Pushing Daisies deserved better

The tragic loss of a great show, and a lesson in paying your writers what they’re worth

EVA DAVEY

Picture this: It is 2007, and you settle down with your mum to watch a fun television show about some dude that can cause something to die or resurrect just by touching it. Creepy? No! Funny and sometimes dramatic! When thinking about the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike of 2007-08, I racked my brain over what I thought was one of the most impacted shows. Then I remembered that I was seven, so the biggest drama for me television-wise was which boy Hannah Montana would pick. Yet, I distinctly remember being told by my mum that after two seasons of Pushing Daisies, there would be no more.

Main protagonist Ned (Lee Pace) realizes from a young age that he can indefinitely resurrect the dead with a single touch, but a second touch will render them permanently deceased. Later, as an adult, he opens a bakery called The Pie Hole, and to be honest it’s only after working in a produce department that I see this as insanely clever. The man never has to worry about rotting ingredients! His sweetheart Charlotte “Chuck” Charles (Anna Friel) has been resurrected after being murdered, and if he ever touches her again she will expire permanently. Hilarity ensues when Ned agrees to use his “gift” to help Private Investigator Emerson Cod (Chi McBride) solve murders by temporarily bringing victims back to life to name their killers.

This was also my very first introduction to the incredible Kristen Chenoweth, who feels as though the WGA strike was the reason for the show's cancellation.

How did a four-month writers strike cancel this show you ask? The union walked out shortly after the show premiered, leading to a very short (for the time) nineepisode run. Back in the mid-2000s this was not the norm and did not give audiences enough to sink their teeth into. The short season made for a long break between the first and second installments, and with loss of excitement, by the time season two came along, the show was a goner. While there may be many reasons for a show's cancellation, there is no doubt in my mind that the WGA strike of ‘07 was one of the key causes of this show’s premature demise. So how can we avoid another tragic loss such as Pushing Daisies? Pay those writers, Hollywood! This show proved it's hard to bring back something once it's gone.