Customer Reviews

Pushing Daisies: The Complete Second Season [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(90)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Pushing Daisies is an amazing show. It is unique and unlike anything else out there. It has the ability to inspire its fans and bring them together in mutual adoration of Bryan Fuller's genius. But ABC did not give the show the treatment it deserved, and now the show is gone, canceled before its time, with no air date in sight for the final three episodes.

I look forward to when the Season 2 DVD set is released, as it will afford the true fans of the show a chance for closure. We will finally get to see how Bryan Fuller intended the second season to end. We can finally get a small piece of the show and its heart back.

I can already say that this product deserves five stars, on the fact that it's amazing, and I have no doubt that this set will manage to hold on to the show's greatness.

I can't wait. :D

PUSHING DAISIES is no longer a part of the ABC schedule.

Even though Amazon often makes it possible to review shows before the season has ended, I make it a personal policy to never write a review until the season has ended. I'm making an exception for Season Two of PUSHING DAISIES simply because we don't know when or if ABC will air the final three episodes. There is talk that they might show the last three episodes in a single night, but possibly as late as sometime during the summer of 2009. Possibly not at all.

Time was when ABC was one of my favorite networks. Along with NBC, I watched more of their series than any other network. CBS has not had any shows that have interested me in a couple of decades and has become the network most opposed to Quality Television (a technical term for shows with specific qualities, none of which are possessed by CBS's entire schedule). FOX has done some interesting shows, but such a huge percentage of them have been cancelled (though admittedly in the years before Kevin Reilly became head of programming -- so far in his two years FOX has a much better track record and it might even become my new favorite network, especially if they keep DOLLHOUSE and TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES, my two favorite FOX series, going past this spring). The CW apart from GOSSIP GIRL has yet to develop a single show that even remotely interests me, though the old WB series SMALLVILLE is a decent show that I've watched for years (and which is experiencing an unexpected resurgence in its 8th season, which will hopefully carry over with its now confirmed 9th season). But ABC is not a station I look to with much hope. I will admit that this could change if they eventually greenlight the series FABLES, based on Bill Willingham's great comic series about fairy tale characters living in New York in a neighborhood called Fabletown (though ironically, the target audience for the show would probably be fans of PUSHING DAISIES). But even if FABLES turns out to be as great as it has the potential to be, I won't easily forget the anger I am feeling over PUSHING DAISIES. Even as FOX has developed (and then not cancelled) several new interesting shows, I still an angered over FIREFLY, WONDERFALLS, DARK ANGEL, as well as several other series.

Canceling PUSHING DAISIES has almost overnight made me hate ABC more than I once did FOX. The ratings were not good and it was an expensive show to make, but it was one of the greatest glories in the history of television. It wasn't a show with universal appeal. Some people of good taste felt the pace was too intense (the only show ever made on TV with more words per minute was probably THE GILMORE GIRLS). Some didn't like the narrator (though Jim Dale's narration for me was one of the glories of the show). Some objected to the persistent fantastical tone, though for me it was one of the greatest TV fantasies ever. I delighted in the neverceasing wordplay, the show's love of the English language (the only two shows I know that evinced as much love of the language as PUSHING DAISIES were THE GILMORE GIRLS and BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER). And we had a group of characters I came to care about more and more. Although I'm a serious student of television and have an almost embarrassing shows that I follow, PUSHING DAISIES was different. I thought of Mondays as being only two days before the next PUSHING DAISIES. And when Wednesday came around I had this thrill of anticipation, not unlike a small kid looking forward to a birthday party. Something new and special was able to enter the landscape of my imagination.

I'm not very worried about the future of the cast members. All of the performers have had success before and will again. Kristin Chenoweth has already landed one of the leads in a new David Kelly show dealing with (what else?) a law firm. Creator and executive producer Bryan Fuller has returned to HEROES, which NBC hopes he can breathe some life into the moribund and perhaps terminally ill series. Anna Friel has some movies in the can and will probably return to England where she'll find a string of projects to work on. Lee Pace will be in demand and Chi McBride is never going to be out of work for very long. Eileen Greene and Swoozie Kurtz will both find new jobs, either on TV or on the stage. But the extraordinary alchemy that resulted from their collaboration is gone. I know that ultimately TV is a bottom line business. But when a show is this extraordinary, doesn't any TV network have a moral responsibility to keep it alive.

