'Pushing Daisies' stands on last 'original' leg in ratings

11/19/08 - Ned the Piemaker may need someone to bring him back to life if more people don't start visiting the Pie-Hole soon.If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you're probably one of the millions who haven't been watching ABC's fantasy-comedy, "Pushing Daisies."

If you do know what I'm talking about, chances are you just had a coronary, because, as those of us who have been watching "Pushing Daisies" know, it's one of the few truly original shows left on television.

"Pushing Daisies" has slipped in the all-important ratings this season and ABC has yet to extend its season order beyond the original 13 episodes. ABC seems to be waiting to see how "Pushing Daisies" does in the ratings after being pre-empted for two weeks by "Dancing with the Stars" and the Country Music Awards.

The ratings did increase the week before when it ran opposite now U.S. president-elect Obama's broadcast. If that trend continues in the post-election season, "Pushing Daisies" will have a case for renewal; so now's the time, "Daisies fans," to make sure you and everyone you know watch the show, live, to make sure ABC doesn't cancel it.

In the mass of procedural shows, soapy dramas and "reality TV" currently on the tube, "Pushing Daisies" stands out. The show is one of the best examples of quality scripted television - and it's a breath of fresh air for those of us who are sick of seeing the same old formulas on television.

"Pushing Daisies" centers around the fairytale-like world of Ned the Piemaker (Lee Pace), who has the power to bring the dead back to life with his touch. Unfortunately, he must "re-dead" them within one minute, or something or someone else dies.

When private investigator Emerson Cod (Chi McBride) discovers his secret, he promises to keep quiet if Ned helps him solve his cases. One of his first involves the death of childhood friend, Charlotte "Chuck" Charles (Anna Friel). Ned, however, is unable to kill her again and so she joins their team, keeping her identity secret to prevent the exposure of Ned's power.

It is their relationship - so brilliantly played by Friel and Pace - that grounds the show. With its wacky characters like Chuck's synchronized swimmers-turned-shut-in aunts Lily and Vivian (played by Swoosie Kurtz and Ellen Greene) and crazy murder stories involving everything from bee attacks to corporate cover-ups, the relationship between Ned and Chuck is its link to reality.

The whole they-can't-touch-or-else-she-dies-again thing is about as unrealistic as you can get, but the purity and stability in their relationship is a rarity in shows today and one that really seems natural and unconditional.

It is a testament to the skills of both Friel and Pace that their characters have such chemistry without even being allowed physical contact. The relationship between the two is one of the most engaging on television, without needing to resort to the make-up and break-up scenarios so often used on TV.

That is the genius behind "Pushing Daisies:" it creates its own mold and its own formula for what makes good television, and that formula works.

If you still need a reason to watch the show, I have two words for you: Bryan Fuller. Fuller is the creator and executive producer of "Pushing Daisies," as well as one of the show's writers and has been behind some of television's best shows, including Fox's short-lived "Wonderfalls," USA's "Dead Like Me" and, most recently, NBC's "Heroes."

The last on that list is an important one, so listen up all you "Heroes" fans who need proof of "Pushing Daisies'" greatness.

As you can probably admit, "Heroes" seriously dropped in quality after season one and has never fully recovered.

What was that secret ingredient that made season one so much better, you ask? Well, that, ladies and gents, would be Mr. Fuller.

He was an executive producer throughout most of season one and it was his pen behind such episodes as "Company Man" and "Collision." It's that brilliance that many "Heroes" fans miss so much that he has brought to "Pushing Daisies," so if you miss the days of season one's "Heroes'" episodes, why not tune into "Pushing Daisies?"

It's a much different concept than "Heroes," but one that is just as intriguing with characters that are as well-developed and focused as those that were found on the NBC show in its glory days.

So, please, for the sake of good television, be sure to tune into ABC tonight at 8 p.m. to keep "Pushing Daisies" from receiving that all-too-early fatal touch.