TVSquad

(S02E02) I love the romanticism of Pushing Daisies, especially the way this episode presented it. Instead of all the usual sunshine and sweetness, Ned was actually acting petulant and sullen. Chuck was asserting her independence and feeling the need for seizing the opportunity of a new beginning.

For a change, these two that are normally so in sync had to deal with an internal challenge, as opposed to the physical constraints that are inherent because Ned cannot touch Chuck lest he lose her forever. Ned had to accept that Chuck was living next door -- in Olive's apartment -- and happy about it.

You know the one I'm talking about. After the writers strike ended last year in February, most of the networks made the interesting decision to just go ahead and shelve most of their freshmen series for the season, even if they'd picked up their "back nine" orders. Instead, they thought they'd launch the shows to big fanfare this fall, almost as if they were new again. Unfortunately, it looks like this plan backfired on them tremendously.

Across the board, those sophomore series that went on hiatus for more than six months are way down in the ratings. Apparently, absence doesn't make the heart grow fonder when it comes to the television landscape. It makes the instant gratification generation forget you existed. And stop caring.

(S02E01) What's the buzz? The buzz is bees and bees were the main topic on tonight's season opener. Frankly, I really don't like bees, so I found the sight of the dead body -- Kentucky Fitz -- covered in pus-filled bee bites rather repulsive. However, you got to hand it to Pushing Daisies for production values.

Everything about the show remains top-notch. The look, the feel, the essence remains as precious as the Emmy-award winning pie-lette (for direction). In fact, that's the only problem with PD; it is precious. For some people that's too much. For me, this is TV that's just too good to care about the delicate balance between surreality and satire, fable and a far-out acid trip.

Chi McBride made a name for himself playing incredibly serious, commanding, dramatic roles, which is probably why people love him so much as Emerson Cod, the cynic with perfect comedic timing on ABC's Pushing Daisies.

When Pushing Daisies returns for its second season (premiering Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 8PM EST), we'll find Emerson, Ned, Chuck and Olive solving murders in a particularly buzz-worthy cosmetics company, a killer circus, a magician's castle and a nunnery, just to name a few.

Chi talked to us about Emerson's softer side, his mission in life and how to become his best friend ever ... and it only requires a few million friends.

So what's better than a Pushing Daisies star saving you from the deadly embrace of crystal meth? Not much, but the answer to that (and, lets face it, most other questions) is free freakin' pie. ABC really doesn't want you to forget about the whimsical show that was cut short by the writers' strike, so Pushing Daisies is hitting the road.

ABC has outfitted an Airstream trailer to look like The Pie Hole, the shop in which most of Daisies' action takes place, and is driving it across the country to give fans free pie. In addition to the delicious confections, the temporary Pie Hole will feature props from the show and plasma TVs on which fans can watch footage from the show.

The Pushing Daisies Tour begins this Sunday and makes 10 stops. Follow me after the jump for the full schedule.

Man, Intervention is a downer. Between the alcoholism, the anorexia and the 8-10 per-day dust can huffing habits, it is really hard to watch that show and maintain a positive outlook on life. Luckily, Kristin Chenoweth, Broadway diva and effervescent star of Pushing Daisies, has found a solution to all that nastiness: a peppy song about the dangers of crystal meth.

Chenoweth has teamed up with Funny or Die to create her own episode of Intervention. It still has distraught family members confronting an addict in a nondescript hotel room, but instead of a laundry list of ways that Bob, a musician and a meth addict, is ruining his and everyone else's life, there's a peppy song about "Tina," the poor man's cocaine, that includes warnings about "waking up in a pile of your own urine and doo-doo."

The video is after the jump.

It's coming. The table is set, the players are on the field, the sails are raised, and the pretty maids are all in a row. Of course, I speak of the 2008-09 television schedule. In just a few short weeks viewers will be able to dine on a number of favorite and new dishes that are being served by the networks as well as the increasing number of cable channels who are delving into original programming.

While other fall seasons have come and gone with nary a whimper, this season may be different. Due to the prolonged Writers Strike many shows ended their seasons quite early. Programs like Life, Private Practice, Pushing Daisies, and Heroes haven't aired original episodes since the end of 2007. Heck, there hasn't been a new episode of The Shield since June of last year! So, the beginning of the 2008-09 season will be a second chance for some of these shows, particularly the ones that premiered last season, to show their worth to fans and the networks.

Pushing Daisies, my favorite new show from last season, has just announced that Stephen Root is set to guest star on its upcoming season, which premieres October 1st. Although Root is probably best known as the Swingline Stapler-loving Milton Waddams from Office Space, he's no stranger to television. Root also played eccentric boss Jimmy James on the David Foley comedy NewsRadio for four years and currently voices Bill on King of the Hill.

Root is signed up for a four-episode arc on Daisies. His character apparently has a connection to both Ned and Chuck's fathers. Series creator Bryan Fuller says that "He stirs up a lot of hullabaloo for everyone, particularly Aunts Lily and Vivian."