It would be nice if perhaps the federal government could help by providing tax breaks to each network for keeping a couple of ratings-challenged shows alive simply because they are too good to let die. Surely it isn't in the best interest of the American people or the human race to let a show like PUSHING DAISIES go away when it was producing television as good as we've ever seen in the history of the medium. DAISIES was not merely good TV; it was exemplary TV, stretching the possibilities of what you can do much as other series did like BUFFY, THE SOPRANOS, and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, or as MAD MEN is right now. The only thing that benefits by this show going away is the ABC bottom line. But how to measure the intense bitterness that they have created? For PUSHING DAISIES was not a show that its fans took casually. It was appointment television, viewing around which fans designed their evening.

Trying to look past my anger and my grief, I am profoundly grateful to Bryan Fuller and Barry Sonnenfeld (the latter was instrumental in not only directing several of the episodes, but creating the Shooting Bible that explained to other directors how to reproduce the unique PUSHING DAISIES look) for having created something so extraordinary. I'm delighted that we at least got 22 episodes that are among the most physically beautiful in the history of TV. While we did not get the conclusion of the stories, we did get a vivid introduction into their unique world. I've watched some episodes 7 or 8 times. I'm sure that I will watch both seasons again and again in the years to come.

Bryan Fuller has pledged to continue the series in one way or another. He has hopes of a made for TV movie to bring the story to a close. If he is unable to make a movie, he has apparently been in talks with DC Comics to continue PUSHING DAISIES as a comic series. (Ever since Joss Whedon continued BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER by continuing Season 8 in a new form, other TV creators have followed form. Rob Thomas has hopes of continuing VERONICA MARS at some point when he isn't so busy creating multiple new shows. Rockne O'Bannon wrote a story for a new brief FARSCAPE comic series.) My hope is that by "DC" he really meant their highly distinguished imprint Vertigo, the most prestigious label in comics. I'm delighted that Bryan Fuller wants to keep faith with the show's fans and show us where he wanted to stories to go.

And there is so much we want to know! Although some of this might be answered by the three unbroadcast episodes (which if ABC manages to get out of showing would certainly be contained in the DVD set), there are huge unanswered questions. First and foremost, will Chuck and Ned ever find a way to touch? Will Olive learn about Ned's secret gift and how will she respond? Will Lily and Vivian learn that Chuck is alive again? Will Emerson locate his long lost daughter (the wonderful Gina Torres was cast as Emerson's ex-wife, but I don't know if her episodes were ever filmed)? What was the secret of the three watches? What will happen with Chuck's dad? And what about Ned's Dad? And precisely where did Ned get his remarkable gift and what is its larger significance? A made for TV movie would answer some of these. But I hope that in addition to the movie Fuller will indeed create a comic. I want answers.

But nothing is going to replace the huge loss the show creates. I am a huge collector of TV shows on DVD. I have a large and rich and very high quality collection. When I moved last August I arranged my TV DVD box sets on shelves, leaving room for future additions. Right between my box sets for THE PRISONER and SLINGS AND ARROWS I left a fair amount of empty space for what I was certain was going eventually be 4 or 5 or 6 seasons of PUSHING DAISIES. Now I'll need only a fraction of the space.

PUSHING DAISIES is no longer a part of the ABC schedule. [Update: There are now rumors that ABC is finally going to show the remaining DAISIES episodes in late May or early June. I have not heard whether the season finale will feature the original planned episode or the reedited one that will be included on the DVDs.]

Even though Amazon often makes it possible to review shows before the season has ended, I make it a personal policy to never write a review until the season has ended. I'm making an exception for Season Two of PUSHING DAISIES simply because we don't know when or if ABC will air the final three episodes. There is talk that they might show the last three episodes in a single night, but possibly as late as sometime during the summer of 2009. Possibly not at all.

Time was when ABC was one of my favorite networks. Along with NBC, I watched more of their series than any other network. CBS has not had any shows that have interested me in a couple of decades and has become the network most opposed to Quality Television (a technical term for shows with specific qualities, none of which are possessed by CBS's entire schedule). FOX has done some interesting shows, but such a huge percentage of them have been cancelled (though admittedly in the years before Kevin Reilly became head of programming -- so far in his two years FOX has a much better track record and it might even become my new favorite network, especially if they keep DOLLHOUSE and TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES, my two favorite FOX series, going past this spring). The CW apart from GOSSIP GIRL has yet to develop a single show that even remotely interests me, though the old WB series SMALLVILLE is a decent show that I've watched for years (and which is experiencing an unexpected resurgence in its 8th season, which will hopefully carry over with its now confirmed 9th season). But ABC is not a station I look to with much hope. I will admit that this could change if they eventually greenlight the series FABLES, based on Bill Willingham's great comic series about fairy tale characters living in New York in a neighborhood called Fabletown (though ironically, the target audience for the show would probably be fans of PUSHING DAISIES). But even if FABLES turns out to be as great as it has the potential to be, I won't easily forget the anger I am feeling over PUSHING DAISIES. Even as FOX has developed (and then not cancelled) several new interesting shows, I still an angered over FIREFLY, WONDERFALLS, DARK ANGEL, as well as several other series.

