Wednesday, July 04, 2007

High expectation alert

Everything I've seen, everything I've read about Pushing Daisies makes me think I'm going to love it. Of course, that was true of Studio 60 last year, too, but don't remind me of that while I'm in the first blush of anticipation.

Creator Brian Fuller (of the wonderful Wonderfalls) might not be too happy to hear that, though. Bill Carter in the New York Times has an interview with him in the article A Touching Romance, If They Just Don't Touch, where Fuller tries to shrug off the high hopes. But if he didn't want my sky-high expectations, he should never have mentioned Amelie.
Marked by a candy-colored palette, characters as sweet as freshly baked pie and a story line based on a touching (or in this case, no-touching) unrequited romance, “Pushing Daisies” is a dish that networks always promise but seldom serve: something completely different. ...

The script for “Pushing Daisies” struck nerves all over Hollywood, ultimately spawning a bidding war between ABC and NBC. ABC had some advantages. For one, coincidentally, ABC was looking for material reminiscent of the French film “Amélie,” a story about a young woman’s fantastic world. Mr. McPherson said that he loved that movie, and that ABC hoped to find a show that could strike the same chords of “whimsy and spirit and magic.”

As it happens, “Amélie” is Mr. Fuller’s favorite film. “All the things I love are represented in that movie,” he said. “It’s a movie that will make me cry based on kindness as opposed to sadness.”





Can't. Wait. I've been missing a romantic comedy-type show in my rotation. I thought Love Monkey was it a couple of seasons ago. Wonderfalls might have been it a couple of seasons before that. May Pushing Daisies last a lot longer than those, and live up to its promise.