One of my favorite parts of the summer press tour was the last day, mainly because a busload of critics got to go to the Warner Bros. lot and tour sets from ER, Chuck, and Pushing Daisies (we also saw the Dollhouse set on the Fox lot later that day).

On the Pie Hole set of Daisies, for instance, all the stars and producers were available for interviews. Kristin Chenoweth held court right outside the pie-shaped diner's entrance, sporting a splint on her right hand from a recent bat bite (I kid you not... wonder what scene they were shooting at the time). But I was there to ask her about how she felt about being the model for Harriet Hayes on Studio 60 two years ago. And she was very candid about the situation,especially in light of the fact that her former (and current?) boyfriend, S60 creator Aaron Sorkin, never was.

First, though, a question about Jeff Probst; Chenoweth dropped the tidbit that the two of them dated when she announced his Emmy nomination the week before. Audio is after the jump.

Joss Whedon fans, take note ... you may have competition from the fans of ABC's Pushing Daises. That's the way it seemed at their Comic-Con panel on Saturday afternoon. They were so loud and applauded so frequently that it made an audience of Whedon fans seem like a group of cloistered monks taking a vow of silence.

But, that really isn't surprising since the show (whose first season comes out on standard DVD and Blu-Ray on September 16th) has such a wealth of talent both on and off screen. The audience at the Pushing Daises panel had an opportunity to see all that talent in one place as the entire cast joined creator Bryan Fuller and executive producer Barry Sonnenfeld in answering questions about season two. The tantalizing morsels appear after the jump.

A few thoughts about Kristin Chenoweth, if you don't mind. First, congratulations to the Pushing Daisies' actress --she plays Olive -- for snagging an Emmy nomination as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. And kudos for the effervescent and spontaneous adlibs and asides she and Neil Patrick Harris -- another favorite of mine -- brought to the reading of the nominations Thursday morning.

So often the reading of the nominations is as dull as dishwater, like the stars doing the announcing are simply trying to get through it without tripping over their tongues. Not so with Chenoweth and Harris; they were delightful together and added a kick to the nomination announcement.

ABC must love the Cox-Arquette family. The network's fall season will feature Courteney Cox in a three-episode arc of Scrubs, and now David Arquette is set to guest star on an episode of Pushing Daisies. This role marks Arquette's first ABC appearance since he starred in 2007's In Case of Emergency, which was canceled after only twelve episodes.

I'll save the character-specific information for after the jump. Arquette will guest star in the fourth episode of Pushing Daisies' second season. While he's definitely an acquired taste, David Arquette seems just odd enough to fit in with the show's unique cast of characters.

After Jimmy Kimmel left the room, ABC Entertainment Steve McPherson got on with the business of facing the press at his executive session. I kicked it off with a question about Scrubs, following up on what Bill Lawrence told me in May about a possible "next generation" ninth season.

"We do think there's an opportunity after (this eighth season)," said McPherson. "If any or all the cast is a part of that, I think there's a growth (opportunity) there. It's a show that, despite being moved around into like 17 time periods and really never being given the marketing support, has really performed unbelievably well on NBC." He went on to say that they hope "it won't be a one-season situation."

Other than that, most of the conversation revolved around the network's returning shows, which makes sense, since the network is only debuting a few new shows (none of which had pilots that the network thought were suitable for preview) this fall.

Saturday -- a time of rest and relaxation. A time to put your feet up, grab a lemonade, open a book, and let the cool, summer breezes gently rock your hammock as a lazy July day passes. Of course, that's if you aren't attending the San Diego Comic-Con. Then, it's out of your bed, quick shower (if any), breakfast-on-the-go, and right back into the queues to see your particular favorites talking about their television shows.

Like Friday, Saturday at Comic-Con will be packed with television goodness. This is the day that many of the big guns come to play. Shows like The Office, Lost, Battlestar Galactica will be making appearances. They will be joined by newcomers Chuck, Dollhouse, and Pushing Daisies. There will even be an appearance by the recently single Sarah Silverman. There's also a good bit of television animation being featured, particularly by Nicktoons and B.E.T. Animation.

In order to make sure you get the most out of the money you paid to get into the convention, we here at TV Squad are providing you with a complete list of television-related panels for that day. If you are interested in seeing what else is going on July 25th you can review the official full schedule at the Comic-Con website. Remember, times and appearances are subject to change and seating in all event rooms is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

ABC's hit show Pushing Daisies will host a pie-eating contest at the Orange County Fair. The contest will run for thirteen straight evenings. Each night, ten contestants will don a "Pie Hole" themed bib and compete for a special prize. No word on what the prize is or better yet, what kind of pie they'll have to eat. Also, on the first night of the contest, cast members Field Cate (Young Ned) and Sammi Hanratty (Young Chuck) will be on hand to sign autographs.

This is a cute marketing idea. A good ole fashioned food-eating contest is always a hit. However, I wish they would have gotten some bigger cast members to make an appearance. The kids are cute, but even I'd take a trip to Orange County to watch people stuff themselves for Lee Pace (*swoon*).

If you live in Orange County or are planning to visit in the near future, the dates and specific locations for the contest are after the jump.