Comments on: Pushing Daisies: “Oh Oh Oh…It’s Magic”

By: Tracey

Tracey — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 07:25:32 +0000

Oh, Doug! You 're breaking my heart by even mentioning Middleman… I loved that show, though I knew it was too good to last… The same can be said of PD, so a worthy pairing.

By: Memles

Memles — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:12:05 +0000

While I totally concur with the genius of this particular strategy, ABC not owning the show would serve as a potential speed bump.

But, let's ignore that and focus on how awesome this two-hour block would be.

By: coyotesqrl

coyotesqrl — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:28:28 +0000

And it would be a delicious world, filled with pie and milk!

By: Doug

Doug — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:22:38 +0000

Better yet, imagine what a partnership of Fuller and Grillo-Marxuach would bring to ANY show, new or existing. They are both brilliant. If they pooled their talent and resources, they could rule the world.

By: coyotesqrl

coyotesqrl — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:04:32 +0000

Doug, that's a fantastic idea. I'd never considered the pairing of The Middleman with PD before, but it's obvious now that you mention it. Both shows are positive, with little of the darkness so many programmers think is essential for success (not that I dislike dark shows; I just think there's room for multiple viewpoints.) I did reviews for The Middleman for Pop Critics last summer; you don't have to sell me on Grillo-Marxuach's clever show. Anything to give it chance for a second season of milk-drinking, curse-avoiding awesomeness (plus: Sensei Ping!!!) is good in my book. Of course, the money and stability aren't that great, so I think there's a higher likelihood both Fuller and J G-M are going to be in contention for Tim Kring's job once TPTB realize what a dipshit *he* is.

By: Doug

Doug — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:56:26 +0000

If ABC decides to stop airing Pushing Daisies, I don't see why TPTB can’t move it over to ABC Family and pair it with Javier Grillo-Marxuach’s clever little series “The Middleman,” even if it's only for the usual 13- or 16-episode summer runs. The two shows would be a perfect fit together, with The Middleman at 8pm and Pushing Daisies at 9pm.

Plus, a shorter season for Pushing Daisies would allow Fuller to construct a unique season-long mystery in addition to the MoW and character-centric episodes.

If Monk can run on USA for eight seasons with Tony Shalhoub essentially phoning in his performance and the writers recycling their plots over and over, surely Pushing Daisies can find a long-term summer home at ABC Family.

By: coyotesqrl

coyotesqrl — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:30:30 +0000

Yeah, I watched a little of that execrable show just to enjoy Fred a little bit. But even he has limits.

By: Jen

Jen — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:03:36 +0000

The MOW is spotty at best. I enjoyed Willard and Kerry Kenney (from Reno 911 and the State), but didn't actually care who the killer was. And I can't remember most of the mysteries. But I love the characters and the setting.

By: kari

kari — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:43:03 +0000

Nice recap! Fred Willard can make anything better — even that canned "Back to You" last year. He's a gem.

My problem with PD, though (going back to the beginning), is that I'm never interested in the MoW — I only care about the few long-term revelations wrapped inside them. The MoW always feels like something to be borne, like the commercials. But then I've never been a mystery gal, so I guess kudos to Fuller, et al. for drawing me in with the characters and their fine little corner of the world.

By: coyotesqrl

coyotesqrl — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:04:28 +0000

I guess I'd agree, especially as I also though "Dim Sum Lose Sum" was a pretty good MoW. Overall, I think Fuller and his team are better at the character beats and long arcs, but yeah, they're getting better with the weekly procedurals, too.