I've been receiving more than a few concerned questions about the fate of Pushing Daisies. As many of you are aware, the ratings have been pretty disappointing thus far. I have posited my theories about whether or not it's times to worry, but I will let
TV Guide's Matt Roush take the reins on this one. Matt Roush is one of my favorite columnists, so I would definitely recommend checking out his column at the link above.
QUESTION: I'm devastated, but not necessarily surprised, by the early ratings for
Pushing Daisies. I thought it was risky of ABC to leave a show this fragile and unique off the air for so long and expect viewers to flock to its return. When I saw the ratings for Ch
uck, I knew that Pushing Daisies would get similar ratings because of their similar programming history. My question is three-fold. ABC promised a splashy "re-launch" for their Wednesday shows, but other than the normal promotion that goes into their fall marketing campaigns, I saw nothing overly unusual about how they promoted these shows. Yes, there were ads during ABC's higher-rated shows, but there were ads for everything else, too. Second, why didn't they release the Season 1 DVD sooner than a week prior to Season 2's premiere? Does the network have a say in when the DVD is released? Even if it was by a month, it would have allowed more viewers to see the show, especially those using Netflix (which is becoming an increasingly influential avenue to view television shows on DVD for those that don't want to shell out the cash to purchase them). Third, I know the networks have been shying away from programming low-rated repeats in the summer, but would nine repeat episodes of Pushing Daisies really have been that much lower than ratings disasters like High School Musical: Get in the Picture? Even if it would have added a million viewers to the Season 2 premiere, it could have been worth it. It's sad that something this unique, this creative and this original just can't "click" with a general public that would rather wallow in dreck like Criminal Minds, but my hope is that the demos are decent enough that it will make it through at least 12 episodes and give us fans a proper, affectionate sign-off. — Andrew M.
MATT ROUSH: Let's not suggest the show be pushing up daisies just yet, though the opening numbers were dismaying. I can only hope ABC won't let this delightful show go down without a fight (the same argument I've been adopting lately for Fox's struggling Terminator series). But I agree the out-of-sight, out-of-mind argument has been devastating for this show in particular. Couldn't ABC have even struck a deal with its cable offshoot ABC Family to rerun the show between seasons, even in a marathon format? (Complicating matters, possibly, is the fact that the show is produced by Warner Bros., not Disney.) Can't really comment on DVD timing issues — not my specialty — but there's a school of thought that releasing the DVD set shortly before premiere is a good promotional tool, though I agree with you that having it available earlier might have whetted the appetite. But regardless of what did or didn't happen to promote the show, the reality is that Pushing Daisies is an almost overwhelmingly distinctive show that isn't going to be to everyone's tastes. (In other words, the opposite of mainstream, which is why it's likely to struggle in a world where CBS crime dramas dominate on nearly every night.) Given its early time period, where it's being asked to jump-start a night of relatively new programming — new in the sense these shows have been off the air for nine months — Daisies is a risk, and ABC knows it. The network also knows it's a very special property, and if the Emmy attention Daisies got matters at all (I hope it does; why else do those awards matter?), then let's hope the network will be patient until after the political and baseball seasons wrap up and we get a true lay of the prime-time landscape.
QUESTION: I was thrilled to watch last Wednesday's premiere of
Pushing Daisies. It
encompassed everything I love so much about the show: the beautiful writing, the witty wordplay, the colorful characters, sets and plotlines, the wonderful twists and brilliant invention. But the next day, I was quite upset and disturbed to hear about how low its ratings were. I know that practically all the new shows with strike-shortened seasons last year have been experiencing ratings drops, and I was wondering whether there's any need to be concerned yet about any of these shows' futures (Pushing Daisies and Chuck, in particular). Or, do you think the networks will have taken this viewership drop-off into account as an effect of the long hiatuses these new shows have had and give them further leeway, for a time at least. — Robert
MATT ROUSH: Leeway is the word. As most already know,
Chuck was given a full-season order even before the show returned — a blessing given the disappointing numbers it has posted so far this season. This was a creative decision, one I applaud, that acknowledges the quality of the show regardless of how it will perform in one of the week's most difficult and overcrowded time periods. Pushing Daisies is in a similar situation, airing at an early time (albeit against generally weaker competition) and with the handicap of being both offbeat and off the air for too long. Despite what you might think, the network heads aren't dummies and they understand the challenges. Which doesn't mean they're not disappointed in how the sophomore class is currently underperforming, but it's early days still, and it's not like they have a lot of back-up options right now.
ce. The fact that old people were running the whole operation was even less encouraging. If people under 30 were running the joint, I'd have been out of there in 5 minutes. With the barrage of shawls, walkers, canes, and dementia present, however, we were there for over 45 minutes. I kid you not, it took nearly an hour to complete a task that could completed in your sleep (and I think for some of the old folks in attendance, probably was).
