If the writers’ strike hadn’t happened, would “Pushing Daisies” have been cancelled?
Who knows, but when a new show is over budget, behind schedule and has okay ratings, that’s never a good thing.
So when ABC made a post-strike announcement to bring back “Daisies” in the fall—instead of for a handful of new episodes this spring, like established series “Desperate Housewives” and “Ugly Betty” —creator Bryan Fuller saw it as sort of a blessing.
Fuller tells Variety that the extra time gave him a chance to completely rethink the direction of the show, which was in danger of careening off course, and plan the production more carefully.
One reason the quirky series was off track? Fuller needed more post-production time than originally anticipated (to put all those death-defying special effects and the show’s trademark color palette in place).
“Daisies” isn’t the only newbie to benefit creatively from the hiatus. Freshman shows like “Dirty Sexy Money,” “Private Practice” and “Chuck” are also being held over until fall.
But there’s always a catch, isn’t there? Show runners may be getting more time to pump up the volume, but that means there’s not much room for error next season.
As Josh Schwartz—creator of NBC’s “Chuck” and “Gossip Girl” on the CW—told Variety
“No sophomore slumps allowed.”
So here’s a question: Would you have wanted more “Daisies” right now, instead of waiting almost a year for new, hopefully super-improved episodes?