Canceling PUSHING DAISIES has almost overnight made me hate ABC more than I once did FOX. The ratings were not good and it was an expensive show to make, but it was one of the greatest glories in the history of television. It wasn't a show with universal appeal. Some people of good taste felt the pace was too intense (the only show ever made on TV with more words per minute was probably THE GILMORE GIRLS). Some didn't like the narrator (though Jim Dale's narration for me was one of the glories of the show). Some objected to the persistent fantastical tone, though for me it was one of the greatest TV fantasies ever. I delighted in the neverceasing wordplay, the show's love of the English language (the only two shows I know that evinced as much love of the language as PUSHING DAISIES were THE GILMORE GIRLS and BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER). And we had a group of characters I came to care about more and more. Although I'm a serious student of television and have an almost embarrassing shows that I follow, PUSHING DAISIES was different. I thought of Mondays as being only two days before the next PUSHING DAISIES. And when Wednesday came around I had this thrill of anticipation, not unlike a small kid looking forward to a birthday party. Something new and special was able to enter the landscape of my imagination.

I'm not very worried about the future of the cast members. All of the performers have had success before and will again. Kristin Chenoweth has already landed one of the leads in a new David Kelly show dealing with (what else?) a law firm. Creator and executive producer Bryan Fuller has returned to HEROES, which NBC hopes he can breathe some life into the moribund and perhaps terminally ill series. Anna Friel has some movies in the can and will probably return to England where she'll find a string of projects to work on. Lee Pace will be in demand and Chi McBride is never going to be out of work for very long. Eileen Greene and Swoozie Kurtz will both find new jobs, either on TV or on the stage. But the extraordinary alchemy that resulted from their collaboration is gone. I know that ultimately TV is a bottom line business. But when a show is this extraordinary, doesn't any TV network have a moral responsibility to keep it alive.

It would be nice if perhaps the federal government could help by providing tax breaks to each network for keeping a couple of ratings-challenged shows alive simply because they are too good to let die. Surely it isn't in the best interest of the American people or the human race to let a show like PUSHING DAISIES go away when it was producing television as good as we've ever seen in the history of the medium. DAISIES was not merely good TV; it was exemplary TV, stretching the possibilities of what you can do much as other series did like BUFFY, THE SOPRANOS, and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, or as MAD MEN is right now. The only thing that benefits by this show going away is the ABC bottom line. But how to measure the intense bitterness that they have created? For PUSHING DAISIES was not a show that its fans took casually. It was appointment television, viewing around which fans designed their evening.

Trying to look past my anger and my grief, I am profoundly grateful to Bryan Fuller and Barry Sonnenfeld (the latter was instrumental in not only directing several of the episodes, but creating the Shooting Bible that explained to other directors how to reproduce the unique PUSHING DAISIES look) for having created something so extraordinary. I'm delighted that we at least got 22 episodes that are among the most physically beautiful in the history of TV. While we did not get the conclusion of the stories, we did get a vivid introduction into their unique world. I've watched some episodes 7 or 8 times. I'm sure that I will watch both seasons again and again in the years to come.

Bryan Fuller has pledged to continue the series in one way or another. He has hopes of a made for TV movie to bring the story to a close. If he is unable to make a movie, he has apparently been in talks with DC Comics to continue PUSHING DAISIES as a comic series. (Ever since Joss Whedon continued BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER by continuing Season 8 in a new form, other TV creators have followed form. Rob Thomas has hopes of continuing VERONICA MARS at some point when he isn't so busy creating multiple new shows. Rockne O'Bannon wrote a story for a new brief FARSCAPE comic series.) My hope is that by "DC" he really meant their highly distinguished imprint Vertigo, the most prestigious label in comics. I'm delighted that Bryan Fuller wants to keep faith with the show's fans and show us where he wanted to stories to go.

And there is so much we want to know! Although some of this might be answered by the three unbroadcast episodes (which if ABC manages to get out of showing would certainly be contained in the DVD set), there are huge unanswered questions. First and foremost, will Chuck and Ned ever find a way to touch? Will Olive learn about Ned's secret gift and how will she respond? Will Lily and Vivian learn that Chuck is alive again? Will Emerson locate his long lost daughter (the wonderful Gina Torres was cast as Emerson's ex-wife, but I don't know if her episodes were ever filmed)? What was the secret of the three watches? What will happen with Chuck's dad? And what about Ned's Dad? And precisely where did Ned get his remarkable gift and what is its larger significance? A made for TV movie would answer some of these. But I hope that in addition to the movie Fuller will indeed create a comic. I want answers.

