In 17 days, 20 hours and zero minutes, the television series that painstakingly marks time to show us that it never stands still will finally premiere.
And on that third day of October, ABC will introduce the story of Ned the Pie Maker.
Played by the Lee Pace, Ned is the likable protagonist of "Pushing Daisies," a sentimental, romantic, modern fairy tale that has accomplished what few shows in the medium can: pure distinction. Because Ned is not just a gifted pie maker. With a single touch, Ned can bring all dead things back to life: people, animals, plants, even fruit.
But as creator Bryan Fuller ("Dead Like Me" and "Wonderfalls") writes in the pilot, "It was a gift that not only gave -- it took." That is, the dead can live again only for one minute without consequence. Any longer, someone else dies in his or her place.
If this seems sad or a tad morose, be assured that you will have a big fat smile on your face throughout the course of the episode. Director Barry Sonnenfeld's ("Men in Black") vibrant color palette and penchant for wide-angle lenses effectively turn the show into a storybook and leave viewers almost tasting Ned's pies, feeling the grass under Boy Ned's feet and hearing Ned's heart beating when he is reunited with the love of his life.
Death needn't be the end of it all
In 'Pushing Daisies,' a humble baker is able to resurrect the deceased. The makers think the idea has a lot of life.
ON THE SET
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And this is where the rub of this series lies -- the impossible love between Ned and Chuck (Anna Friel), childhood sweethearts who are brought back together when Chuck is murdered and Ned is supposed to bring her to life for one minute to find out who killed her. But Ned can't bring himself to let her die, so he vows to never touch her again.
"The goal with the show was to do something that I wanted to watch -- something that was fun and sweet and romantic," Fuller said. "And also a little ghoulish. We just wanted to do a grounded fairy tale that's fun and romantic that people can watch and forget about terrorism."
What other shows on television have towns named Coeur d' Coeurs (Heart of Hearts), a diner called the Pie Hole (Ned's establishment), a travel agency named Boutique Travel Travel Boutique and character names like Charlotte Charles and the Darling Mermaid Darlings? The former is Chuck's real name; the latter refers to her synchronized-swimming-personality-disordered-spinster-aunts, played by Swoosie Kurtz and Ellen Greene.
'EVERY MINUTE WAS PRECIOUS'
