The whole family (well, three of us – the two adults and the one who has a couple months’ experience of being a teenager) liked this show.
It was definitely unexpected primetime TV, funny enough but not too… um, “I’m trying to be funny here, so laugh, ok?” like a lot of TV is, and still packed a powerful emotional punch, where morals and death and justice fix together and flit by that area of your brain that you can kinda think about it but still laugh at the same time. We all liked how original it was. Good puns, too. LOL-quality. Heh, Pie Hole.
The main actor (Lee Pace) seems very familiar to me – a little bit due to looks but mainly due to his voice. I close my eyes and listen, and I hear someone very familiar, but I can’t place it. A little IMDB searching and about the only thing I see is The Good Shepherd, so maybe that’s it. Probably not though. Maybe he just sounds like someone I listen to a lot.
I also liked the spunk, attitude and smile of ‘Chuck’, played by Anna Friel. She’s great.
Although, I find it hard to believe that Ned hasn’t touched his dog in that many years – what was it, 19 years? Seems the author should have mentioned that in the intro, after his mom was re-dead. And how in the heck did the dog live that long? Are we now to assume that the “living recently dead but not undead” are immortal? And *now* I realize why the squirrel fell from the tree *smacks forehead*. I just assumed he was going to use his power again but forgot.
I checked online and it seems they’re re-airing the pilot tonight for some reason. When the web page said “next episode airs in 0 days 12:13:16″ with a countdown timer and everything, I thought – really? Has this been out that long and the 2nd episode is tonight? But what’s listed is the first episode, aptly named “Pie Lette,” which in itself is also funny. (If you don’t get it, don’t bother watching the show.)
Since I don’t watch much TV, I don’t think I could take any more good shows. I can’t fit them in! Already, I’m watching Stargate Atlantis, The Office, Big Bang Theory, Don’t Forget the Lyrics, and ER and won’t miss an episode of any of them. I’m also recording Cavemen but haven’t seen it yet. Plus I record 1 vs 100, any billiards show I can, The Colbert Report, The Closer and Saving Grace for filling up empty time, if possible. Oh, and The Simpsons now that it’s back on.
Ok, maybe I do watch much TV.
What’s in your TV lineup that you can’t pass up?
Warning: Minor spoilers for Pushing Daisies, but not much worse than the minor ones Wayne included.
I read something one time about how having a narrator for a show or movie was a “cheat” to make up for poor writing. I don’t agree with that, but I do find that it has had a negatively biasing effect on me that I sometimes have to work a bit to overcome. I think I was able to overcome it for Pushing Daisies.
Overall, I did enjoy the show, though it isn’t “must watch”. I was a bit disappointed because I had gotten the mistaken impression (from a preview) that Chuck was special in her ability to stay alive longer than one minute — rather than just a known effect of his ability. Also, I was bothered by the wholly inaccurate portrayal of her aunt’s inability to see her — wrong eye!
As for other new shows that I like, I think that my favorite so far is Dirty, Sexy, Money, probably because of Peter Krause. As of the second episode, I also like Journeyman (I wasn’t sure after just the first episode). Moonlight has potential, even though it seems a bit too similar to Angel.
My favorite shows on television (keeping in mind that I don’t have cable) are still Heroes and Boston Legal.
Pushing Daisies is the only “can’t miss” show in my line-up. Though I’m really liking “Reaper” as well.
Lee Pace was in a previous Bryan Fuller series, the ever-excellent “Wonderfalls,” a show everybody should have seen… at least until the network canceled it… but you can watch it on DVD!
Ren, Wow, all 6 of the shows you mentioned, I either never heard of or had no intention of watching. I thought about adding Heroes to the list, but I’m big on watching a series from the beginning – I predict my complete inability to enjoy a show without knowing the whole history. I didn’t watch BSG until the end of the second season, but I had to watch everything in order from the beginning. And good point about the eye – I wonder if any one else caught that.
Dave2, you know, the only reason I watched the show is because of your blog entry. So when I say “I heard it was good, so I gave it a try”, frankly it was just that I heard it from you
so I thank you for the lead. I will likely give Reaper, Cupid, Veronica Mars and some other things a try. Oh, and Wonderfalls.
On the topic of Bryan Fuller, another of his shows that I really enjoyed was Dead Like Me. I did like Wonderfalls as well, though I don’t recall it lasting for 14 episodes — were they all aired?
Heroes is definitely a “watch from the beginning” show.
I’m a TV whore. What can I say? I have lots I “must see” including Daisies, Heroes, Lost, CSI (all), Law and Order (all), Dexter, Journeyman, Damages, The Closer, Saving Grace, …there are lots more but I’m losing track.
I’m watching in in high def right now… God, the clarity and color is amazing!!! Will let you know the verdict when I get done.
Dude, HD doesn’t have CC… how am I going to understand what’s going on? I need CC…
I CAN’T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING WITHOUT CC. ISN’T THAT ILLEGAL OR SOMETHING AGAINST DISABLED PEOPLE??????
Yea. I researched it online, and everyone is having problems. I thought, Oh, god, this is terrible. I called Time Warner, and she had me fixed up in a jif. Go time warner, for the first time you didn’t do anything wrong, and you made my day!
So I have to agree with Ren about Dirty, Sexy Money–an excellent, multi-faceted show with good acting and story. And Wonderfalls was one of my favorite shows as well, but of course most good things are cancelled before they can hook enough viewership to merit continuation from the insta-grat networks (My So Called Life, Daybreak, The Handler). That said, my favorite new show is Life, made irresistible by its lead, Damien Lewis, a British import who you’d NEVER know wasn’t American. Friday Night Lights continues to be engaging and The Office still shows it’s more versatile, though not more cringeworthy, than its British original. Finally, Showtime’s Brotherhood is off-the-charts entertaining, and the third season of Weeds, sans episodes 1 & 2, is as good as the first. And I’m literally chomping at the bit for the 7th and last season of the Shield to start. Because I’m not prone to hyperbole, let me say it’s the greatest show of all time, and future time, in the known universe of infinite universes within future spawned universes within universes….
I’m glad I’m not the only one that had the dog issue. I really liked the show, but kept wondering the same thing!!
BTW- Found you from boobsinjuriesanddrpepper and enjoy your blogging!
Update: I recently found out that a good friend of mine works out with Lee Pace’s sister. She’s actually here in Austin! What a small world.
Ren, I’ll probably watch Heroes at some point when someone I know has the DVD set and I can watch it. That’s how I was with BSG. I got into Stargate in a similar fashion, but it was that sci-fi channel was airing all the episodes in order from the beginning.
Sue, that’s _way_ too much TV for me, but to each his own. I may make you into a phone-a-friend tho if I get on a game show!
Absurdist, I don’t have HD but have friends that do. It’s neat to watch but I don’t want to get myself addicted just yet…. I can’t afford yet another technological addiction.
Toben, actually, maybe *you* are the one I should have as a phone-a-friend. You know more about movies and TV than anyone I know. Maybe that’s why you and I can’t watch the same shows and like them.
Tanya, yeah I don’t think I could own a dog I couldn’t give head rubs to. And that site is hilarious!