Pushing Daisies is an American comedy-drama television series created by Bryan Fuller that aired on ABC from October 3, 2007, to June 13, 2009.

Together with his formerly deceased childhood crush Chuck (Anna Friel), co-worker Olive Snook (Kristin Chenoweth), and private investigator Emerson Cod (Chi McBride), Ned uses his abilities to solve murder cases.

[2] The cast also includes Ellen Greene, Swoosie Kurtz and Field Cate, with Jim Dale acting as narrator.

Touted as a "forensic fairy tale", the series is known for its unusual visual style, eccentric production design, quirky characters, fast-paced dialogue and grotesque situations.

The series often uses wordplay, metaphor and double entendre, while Jim Dale's narration is very similar to that of a fairy tale.

The series received critical acclaim, with praises going towards the cast, direction, writing, tone, and set design, and won numerous awards.

[4] Pushing Daisies centers on the life of Ned, a pie-maker gifted with the ability to reanimate the dead by touching them.

Chuck's agoraphobic aunts, Vivian and Lily, move in to care for her and Ned is sent by his father to a boarding school, separating the children.

The restaurant is failing financially when private investigator Emerson Cod accidentally discovers Ned's powers and offers a proposal: Ned will temporarily bring murder victims back to life, allowing Emerson to inquire about the circumstances of their death, quickly solve the case, and split the reward money with him.

Chuck joins Ned and Emerson in investigating deaths for reward money, beginning with her own murder.

The epilogue reveals that Emerson's daughter returns to him, Chuck is able to let her mother Lily and aunt Vivian know she is alive, and Olive has fallen in love with Randy Mann, a taxidermist friend of the group, and opens The Intrepid Cow, a restaurant dedicated to macaroni and cheese.

[10][11] By November 20, 2008, creator Bryan Fuller had confirmed that Pushing Daisies had been cancelled by ABC and expressed the possibility of wrapping up lingering plotlines in a comic book or movie sequel.

He achieved this by "concentrating on conflicting patterns in different colors, particularly reds and oranges, but per director Barry Sonnenfeld, virtually no blues.

"[19] Cinematographer Michael Weaver told Variety that he and the producers decided the visuals should "feel somewhere between Amélie and a Tim Burton film — something big, bright and bigger than life.

Symmetry is a common theme used in the visual style, and characters are often framed in windows, doors, or background props.

Regardless of the fact that the show focuses on murder investigations, the morgue is painted in candy-cane stripes and many outfits worn by the characters are vibrantly colored, bright, and cheery (for example, Olive's work uniforms alternate between bright orange and lime-green pinstriped dresses, and Emerson is often seen wearing shades of purple).

Dooley describes the musical score as having an Amélie type of sound (Yann Tiersen), which is a "wide-angled, adult fairy tale, with a narrator and this super-real world".

The show's official website included a comic book that was distributed at the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con, with new mysteries and background information not seen on the televised episodes.

[34] Fuller stated that the "third season" comic book series would be twelve issues long, with a fresh take on the zombie genre starring all of the characters from the show.

Fuller stated that Dooley had started composing musical cues, and that the cast had agreed to sing on the soundtrack, though licensing fees for the actors may have prevented such performances from being included.

[42] Fuller later commented that a Kickstarter campaign would be harder for Pushing Daisies due to the budget differences.

[44] On July 16, 2012, when asked about a potential stage adaptation of the show by TVLine's Michael Ausiello, Fuller responded "Perhaps!"

"[45] In February 2014, Fuller revealed he had discussions with Warner Bros. studios and director Barry Sonnenfeld about reviving the series as either a film or a Broadway musical starring Kristin Chenoweth.

The site's critical consensus reads, "A gloriously strange fairy tale, Pushing Daisies' oddball charms are brought to life with warmth and whimsy in large part thanks to the chemistry of its charismatic leads.

The site's critical consensus reads, "Pushing Daisies' tawdry quirks continue to bloom in a deliciously inventive second season that rises to the high bar set by its predecessor.

upon review[54] and the series has been touted as "the fall show with the most spring buzz" by many, including the trade publication Variety.

[55] New York Magazine also provided a rave review, calling it "funny, imaginative and smart" while claiming it "boasts Gilmore Girls-speed wit.

Barry Sonnenfeld also won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series for "Pie-lette".