Give Pushing Daisies Creator Bryan Fuller points for honesty: he admits that the upcoming ABC show used a certain French movie for inspiration:

“I can definitely cop to ripping off Amelie,” Fuller told The New York Daily News.

But there is a difference between the foreign film and Pushing Daisies, one ABC pretty much instructed Fuller to follow; he had to figure out how to translate such dense subject matter into an easily digestible one-hour TV format.

“There definitely was not necessarily an edict, but a strong suggestion [from the network] that if the show were procedural, then it would definitely be much more digestible to audiences, and they would have a framework to allow all the more special and different things to go down easier.”

Therefore, the show has been built around the concept of romance and intrigue. Each week viewers can expect an open-and-shut case regarding the various dead folks Lee Pace (who plays the life-giving-and-taking Ned) encounters via his restorative touch.

The series itself will stretch out the personal relationship between Ned and his untouchable love, Charlotte (Chuck) Charles, played by Anna Friel.

“It’s not so much about celibacy as much as it is about intimacy,” Fuller said of Ned and Chuck’s unconsummated love. “Sometimes, physicality gets in the way of true intimacy.”

We can’t imagine why anyone would ever miss an episode of Pushing Daisies.

But we suppose life events can’t be changed or delayed sometimes. With that in mind, here’s good news about where you can watch new episodes of Pushing Daisies after 8 p.m. on Wednesdays…

ABC and AOL recently announced that they’ll partner up to stream full episodes of various network shows on AOL Video. This new partnership will cover the majority of ABC’s primetime content, including new shows such as Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money.

AOL Video will offer the videos a day after the TV premiere. Typically, four episodes per series will be available at any given time.

We’ve already reported that Kristin Chenoweth will be appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live on October 16. Turns out the actress will also sit down with Jay Leno on October 2.

And we hope you drink some coffee with dinner that night. Because Chi McBride will be on the Late Late Show with Conan O’Brien on the same date.

Also, Lee Pace (pictured here as Ned) is scheduled to appear on ABC’s The View on Pushing Daisies premiere day, Wednesday, October 3. Check local listings for times.

Finally, Barry Sonnenfeld (director/executive producer) stops by The Late Show with David Letterman on Monday, October 1.

Barry Sonnenfeld has been involved with past television projects, such as The Tick. But those shows failed to find an audience - and the director admits that was largely due to his lack of attention on them.

But, not to worry Pushing Daisies fans, that won’t be a problem this time around.

“I get dailies, I talk to the visual-effects people, I read scripts, I e-mail the actors about how to stay in character,” he said. “The lesson I’ve learned is, if I love a show and I want it to succeed, then I need to stay involved on every level.”

Anna Friel stars as Chuck.

Of course, Sonnenfeld doesn’t take all the credit for the show’s advance buzz, giving credit to ABC’s marketing-savvy Entertainment president, Stephen McPherson.

“I’ve directed movies that have had fewer billboards and TV ads than Pushing Daisies,” he said. “Stephen has been great to work with.”

Along with Pushing Daisies, Sonnenfeld also is overseeing ABC’s Notes From the Underbelly.

Bryan Fuller, the man behind Pushing Daisies, is a Washington native.

Therefore, he was recently featured in The Seattle Times, discussing his motivations for the show and the good fortune that has enabled him to get it on the air. Here are excerpts from the article:

At a computer dotted with action figures and surrounded by the Addams Family Values soundtrack music, Bryan Fuller created the most original, should-be-a-hit new TV show of the fall.

ABC’s Pushing Daisies tells the story of magical, whimsical, romantic pie-maker Ned. Ned grew up in small-town Coeur d’Coeur and, as a boy, he discovered he could resurrect the dead.

Fuller, 38, is an ordinary human, but with unique talents of his own. His vivid imagination was birthed, in all places, teensy Clarkston, Wash. (population: 18,000. Go Bantams!). He was the youngest of five in a household dominated by the letter B: electrician dad Buck; floral designer/housewife Betty; and siblings Brad, Brenda, Becky and Brett.

And, no offense to friendly, sunny Clarkston, but there wasn’t even a movie theater in town. So the kid who thrived on watching “The Twilight Zone” and who’d read sci-fi books under the covers even though it was bedtime used to hop on his bike and cross the Snake River to twice-as-big Lewiston, Idaho, to catch a flick.

