Pushing Daisies Movie and Letter to AMC

Series star Kristin Chenoweth has indicated that a movie to cap off the series could happen. She said that show creator Bryan Fuller has an idea that would wrap up most of the plotlines left unresolved at the end of the second season. She has said that the core cast would almost certainly reunite for a movie and that Paul Reubens may even reprise his role as Oscar Vibenius from the first season if the movie went forward.

Bad news is that even if this movie did happen, it seems unlikely that it would lead to new episodes seeing as Fuller as already returned to Heroes and Cheneweth is now contracted to David E. Kelly's new show on NBC, Legally Mad. However, I think the movie idea presents a good opportunity on how to approach AMC. Get them interested in producing that, and, based on how it does, perhaps they could use that as a launching point for a third season if they could work out some sort of deal with Fuller and the main cast.

Following is the letter that I have written to AMC addressing the idea. If we all continue to communicate with them and let them know how much we love the show, maybe they will greenlight the movie. It definitely can't hurt to try.

Letter to AMC:

To the Program Directors of AMC,

I am writing this letter to request that you consider adding Pushing Daisies to the current line of original programming on your network. This is an excellent and unique series unlike anything on television and a shining example of quality programming that won an Emmy last year and will almost certainly receive attention from those awards this year. As you know, ABC recently cancelled the series and I believe that AMC would be perfect as a new home for the show as you have already demonstrated a commitment to quality television with such programming as Mad Men and Breaking Bad. Pushing Daisies would be the perfect complement to these two excellent shows.

Daisies would also bring a built in fan base which would certainly follow it to your network. These fans lobbied hard for ABC to continue the series demonstrated by the letters, daisies, seeds, and pies sent to the network. An online petition created to show support for the series has received almost 80,000 signatures as of this writing (http://www.petitiononline.com/daisies/petition.html).

Series creator Bryan Fuller has publicly stated that he has an idea for a movie to continue the series. This would perhaps present your network with an excellent starting point to pickup the franchise. With your support, Fuller’s movie could wrap-up the current storylines and present a launching point for a continuation of the show beloved by so many fans such as myself.

Please consider adding Pushing Daisies to your original programming as it would fit very well with your current line-up and continue to demonstrate your commitment to quality television.

Thank you for you consideration and thank you for keeping quality programming alive on television.

Move Pushing Daisies to AMC Campaign

An initiative has started up to convince AMC to pick up Pushing Daisies for a third season. This seems like one of the more likely cable networks that the show could migrate to as it has already demonstrated a commitment to quality series television with shows like Mad Men. I do not know how the logistics would work seeing as they have already torn down the Daisies sets and seeing as how the episode cost is probably much higher than what AMC would typically budget for an original series. Still, I think it is worth a try as I do not see another network or cable channel where Pushing Daisies would be a good fit. I have attempted to contact AMC to find out if they truly have an interest in the show, but have received no response yet. Following is the information on how to contact them (ironically, they are located in town of Jericho):

Snail Mail:
AMC Viewer Services
200 Jericho Quadrangle
Jericho, NY 11753

Email:
amccustomerservice@rainbow-media.com

Phone:
516-803-4360

If enough of us let them know that we would like to see them pick up Pushing Daisies, perhaps they will make a serious attempt to work out a deal with ABC/Disney. For the forum following this campaign, go to: http://pushingdaisies-tv.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2238

What is The Next Step?

ABC has officially announced that Pushing Daisies will not continue beyond its thirteenth episode for the current season, but is there still a pulse? I have heard rumors that it could still come back next season. I have also heard that if enough units of the Season 1 DVD set this could justify a direct to DVD movie. But none of these have been substantiated. Glancing around at the other Save Pushing Daises sites, it seems that everybody is in disarray. I have seen several suggestions on how to proceed from here, but there is a definite lack of unity.

I feel like my Send a Daisy campaign had run its course because even though we pulled in substantial donations and sent off quite a number of shipments, it never showed signs of rivaling something like the Jericho nuts campaign (and when I said previously that I was suspending the campaign, it did not mean I was giving up on Pushing Daisies, just re-focusing my efforts). And I received feedback from various sources that campaigns like these rarely sway the decisions of network executives. It was worth a try, but perhaps now we need to shift direction.

I have posted a poll on this site to solicit feedback for next steps. Maybe this can provide a springboard for Daisies fans to unify on a single cause and hopefully direct that effort to send a message to the appropriate people. Please cast your vote in the poll and post any suggestions here.

Ratings Update for Wednesday - November 26, 2008

No good news here on the ratings, but then we expected the numbers to be low on the night before Thanksgiving (all shows saw a dip from previous weeks). Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that the December airings will see much of an improvement.

