Entertainment

Why All True Romantics Know That 'Pushing Daisies' Is Seriously The Best

The year was 2007, the show was Pushing Daisies, and the facts, as they say, were these. Ned the Pie Maker used his ability to touch someone or something back to life to resurrect his first love, Chuck, after she was murdered, costing an innocent man his life and dooming them to a life free of touching. Like Chuck, fans fell in love with the Pie Maker and his friends, only to get their hearts broken when Pushing Daisies was cancelled after two seasons. The show's untimely cancellation, though, might be the most obvious reason hopeless romantics love Pushing Daisies.

Hopeless romantics share a love of romance, obviously, but more than that they share a determination to believe in the existence of a Happily Ever After. These people have never met a doomed love story they didn't like, clinging to the hope that something might change to allow for a happy ending. And the love story at the heart of Pushing Daisies is as doomed as they get.

In the show, Ned's power to bring someone back to life come with a few key rules: 1) If said resurrected thing stays alive for more than a minute, an equivalent life in proximity will be taken, and 2) One touch from Ned, and the resurrected object will die again — for good this time. And that means that as much as Ned and Chuck love each other, they can't ever touch. Ned and Chuck are like the show itself, beautiful and deserving of love, but doomed by circumstance (and lackluster ratings). And that's why, in addition to these 13 reasons, hopeless romantics love Pushing Daisies and always will.

1

The Pies

Pushing Daisies had one of the most romantic settings in all of television history: the Pie Hole. Ned's pie shop was a perfectly decorated '50s style dinner, complete with colorful booths and even more colorful displays of yummy food.

2

The Love After Death

The love story in Pushing Daisies puts a unique twist on the whole "life after death" dream. There's nothing more romantic than thinking that love transcends death. And, while other love stories between the alive and the undead in popular culture tend to involve vampires (Buffy and Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, for example), Pushing Daisies took supernatural elements out of it, making it more of a relatable fantasy.

3

The Childhood Sweethearts

Ned and Chuck were each other's first kiss and the cuteness of Young Ned and Young Chuck glimpsed a few times throughout the series is almost too much.

4

The Cellophane Kiss

Ned and Chuck can't touch, so their physical displays of affection are a bit more creative than normal. Their first kiss as adults, for example, was separated by a thin piece of cellophane plastic, and the lengths to which Ned and Chuck were willing to go just to be able to hold hands while driving or to cuddle up together for bed are almost too romantic.

5

The Narrator

Pushing Daisies is told in a storybook style, complete with narrator (the incomparable Jim Dale), giving it the vibe of a Disney animated classic and the feel of a timeless love story.

6

The Style

Hopeless romantics adore messy love stories, the kind that break you into a million pieces and never relent. But they also love a perfectly manicured tale. Pushing Daisies made sure it stood out among the rest by having a totally unique style, complete with purposefully charming special effects and fantastic wardrobes.

7

The Baking

It's safe to say that everyone, romantic or not, dreams of having a significant other who can bake them a delicious pie whenever they want.

8

The Conflict

It's hard to be a hopeless romantic when a love story has no conflict, which is why it was great that in Pushing Daisies, it's not all smooth sailing for Chuck and Ned. It turns out, dying and then coming back to life is more complicated than it seems.

9

The Unrequited Love

Olive Snook, Ned's co-worker, was hopelessly in love with him (she even sang the Grease classic "Hopelessly Devoted To You" about him). Though Ned and Chuck were the OTP of Pushing Daisies, the inclusion of Olive's love for Ned was a great way for fans stuck in one sided love stories to feel connected to the show.

10

The Music

The Pushing Daisies original music is most romantic and swoon-worthy soundtrack of all the land. It's impossible not to hear it and dream about being in love.

11

The Bonds

Through good times and bad, Ned and Chuck always stuck together. Regardless of their relationship status, they needed each other, and there's just something about depending on another person that much that is so romantic, even if it is a bit unhealthy.

12

The Look Of Love

Without being able to touch each other, Chuck and Ned had to communicate their love in other, no-contact ways. And that meant a lot of loving stares and gazes, the hallmark of any true romance.

13

The Sunshine

Doomed love story or not, Pushing Daisies is about as close to pure sunshine and rainbows as a television show can get. Hopeless romantics are used to getting their hearts broken into a million pieces, but as sad as Ned and Chuck's love story is, the show itself is never really a downer. It's truly the best of both worlds.