Like many other shows, the first season of ABC?s "Pushing Daises" was cut short due to the Writers Guild of America strike. According to series creator Bryan Fuller, though, that turned out to be something of a benefit for the show and the second season will continue to add more intrigue, character and ambition into the series.
"In a lot of respects it was a benefit and we were able to tell the stories in the first season," Fuller told iF Magazine. "Now we have a lot more game changing events than we did in the first season as the show is established and now we can take it to another level. And the second season is about jerking the wheel and taking a different road."
And one such example of changing the comedic formula is a new song currently being recorded by Kristin Chenoweth. The tiny actress with a big voice has already shown what she can do both on the series and on-stage, and the plan is for her take to song a little more in the second half of the season.
"We are recording a song and she sings in the first episode and then doesn?t sing until Episode 8," he said. "It is a budgetary thing because the musical episodes are expensive, so we have to pick and choose our battles. The second half of the season we will have more, I hope."
Additionally, despite not being able to touch, there will be a little more romance injected into the show as Ned (Lee Pace) and Chuck (Anna Friel) continue their ballet of avoidance.
"Actually it is much more fun to write this romance than another type of romance where they don?t have restrictions," he said. "'I love you' is so easy to write. There is no kind of craft there and feels almost cheap. On our show, we try to make the expression of love and the physical parameters much more a challenge and so much more satisfying than just a normal romance."
The biggest surprise this season isn?t specifically a direction the show jumps in, but instead a cross-over with "Wonderfalls," Fuller?s dramedy series that met a harsh fate on Fox a few years ago.
"It?s very bittersweet because I loved 'Wonderfalls' and the cast," Fuller said. "So much so, that I had to do a ?Wonderfalls? crossover in this season of 'Pushing Daisies.' That happens in episode eight of the second season and I?m really excited about it."
"Pushing Daisies" airs on ABC Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
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About the Author:
Alan Stanley Blair is the news editor for Airlock Alpha and assistant news editor for its sister site, Inside Blip. Contributing from his home in Scotland, he is currently studying for a diploma in freelance journalism and feature writing.