8 PM EST Timeslot:
1 - Bones (9.76 million viewers, 2.7 rating)
2 - The New Adventures of Old Christine / Gary Unmarried (7.66 million viewers, 2.1 rating)
3 - Rosie Live (5.04 million viewers, 1.2 rating)
4 - Pushing Daisies (4.45 million viewers, 1.2 rating)
5 - America’s Next Top Model (.99 million viewers, 0.4 rating)

Rating is for the 18-49 demographic. (Source: TVByTheNumbers.com)

More Ratings info for the current Prime Time Science Fiction and Fantasy shows

!!!!!!!!PUSHING DAISIES CANCELLED!!!!!!!!

While ABC has not made an official statement yet, several sources are confirming that ABC has pulled the plug on Pushing Daisies including EOnline.com's Kristin Dos who has been in direct contact with Brian Fuller. The show has been on the bubble almost since it premiered this season because of its slumping ratings with this past Wednesday's airing pulling its lowest numbers so far. According to Brian Fuller, ABC President Steve McPherson pushed hard for a renewal, but parent company Disney was unwilling to greenlight additional episodes. Fuller has claimed that he is not too upset at this point over the cancellation and that he is proud of the twenty two episodes they have completed. He also plans to wrap up the storylines that will be left hanging after the cliffhanger thirteenth episode in comic books and that he is also preparing a pitch for a possible big screen continuation of the franchise. (And the good news for Heroes fans is that the cancellation will likely lead to his return to that NBC series).

While I understand that the sinking ratings drove the ultimate decision to cancel the show, I wish that ABC would have allowed them to at least do a two-hour wrap up movie. This would make future DVD packages more appealing (providing a more satisfying conclusion), and possibly pave the wave for additional television movies. I figure the chances of a big screen version of Pushing Daises actually coming to fruition are slim, as Hollywood would be reluctant to pour money into a project based on a failed television series. Sure, Joss Whedon continued Firefly on the big screen, but that movie was not considered a success by Hollywood standards and will likely deter similar ventures in that direction.

Also, I don't see another network trying to acquire Pushing Daisies as it does not fit well on cable networks like the Sci Fi Channel, TNT, or Lifetime. ABC Family would have been the most likely choice (it would have paired up well with The Middleman which itself is still in limbo), but I don't know if that channel could foot the budget. At this point, it seems that any continuation beyond a comic book series is unlikely seeing as Fuller is resigned to its fate and will likely soon be very busy working on Heroes.

Unless I hear of a strong push to lobby ABC for a TV movie finale or a strong possibility that the show could move to another network, I figure that there is no reason to continue with the daisy shipments. I have about $65 in remaining donations which I will donate to a charity. All of us fans should be proud of our efforts. We did a hell of a job sending the message that we love Pushing Daisies to ABC with the daisies, seeds, pies, letters, etc. Unfortunately, cold, hard business decisions ruled at the end of day.

I will continue to post updates as I receive new information. I will also keep readers updated on the progress of the comic book series Fuller plans to write. In the mean time, we still have seven more new episodes coming over the next couple of months, so enjoy the show while it is still on the air.

Thank you for all your support,
Paul S. White
www.axiomsedge-scifi.com

Ratings Update for Wednesday - November 19, 2008

The news is not good on the first episode of Pushing Daisies to air since before Halloween. It had its lowest numbers of the season and lost around 700k viewers from its first half hour to its second. It also lost out in the 18-49 demographic to the season finale of America's Next Top Model. Of course a two week hiatus often leads to a drop in viewers, and would it have killed ABC to run a few promos for the show? I watch Desperate Housewives and Life on Mars each week, and never saw a promo for the show. ABC was looking at this night's numbers pretty close, and I don't think they will give the show a break for having been on a hiatus. And next Wednesday will almost certainly see no improvement as it is the night before Thanksgiving which is typically a low viewership time for the networks. All we can do at this point is cross our fingers and keep sending donations for daisies and continue to write to ABC.

8 PM EST Timeslot:
1 - Bones (10.73 million viewers, 3.1 rating)
2 - The New Adventures of Old Christine / Gary Unmarried (8.12 million viewers, 2.6 rating)
3 - Knight Rider (5.12 million viewers, 1.5 rating)
4 - Pushing Daisies (4.86 million viewers, 1.8 rating)
5 - America’s Next Top Model (4.80 million viewers, 2.3 rating)

Rating is for the 18-49 demographic. (Source: TVByTheNumbers.com)

More Ratings info for the current Prime Time Science Fiction and Fantasy shows

Still Sending Daisies

We need to be sure to get the word out to watch Pushing Daisies the next two weeks, because ABC will be keeping a close eye on the numbers. I the mean time, I just sent another shipment of daisies that they should receive today with the following message:

We hope that you are enjoying all the flowers we have sent and we hope that you will allow Pushing Daisies to live on. We love the show and would dearly miss it if it was gone.

Order Information:
Merchandise Amount: $141.96
Service Charge: $13.99
Less $10 Coupon -$10.00
Tax: $12.04
Order Total: $157.99

Campaign Information through 11/18:
Received Donations: $1315
Pending Donations: $0
High Donation: $100
Shipment totals: $1295
Net Balance: $20

Keep those donations coming in and keep writing to ABC!!!

Online Petition Update:
40,356 signatures as of this posting