251 replies to this topic

[sweetjane]

Bringing this over from the old thread:

Review from the Hollywood Reporter:

Fuller and Sonnenfeld created a colorful fantasy world, but that might be the easy part. To keep the series from becoming too confining, Ned and Chuck must spend more time in the real world without losing their sense of wonder or becoming one-note characters. For that to happen, the producers will need a special touch of their own.

And a new one from Variety:

Standing head and shoulders above this fall's other seedlings, "Pushing Daisies" is whimsical, romantic, funny and visually distinctive -- such a delicate mix of ingredients, frankly, you fear for its longevity in the cold, cruel world of primetime. The producers are seeking to offset that fragility by incorporating a procedural element into this tale of love and death, but that only invites skepticism the souffle will collapse by episode four or five. Such commercial considerations, however, shouldn't detract from this beguiling pilot, and credit ABC with taking the season's boldest leap in hoping that love conquers all.

[Choo Choo]

Lee Pace is going to be on the View on Wednesday.

[sweetjane]

Just to add to what Choo Choo posted, I'm bringing this info over from the old thread:

According to the Late Night TV Page:
Barry Sonnenfeld will be on Late Show with Dave Letterman Monday, Oct. 1
Kristin Chenoweth will be on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Tuesday, Oct. 2
Chi McBride will be on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson Tuesday, Oct. 2 (I saw him on the show earlier this summer and they seem to be good friends)
Lee Pace will be on The View Wednesday, Oct. 3

And adding one more:
Kristin Chenoweth will be on The Ellen DeGeneres show Wednesday, Oct. 10

[dealan]

Wow, that makes it KC's 4th Ellen apperance, I think. They must really like her.

[para]

Variety is reporting on a bunch of serious budget and other problems with PD.

Beyond that scuffle (the one with Barry Sonnenfeld who spent way too much time shooting episode 2), it's understood ABC has complained subsequent segs (of Pushing Daisies) are not consistent with the look and feel of the pilot because of budgetary issues. Warners execs are quick to note that the studio responded to ABC's concerns by hiking the budget from its initial $2.5 million per-seg base.

ABC has given "Daisies" a so-called premium license fee of $1.65 million per seg. Network sources say they just want a show that captures the distinctive look and feel of the pilot. Warner Bros. insiders counter that the budget on paper is one thing; the real costs of the first few segs have been in the range of $3 million per seg, with some of the overruns absorbed by ABC.

...

But conventional wisdom in the biz is that Warners simply doesn't have the same incentive to spend freely on "Daisies" -- as NBC is on "Bionic" or as ABC did last season on another troubled drama, "Brothers and Sisters" -- because the studio is not aligned with the network and won't share in the immediate windfall from advertising sales if "Daisies" is a hit.

Warners execs privately dispute the suggestion that their budgets or cost-containment efforts are more stringent than other major shops. "Daisies" is a unique case, they say, given its unusual needs.

Edited by para, Oct 1, 2007 @ 6:11 AM.

[caia1970]

Three million!?! Man alive, this show is going to need monster ratings on Wednesday to stand a chance.

[TWoP Barnes]

I know that 3 million sounds like a lot, but I'm not sure it is. I'm trying to remember what the budget was for BtVS. I think it was in that ballpark, and that was four years ago.

[caia1970]

I seem to recall that when Fox renegotiated the rights for seasons 6 & 7 they asked for around 2 million, and everyone was surprised when UPN coughed it up since it was considered an almost outrageous price.

[kostgard]

Yeah, I think I remember it being something of a big whoop that Star Trek:TNG had a budget of a million per episode, but that was probably over 15 years ago. I imagine that 3 million isn't a big deal nowadays, and the main problem here seems to be that the studio just doesn't want to cough up as much as ABC would like them to.

Edited by kostgard, Oct 1, 2007 @ 11:16 AM.

[March21]

ThePieMaker.com was recently invited to visit the set of Pushing Daisies. Read on for the full account of their Pushing Daisies set visit.

