Pushing Daisies is an American television dramedy created by Bryan Fuller which centres on the life of Ned, a pie maker gifted with the mysterious ability to bring dead things back to life by touching them.
The show aired in the USA on ABC from 3 October, 2007 to 13 June, 2009. It was officially cancelled by ABC on 20 November, 2008. There are 22 hour-long episodes in two seasons.
Pushing Daisies premiered in South Africa on M-Net on Tuesday 22 January, 2008, at 19h30. Only the first season aired on M-Net; it was subsequently moved to DStv's M-Net Series channel, premiering on Sunday 13 July 2008, at 20h00. It later aired on SABC2 and SABC3.
See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.
Pushing Daisies premiered on SABC3 on Tuesday 5 April 2011, at 23h00. New episodes broadcast weekly. There are nine episodes in the first season.
Season 1
Pushing Daisies revolves around the life of Ned, a pie maker gifted with the mysterious ability to bring dead things back to life by touching them.
There are a couple of conditions to the somewhat unwanted talent, however. Ned quickly learns that if something is revived for more than exactly one minute something of similar "life value" in the vicinity drops dead, in a form of balance.
Additionally, if he touches the revived thing a second time, it goes back to being dead again, permanently. No amount of his prodding will ever bring it back again.
Grown up Ned puts his talent to good use by touching dead fruit and making it ripe with everlasting flavour. He opens a pie shop.
But his gift leaves him wary of becoming close to anyone, as beautiful waitress Olive Snook finds out.
His life as a pie maker gets more complicated when private investigator Emerson Cod finds out about Ned's secret.
Emerson convinces the cash-strapped Ned to help him solve murder cases (and collect the hefty reward fees) by raising the dead and getting them to name their killers.
Then Ned is handed the case that changes his life forever. His childhood sweetheart, Charlotte "Chuck" Charles, is murdered on a cruise ship under strange circumstances.
Her death brings him back to his hometown of Coeur d' Coeurs to bring Chuck back to life, albeit briefly, and solve the crime.
But once reunited with Chuck, Ned can't bring himself to send her back. He helps her escape after her grieving aunts, Lily and Vivian, former synchronized swimmers Darling Mermaid Darlings, think they've buried her forever.
Chuck becomes the third partner in Ned and Emerson's PI enterprise, but she encourages them to use their skills for good, not just for profit. Ned is overjoyed to be reunited with Chuck, the only girl he's ever loved.
Life would be perfect, except for one cruel twist - if he ever touches her again, she'll go back to being dead, this time for good.
Season 2
On the Season 2 premiere of Pushing Daisies, Chuck goes undercover as a "Bee Girl" at a honey-based cosmetics company after their new spokesmodel (guest star Autumn Reeser) is stung to death.
She soon discovers that office politics are killer (literally) between the founder (guest star Missi Pyle as Betty Bee) and the new owner (guest star French Stewart as Woolsey Nicholls).
Meanwhile, Ned can't stand her growing independence or the fact that she wants to move out of his apartment.
In other developments, Lily spirits Olive off to a nunnery so she won't spill Lily's deep, dark secret.
Seasons
Season 1 (9 episodes)
Channel: M-Net | Premiere: 22 Jan 2008 | Finale: 18 Mar 2008 | Tuesdays, 19h30
Channel: M-Net Series | Premiere: 13 Jul 2008 | Finale: 7 Sep 2008 | Sundays, 20h00
Channel: SABC2 | Premiere: 15 Jul 2010 | Finale: 9 Sep 2010 | Thursdays, 19h00
Channel: SABC3 | Premiere: 5 Apr 2011 | Finale: 31 May 2011 | Tuesdays, 23h00
Season 2 (13 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Series | Premiere: 28 Oct 2009 | Finale: 20 Jan 2010 | Wednesdays, 19h00