled. Reps for both shows have declined to comment.

Is the pie-maker dead? Will we ever see him again? Read on for the exclusive inside dish straight from the top...

Bryan Fuller tells me, "[ABC president] Steve McPherson called me, and said 'We gave it the best shot we could.' "

According to Fuller, the facts are these: "It's very likely that Pushing Daisies will end after episode 13, which as you know, is a cliffhanger. But we are talking to DC Comics about doing comic books that will wrap up our storylines, and I already have a pitch for a movie ready to go.

"To be honest, I'm really not feeling very boo hoo about it. I am so proud of the show. We put together 22 really good episodes, and there is a lot to be proud of. I'm sure I'll be working with a lot of these people again, and I would love to do so."

[KingIsaacLinksr]

No, not Eli Stone :( :(.  I liked that show. 

King

[Geekyfanboy]

ummm we're mourning the lost of Pushing Daisies here :) Eli Stone has it's own thread. :)

[KingIsaacLinksr]

ummm we're mourning the lost of Pushing Daisies here :) Eli Stone has it's own thread. :)

Whoops :(  My bad. 

King

[Geekyfanboy]

I was just kidding King.. see my happy faces :)

I enjoyed Eli Stone as well.. but not as much as Pushing Daisies.. I will really miss this series and the really crappy part is that it will end in a cliffhanger.

[Meds]

Ah crap, we just got into this over here.

[KC]

My least favorite part of the article is where Fuller quotes ABC pres. McPherson saying "We gave it the best shot we could." Is it just me, or was PD getting very little advertising? And there were no reruns or repurposing of any kind this past summer.

Oh well.  At least Fuller is looking to continue the story in comic book form and a possible movie.

[Geekyfanboy]

Just watched this weeks episode.. LOVED IT.. I'm so sad to see this series go.

And can I just say I love Kristen Chenoweth (Olive), I loved her when she was in the last few seasons of The West Wing and I love her in this.. I'm so glad they are showing off your singing ability. I just bought her Xmas CD and it's beautiful.