[Illyria B]

It would be more interesting to compare with current shows like Lost and other shows that you know cost more to produce, TNG is too old (20th anniversay this year) and Buffy was not that expensive. I know Veronica Mars had a smaller budget and they had like 1.5 million per episode.

Let's hope for good numbers on Wednesday and then maybe Warner can see that it's a good investment.

[RoxieVelma]

Seriously anytime I come to this thread, I think of V.C. Andrews. ;)

Lee Pace will be on The View Wednesday, Oct. 3

Ahh, a little something to brighten up my morning.

[para]

It would be more interesting to compare with current shows like Lost and other shows that you know cost more to produce, TNG is too old (20th anniversay this year) and Buffy was not that expensive. I know Veronica Mars had a smaller budget and they had like 1.5 million per episode

The Variety article lists some other budgets and apparently 3 million is around the top range of budgets - Glen Morgan got on sacked as EP on Bionic Woman when the second episode approached a 4 million budget.

The good news is that the production company (Warner Bros) is paying that money, the bad news is that more than half of that is immediately paid by ABC via licensing the show. Well, actually according to Variety both is bad news, since Warner Bros are kind of unwilling to invest more into the show's budget because it doesn't air on a Warner Bros' owned network and ABC will be unhappy if the ratings don't justify the license fee they have to pay for airing it.

The really bad news for the audience IMO is that the look and feel of the second episode didn't match the one in the pilot, although it's possible that they fixed that.

[needsleep05]

It would be more interesting to compare with current shows like Lost and other shows that you know cost more to produce, TNG is too old (20th anniversay this year) and Buffy was not that expensive. I know Veronica Mars had a smaller budget and they had like 1.5 million per episode.

I think the problem with comparing PD with LOST, BtVS, etc is that those are established shows already. ABC knows LOST will pull in big numbers and (I never watched Buffy) I'm assuming that BtVS pulled decent ratings to be on so long. Plus, those show rake in the dough from DVD sales. The big problem for PD is that the stuido is shelling out a ton of money for a show that hasn't even proved if it will get the ratings to last one season, let alone several.

I hope it gets the ratings it needs and I hope Fuller & Co. learn manage the budget better. If you blow a bunch of money during the first portion of the season there's just going to be less money available for the end of the season.

[sweetjane]

TeenTelevision: Lee Pace is "Pushing Daisies"

Variety: Pushy Questions For...Swoosie Kurtz

CanMag: Sonnenfeld Plants ABC's Daisies

Zap2it via Jamaica Gleaner: Send a dozen roses to funny, whimsical 'Pushing Daisies'

NY Daily News: 'Pushing Daisies' has a pie to die for

The last 3 articles have a lot of rehash from the spate of articles that came out after the summer press tour, but since those are all buried in the old thread they might be good reads for anyone who hasn't read up on the show yet.

ETA:

NY Post: Flower Power

NY Sun: Fun With the Touch of Death

[dealan]

Adding October 16, Kristin Chenoweth on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

[elvira7]

A rave review in The Toronto Star.

[sweetjane]

A bunch more reviews:

San Jose Mercury News: ABC tries something completely different with 'Pushing Daisies'

It is a show that, in its very first hour, manages to say things about love, death, friendship and the way human beings connect - or don't.

Buffalo News: Go ahead, pick the ‘Daisies’
4 out of 4 stars

One’s enjoyment of the series, which deals with life and death, may depend on whether the viewer is into “adorable.”

Chicago Sun-Times: Picture-perfect 'Daisies'

TV's best new drama is a visually stunning and creatively ambitious romantic adventure with a delightfully morbid twist.

NY Newsday: Review: 'Pushing Daisies'

Outre, you might say; yet dry as fine champagne.

Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan: Whimsy overdose tangles 'Pushing Daisies'
Fairly critical (sad, because I love Mo Ryan and respect her opinion)

I would have loved to see the pilot for this show deliver half as much whimsy and twice as much quiet compassion for Ned’s central dilemma.

