The story of a man with the power to bring people back to life with a single touch (there are a few interesting conditions to that gift), Pushing Daisies is one part crime comedy, one part childlike romance and one part character study of the confused loner we’re all capable of being. You can read my full review of the first episode here, and for all things related to the show, check out The Pie Maker.

Pushing Daisies is not for everyone (people who hate puppies, sunshine and smiling or those with a low tolerance for whimsy and charm will probably be better off watching Deal or No Deal). But if you consider yourself a fan of television, film or just being happy, I urge you to give it a go. It’s the kind of show that only shows up once in a great while, and, unfortunately, doesn’t often get to stick around as long as it deserves. Let’s see if we can avoid that.

Pushing Daisies airs Wednesdays at 8pm on ABC

I made the trek uptown this weekend for the third annual New York Television Festival, and while I was happy to catch critics Matt Rouse, Alan Sepinwall and Tara Ariano speak at a panel on TV Criticism in the blogosphere, my primary impetus was Pushing Daisies. Having already watched the pilot too many times to admit without shame, I was there for the Q&A and a little time basking in the glory of super-brain Bryan Fuller. PD has already garnered so much coverage that the Q&A didn’t offer much in the way of news. What we did learn though is that Fuller & co are hard at work at writing other, non-Lee Pace, Wonderfalls veterans into the new series. This is exciting on so many levels – almost as exciting as the fact that the audience collectively creamed their pants for the show. You would have thought they’d just seen the perfect summer blockbuster from all of the applause. Worries that PD might not find an audience are dissolving quicker each day. Ever the intrepid journalist… I forgot my digi-recorder, and my camera batteries died en route, so I have no fun content to offer; others were thankfully vigilant.

NYTVF isn’t about big premieres though, so network presence was at a minimum. I only got a chance to see a few of the independent pilots – one of which, Redeeming Rainbow, was the funniest thing I can recall seeing in a long time. The story of two friends in Jersey City who sublet their apartment’s third bedroom to a rainbow, the show is filmed mockumentary style and features a CGI rainbow that loves rice cakes and reproduces asexually. If that doesn’t sound awesome to you, I don’t know what you’re doing here.

Rainbow’s life is hard. He doesn’t get along with one of his roommates, the mayor of Jersey City wants him deported and his babies keep dying. He sounds a lot like the talking towel from South Park, but the humor is much fresher. The busiest woman alive, Kirsten Schaal (seen above watching videos of “baby faces” with Rainbow), even makes a cameo as his creepy, nameless friend. There is no show Schaal can’t make funnier, no day she can’t brighten. The entire pilot is online, and all four parts are embedded on the series’ official blog. I suggest you head that way right now.

Redeeming Rainbow screened with Mild Mannered – a fun geek-comedy that could probably make a go of it if it wasn’t on the heels of similar, slicker and, well, much better network offerings like Reaper and Chuck. I also had time to see two dramas. Dear Harvard (the festival’s big winner) is an earnest high school drama (with a ridiculously young cast) that could easily make its way to The N or ABC Family. The Band, however, probably should never see the light of day again. A college drama about a Christian punk band balancing love, “volunteer work” and rocking out sounds like it would be ripe with parody, but it was painfully sincere. Pardon the blasphemy, but it was also poorly written, acted and executed.

Every once in a while, the stars align just so – giving us a television show that isn’t just innovative and entertaining, but well-received and wholeheartedly endorsed by the network that’s airing it. There hasn’t been a new program since Lost to accomplish this coveted quadfecta, and the only pilot that seems to be garnering similar buzz and promotion this season is ABC’s Pushing Daisies.

The brainchild of Bryan Fuller (creator of Dead Like Me and Wonderfalls), Daisies is the story of Ned (Wonderfalls’ Lee Pace), a pie maker who can bring people back to life with one touch and send them back to oblivion forever with a second. When his power is discovered by a private investigator (Boston Public’s Chi McBride), he and Ned go into business together interviewing murder victims to solve their deaths and collect the reward money. Things are complicated when one of their first jobs is Ned’s childhood crush, Chuck (Anna Friel), who he cannot bare to let go of. Whimsy and childlike romance ensue.

His work on Dead Like Me and (most recently) Heroes pushed Bryan Fuller up to silver medal status for my favorite living television screenwriter, so I went into the pilot with lofty hopes and fanboy adoration in tow. The 42 minutes that followed failed to disappoint and actually exceeded what I can acknowledge as unfairly high expectations (I’m tempted to gush but I’ll refrain). Directed by executive producer Barry Sonnenfeld, the first episode plays out like a brightly colored amalgam of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Tim Burton’s more lighthearted fare. And with Jim Dale’s over-excited narration, there’s even a nice Seussian element at work.

Pushing Daisies is billed as a “forensic fairytale,” but it is such a long way off from a procedural drama that the mere mention of the f-word seems deeply unfair. Aloof loners and star-crossed love are the order of the day, and while the unique non-TV visuals and snappy writing will elicit the most attention, it’s the stellar ensemble cast that brings it together. Swoosie Kurtz and Ellen Greene, in particular, steal every scene as agoraphobic former synchronized-swimming stars, The Darling Mermaid Darlings, and are the most obvious of Fuller’s frequent homages to Jeunet. As for the leads, Ned and Chuck are a little reminiscent of Johnny Depp and Mary Stuart Masterson in Benny & Joon; instead of mental illness keeping them apart, it’s their long history as introverts that sees a physical manifestation in Ned’s touch of death. Pace and Friel push the line between endearing and saccharine farther than it’s normally willing to go, but every time it appears they could go overboard, they seem to retreat into their heads.

Two months off from an actual premiere, I’m just as worried for Pushing Daisies as I am excited for it. America can only handle so much quirky, and Fuller has an unfortunate track record of creating amazing shows that meet untimely cancellations. But if enough people tune in to the pilot (which is very likely, given its lead-in to Private Practice), I’d be surprised if this show doesn’t immediately click with the majority of viewers.

For now… there is the handsome promo below and a well-timed “leak” of the pilot making the rounds online if you’re up for a sneak peak.