By The Collectress

It’s been nine long years since Pushing Daisies went off the air, and I, for one, am still not over it. The show was refreshingly original with its quirky take on a murder mystery/crime-solving dramedy. Bryan Fuller’s brain child has achieved quite the cult following since then, and with Lee Pace finding a lot of success in franchises such as The Hobbit and Guardians of the Galaxy, perhaps it’s time for ABC to seriously consider bringing back my favorite show of all time.

If you are unfamiliar with this show, the premise is this: Ned (Lee Pace) is a piemaker with a unique ability–if he touches a dead thing, it comes back to life. If he touches it again, it stays dead forever. This ability pairs him up with private detective Emerson Cod (Chi McBride), but also keeps him separated from his once-dead childhood sweetheart, Chuck (Anna Friel), forever.

In a time of reboots and revivals (*cough cough* the Roseanne debacle *cough cough*), a show as sweet and as earnest as Pushing Daisies deserves a second chance. Cancelled midway through its sophomore season, the show barely touched the beginnings of where it could go. Each episode solves a murder (and usually a personal dilemma in the process), but the grand over-arching plots remain unfulfilled. Will Chuck ever be reunited with her aunts? Will Olive Snook ever find love? Will Ned ever be able to pet his dog???

Most importantly, will we ever again have a tv show that has such a delicious love affair with pie?

In addition to its quirky premise, the show offered an interesting aesthetic appeal with its 60s throwback costumes and complete non-use of the colour blue. Often, it looks more reminiscent of an Andy Warhol painting than a contemporary television series. It has such a distinct usage of colour that renders any screen grab immediately recognisable.

While the show’s premise and aesthetic are undeniably alluring, it’s really the characters that give the show its heart. Ned’s unyielding earnestness and shy-guy charm endeared him to many (myself included), and Chuck’s bright-eyed optimism made the ordinary seem like a fairytale. Olive, Emerson, and Chuck’s aunts completed the ensemble of lovable misfits who sometimes solve crimes together. My undying love for Lee Pace aside, Kristen Chenoweth, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Swoosie Kurtz, and Ellen Greene are equally enjoyable, and the ending of the show left me with a hole in my heart in the shape of pie.

Bryan Fuller cheekily tweet after the Roseanne revival was cancelled that he’d be up for bringing back Ned the Piemaker & co.

My hopes are raised. Bryan wants it, we want, the world deserves it. 2018 hasn’t offered us much, but perhaps bringing back Pushing Daisies might redeem the year. And, as Ned says, “Pie is home. People always come home.”

Take us home, ABC.