Saturday, November 03, 2007

Maybe The Trekkies Have A Chance.

So every fall, Mrs. Kyality makes a list of all the new shows that we’re supposed to check out. We typically sit thru the first few minutes of several different premiers and I admittedly get my kicks out of sniping the crappy ones with the flick of the remote. This season, there’s been one standout that hasn’t received a swift execution, ABC’s new show: Pushing Daisies.

This show’s the brainchild of former Star Trek writer Bryan Fuller. In the heyday of DS9 and Voyager, Paramount had an open script submission policy. Fuller submitted a script, got it produced and eventually worked his way up to co-producer status on Voyager. Since then Fuller has been best known as the co-executive producer of a show I totally don’t watch: Heroes. But this season he left NBC and Heroes to start his very own series.

Pushing Daisies is a fun, surreal combination of Amelie and Big Fish, with a hint of The Royal Tenenbaums. It tells the story of Ned (Lee Pace) a dead-reviving pie maker who accidentally revives his childhood girlfriend, Charlotte 'Chuck' Charles (Anna Friel, pictured above).

The writing is witty and multilayered. The acting is strong and silly in a good way. And the special effects are very tongue-in-cheek and dreamlike. But the best part of the show is Chuck. She’s the uber-positive, walking-dead with a serious Jenny Lewis thing goin' on.

We’ve been watching beautiful, hi-res episodes on ABC.com’s killer Full Episode Player. And after each one, you can’t help but smile and you definitely thirst for next week's. Pushing Daisies airs on Wednesday nights, but the eps are online and ready to stream the very next day. Bottom line, if anything good ever did come out of the late 90’s Star Trek franchise, it’s this.

6 comments:

Justin said...

I'd like point out that the style and cinematography are done in the same style of Walgreen's "Town of Perfect" commercials. The narration is done by Jim Dale, himself. The eye-candy is magnificent and it is by far my favorite show at which to just sit and stare. Maybe for all time.

As a sidebar, Rodney Smith and David Meredith worked on the Town of Perfect commercials when they were created a few years back. This biases my opinion, but hey, it's great work anyway.

kate said...

i just watched my first (and second and third and fourth) episode. i'm in love with this guy, uh, show.

Dainon. said...

Yeah, so you ready for reruns and stuff? With that lil strike and all? Hope so.

Zee Kewlmin said...

Thanks for the recommendation. I don't watch TV so checked it out on line it was really cool.

danimal said...

Such an awesome show. I love when the people come back to life and are so clam and cooperative. Like nothing can phase them after they have tasted death. Really macabre and witty.

denise carbonell said...

mmmm...yes......those dots do make a delicious dress..check out my groove @ www.metalthread.com