But nothing is going to replace the huge loss the show creates. I am a huge collector of TV shows on DVD. I have a large and rich and very high quality collection. When I moved last August I arranged my TV DVD box sets on shelves, leaving room for future additions. Right between my box sets for THE PRISONER and SLINGS AND ARROWS I left a fair amount of empty space for what I was certain was going eventually be 4 or 5 or 6 seasons of PUSHING DAISIES. Now I'll need only a fraction of the space.

I accidentally happened upon this television series and was instantly hooked. Even after I transfered overseas I purchased the entire first season I was so in love with the series. The characters, themes, set, and, well, just everything about it make it hard to resist, much like a guilty pleasure. There is tons of wonderful cinematography, witty quips, and thoughtful acting. The whole concept behind the show itself it simply clever. Once you start watching you find there are so many different and unique dynamics betweeen all the characters, amusing and heart warming alike. Plus, each episode's "mystery" is always so creative and funny you can't help but be tickled. I think its a total shame ABC is cutting this cute show from tv. Highly recommend watching. I, myself, have shared the first season with several friends as well as with my family all to positive reviews. After watching this show it is hard to walk away with out the "feel goods."

How could anyone not fall in love with this show? It's the most well-written, witty, romantic dramedy I've ever seen; It had me at "Pie-lette." Even my whole family loved it. I was so upset when it was taken off, and still don't understand why. Why is it always the really good shows that always fall victim to evil rejections and bite the dust when they don't deserve it? It's a question that so many are asking: there's even a widely known petition to save the show, with 92,295 signatures (and counting). It's a wonder that with that many names, the network hasn't done anything yet. All I can say is, I hope ABC or some other network picks it up again because this daisy was plucked before it had a chance to really bloom. PLEASE BRING IT BACK!!!

This is a show that doesn't look like it should work on paper. Ned (Lee Pace) is a pie maker who also happens to have a gift. With one touch, he can bring the dead back to life. But a second touch kills them forever. While he owns a pie restaurant that he runs with the help of Olive (Kristin Chenoweth), he moonlights helping private investigator Emerson Cod (Chi McBride) solve murders by interviewing the murder victims. In the first season, Ned kept one such victim alive. He just couldn't let childhood sweetheart Charlotte "Chuck" Charles (Anna Friel) stay dead. But she has to keep her life secret from Aunts Vivian and Lily (Ellen Green and Swoosie Kurtz).

Yes, the set up takes a little bit to explain. But once you buy into the premise, it works. Every week, the crew takes on a new murder investigation in such locations as a circus or with magicians. Heck, they even get thee to a nunnery. They solve the murder of a modern day Robin Hood. And there's a synchronized swimmer killed by a shark.

But each week also involves ongoing stories about the character's lives. As the season opens, Olive knows a secret about Chuck's mother. As things progress, Emerson hunts for his missing daughter, Ned finds some long lost relatives, and Chuck and Olive become roommates.

All this leaves out my all time favorite episode of the show. "The Legend of Merle McQuoddy" makes so many references and jokes to the Disney film Pete's Dragon a fan of that movie must watch it. Adding to the fun, Jim Dale, one of the stars of that movie, is the narrator of this series.

Honestly, I can't rave about this show enough. It is whimsical and fun. Each week's mystery plays perfectly into the on going storylines. The acting is perfect. The dialogue is fast and clever, leaving you hanging on every word. And it looks amazing. This show was made for HD. Trust me, this is the way to watch it.

Unfortunately, the ratings for the show were poor, so the 13 episodes here represent the final episodes of the show. Because of how the show was canceled, the producers weren't given enough time to wrap everything up. Having said that, the final episode has a nice coda that left me very satisfied. Now, if only I knew how some of the dangling plots played out.

If you missed this show, correct that now. Get both this and the first season. Before you know it, you'll be hooked on this quirky, intelligent, and fun show.

From the first pan of the Pie Hole, I was hooked. The elegant visuals of this series are unparalleled in television. I cannot think of another TV show in my decades of watching that has such a signature look; you could see stills and know immediately 'this has to be a Pushing Daisies set'. When you add the clever repartee and endearing plot line and phenomenal acting, you get a show that is truly singular in its ability to delight. I've never bought a season of any TV show, but I bought Pushing Daisies, and I'll wait eagerly for the release of Season 2. The annoying part of this is that everyone I show it to gets hooked, only to be crestfallen to find that it was cancelled. Oh, well, there's always The Bachelor. Ugh, the networks are really striving for irrelevance, aren't they?!

