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.