[sweetjane]

BuzzSugar: Interview: Lee Pace of "Pushing Daisies"
TV with MeeVee: "Pushing Daisies" Interviews: Foreplay in Beekeeper Suits

More reviews. Most reviewers love the pilot, and comment on its originality, look, and quirkiness. Many wonder whether it will be able to sustain itself and/or whether it will be able to find an audience.
LA Times: 'Daisies' keeps one foot in another world
NY Times: Loner Finds He Has a Touch for Piemaking and Undeadmaking
Detroit Free Press: BACK TO LIFE: ABC's fabulous fairy tale, 'Pushing Daisies,' revives network television -- and the dead
NJ Star-Ledger's Alan Sepinwall: A fantasy with a special touch
SF Chronicle's Tim Goodman: Quirky new drama too good to be 'Pushing Daisies'
Cleveland Plain Dealer: 'Pushing Daisies' is the best new show on television ... but is that a good thing?
Hartford Courant: A Garden Of Inventiveness
Salt Lake Tribune: 'Pushing Daisies' a delightfully weird look at life and death
Fort Worth Star-Telegram: This season's creative gem and It's not time to pick 'Daisies' as new fave
Time: Pushing Daisies - Fall Arts Preview and On Daisies, and the Pushing Thereof

ETA:

USA Today: Please don't miss the enchanting 'Daisies'

AOL Video: 'Pushing Daisies' Star Lee Pace
I think this is his Good Morning America appearance.

[RoxieVelma]

I totally missed LP on GMA, so YAY! =)

Edited by RoxieVelma, Oct 3, 2007 @ 9:10 PM.

[TWoP Barnes]

It's like a code.

[moviegirl11]

I can say that this latest creation of Bryan Fuller (Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls) is without a doubt the most unique, charming and intriguing new series on television.

Edited by moviegirl11, Oct 3, 2007 @ 10:53 PM.

[sweetjane]

TV Squad review: Pushing Daisies: Pie-lette (series premiere)

Zap2it review: Whimsical and magical, but will that be enough to make anybody watch?

There's an audience for whom Fuller's warped idealism is resonant and then there's everybody else. I don't judge.

LA Times: Geek goes glam
In case you're wondering how Bryan Fuller decorates his home.

[cutecouple]

At the ABC homepage for PD, there's a comic book based on the show, and a comic book style recap, which is like a comic-book-ized photo recap thing with word bubbles.

[cosmonaut]

I don't know the last time I saw a show this universally revered by the media and bloggers. But for those who weren't so keen on it, you get some support here and here. And even those reviews aren't scathing. They support the show in principle, if not execution.

[para]

Sorry, that was an accident.

Edited by para, Oct 4, 2007 @ 3:36 PM.

[debi48]

http://www.tvsquad.c...d-debut-at-8pm/


Looks like it did well in the ratings. Yeah!

[sweetjane]

Palm Beach Post: Quirky murder-mystery-romance has blossomed as fall's most refreshingly original show

AZ Daily Star: 'Pushing Daisies' -- Too much media hype

New York Magazine: ‘Pushing Daisies’ Will Probably Not Save Television As We Know It

Pajiba: I Have Now Been in Love With This Show for 12 Hours, 42 Minutes and 23 Seconds

I’m just saying, there are worse ways to die than kissing Lee Pace.

EW's PopWatch: Snap judgment: 'Pushing Daisies'

Wherever this leads — and whether I can involve myself in the Victorian idea of a love affair without physical contact — I am, frankly, a little smitten. Still, I can see the kind of diabetic coma such kooky cuteness could induce.

Edited by sweetjane, Oct 5, 2007 @ 3:40 AM.

[Spadada]

Did the NY Mag writer not see the ratings? Pushing Daisies did the same numbers as Private Practice this week. (I know PD was the premiere and PP was the second ep of the season, but still. If you are going to compare them, you should at least mention it. Especially if you say one is a hit and one is doomed from the start.)