Pushing Daisies was one of the most innovative, original, funny and beautiful show I've seen. In just nine episodes, I fell in love with the Pie Hole and the stories that happenned there. After hearing that the show was cancelled after its second season I was mad as hell. I like a lot of ABC shows like Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy but Pushing Daisies had something different that made it unique.

Is unfortunate how such a good show has to go so soon. ABC didn't care if it won 3 emmys in 2008. For them, it was about the ratings. Even though, I think they made the wrong decision because everybody knows that a show usually need some time to stick around and they should had given this one more time. Great shows like Cheers and Seinfeld didn't were popular in their beginnings, actually, Cheers was almost cancelled after the second season but now, this shows remained as one of the best of all time.

I was thrilled to see that Pushing Daisies received 5 emmy nominations in the 2009 Emmys that will be broadcast on Sunday September 20. In the various categories that is nominated, the lovable Kristin Chenoweth is again nominated in the best supporting actress in a comedy series category. I hope Pushing Daisies will win some if not all of the nominations, so they can proof ABC that they cancelled the wrong show.

Here's an idea: What if CBS or NBC pick up Pushing Daisies? I bet it will be an excellent decision and they won't regret it.

This a great show full of fun and joy,i love how original it is. Rumor has it that you plan on canceling it after the 13th episode come on please don't do that! i look forward to this show every Wednesday night to watch and i love it, please cancel something else of lesser quality and keep this show. you're making a big mistake if you do, i like many other people (fans of the show) watch this show and love it for how original,quirky and fun it is, there's nothing like on Television. when i'm having a bad day i put on daisies and everything goes away ( i escape from the cares of the world and laugh). pretty much i'd like to see a few seasons after this one. they're so so much more story to tell of the adventures of Ned the pie maker, Emerson the PI, Chuck the , Olive Snook the working at the pie hole pining for Ned but meets another guy, The Aunts Lily and Vivian even Oscar i can't think of his last name sorry and the other characters in the Daisies world.

Basically their only getting started and you want to pull the plug? shame on you like i said please cancel something else besides this show, I Mean it Warners/ ABC. This a excellent Show, wholesome and fun to watch with the family. Lee Pace,Kristin Chenoweth and the other cast do a wonderful job every week.

And i'm hoping to see 22 episodes of this season of this show and another season after that, I'll be watch via Tivo. ( I have Daisies on season pass) So please don't pull the plug on such wonderful original and funny show ABC. I am so sick of reality shows i can't tell you. This show is lifesaver .


Hopefully You'll see the light and when this season is released on DVD It'll Be complete instead of partial if you know what i mean.

Thank You Bryan Fuller For Creating This Wonderful Show Many Best Regards To You And The Cast And Crew Of Pushing Daisies.

A Fan.

P.S. Tv rating system neilsens are a crock and totally outdated. when you just sample from a few viewers in this country to determine what percent watches this show you're way off. maybe you could find a better way than the neilsens to find out what america watches please.

Highly Recommended Series.

UpDate: Where Are The Pushing Daisies Episodes? I'm Waiting Last Wednesday Was Bore Without Daisies. Please Get With The Program ABC and dump some other Crappy Show And Keep Daisies. I Watch my Daisies Episodes Via Tivo and watch them later ( as i said before), so i don't have to want those annoying ads during the breaks and watch the show without them it's nice. I Want Daisies Back!! Wednesday Aren't The Same Without Pushing Daisies Please Bring it Back.

Actually Warner Brothers produced the series and backed it, i hope they sell it to another network and leave ABC in the dust of low rung shows they display, personally like i said they wouldn't know quality if it bit them in the butt (ABC).

Date 12/14/08, Oh There's a New Episode Of Daisies This Wednesday Called:The Norwegians. might be the last one so watch.

I've been getting in the habit of only watching a show after its first season is done and the second is in the works. This came about after several shows, excellent shows, got cancelled and left me hanging bewildered and enraged.

Pushing Daisies, however, was too good to wait for. I saw the previews and simply lost the self discipline needed to look away. I watched the shows, I bought them on itunes, and I absolutely loved them. When the writers strike began I was terrified that the show would be cancelled and incredibly relieved when it wasn't. Apparently, I relaxed too soon. I would like to buy this season as well, but I don't know if I can stomach the thought of the people who cancelled this show receiving any of my money. I'll probably buy it used.

From now on I will refuse to begin watching a show until all its seasons are complete and I have heard that the final season was given ample time to wrap it up. Shouldn't the makers of a show have some kind of obligation to provide a satisfying conclusion?