Clarkston, with its paper mill, Arby’s and Taco Time, lacked oomph. And from early on, Fuller itched to leave: “I knew I was going to. I just hadn’t charted the escape route yet.”

A talent for tracking
When he was about 15, Fuller hoped his ticket out might be Anne Rice. Yes, Rice, who penned the story of fabulous, immortal Lestat in her cult book, Interview With A Vampire.

Click here to read the full article.

Pushing Daisies is unique. There’s no doubt about that.

Recently, a few involved with this incredible show commented on the appeal, and challenges, of working on such a series.

- Anna Friel plays a character that can’t ever touch the man she loves. That’s certainly a change from most programs, which are centered around sex and bed hopping… or at least hand holding. But Friel finds this kind of romance sweet.

“It makes it more exciting not to be able to touch,” she said. “[It's] the longest foreplay ever in existence.”

Friel also joked about her tenuous status on the show: “I’ve behaved myself extremely well on set because a simple touch and I’m out of the series.”

- Then there’s Barry Sonnenfeld, the director behind movies such as Men in Black and Get Shorty. He’s been behind the camera on other TV pilots before, but then left to focus on a film. Now, however?

“I’m much more involved in the continuing of the show than I used to (be),” he said.

Sonnefeld plans to direct three of the first 13 episodes. He talked about the special tone of the show, one that’s a whole lot brighter than most.

“There’s a dial that if you turn to 11 instead of 10, just makes it that much more colorful.”

- Finally, longtime actress Swoosie Kurtz finds her daily life affected by this unique palette.

“I find myself thinking in primary colors,” she said.

Funny.

Sentimental.

The best new show on television.

Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller (pictured) is hearing the sort of praise all writers wish to receive about a new series. But can he handle the pressure of such expectations? He was recently asked this, among a few other questions…

Pushing Daisies doesn’t premiere until Oct. 3, but critics love it and the network is pushing it like crazy. How much pressure is on the show to live up to expectations?
Really no more pressure than I’m already putting on myself. It’s kind of nice to have so much support. It’s a big hug.

Are you surprised by the negative rumors people want to spread about the show, such as its struggles to stay on budget?
No, the currency in this town is information for a lot of folks. I had to giggle at [a report the first episode was $1.5 million over budget]. That number was so violently exaggerated it is hard to take it seriously. But we are over budget on a lot of episodes. If you talk to any show in town, they are going to be over budget. I read that Bionic Woman cost $4.3 million, but other people are just trying to shove that show under a bus, too.

How is this show’s budget situation similar or different to that of Heroes [on which Fuller was a writer last season]?
On Heroes, we were over budget before we started because studios under-budget it to increase the margin of profitability with the network. They want you to do it for a certain number, they realize you can’t, then they change the numbers. We were more over budget on Heroes than we were on Daisies. So the third episode we cut back to try to catch up. Then the network and the studio saw it and gave us more money to keep it in line with the first two.

Is Pushing Daisies the best of a pretty average bunch of pilots this fall?
I don’t think so. I loved Chuck, I think it’s fantastic, it is already on my TiVo. So is Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Reaper is fantastic

The following is an ABC press release, regarding the streaming of Pushing Daisies episodes on its official website:

Disney-ABC Television Group’s ABC Entertainment and the Warner Bros. Television Group announced today that they have reached an agreement regarding the digital distribution of “Big Shots,” “Men in Trees,” “Notes from the Underbelly” and “Pushing Daisies.”

Under the terms of the experimental deal… ABC has the ability to distribute all four series as non-permanent offerings, which includes streaming episodes online and retaining the advertising revenue generated on ABC.com’s Emmy Award-winning broadband player, as well as utilizing the pilots on alternative platforms to launch the shows.

The episodes will be available at ABC.com the day after their broadcast premieres.

The unique two-year deal allows ABC.com to stream each episode up to four weeks after its broadcast, and in return, Warner Bros. will have the same rights the following year with respect to past episodes previously streamed on ABC.com, and in addition will be able to offer digital downloads of the prior year’s episodes, as well as DVD boxed sets. While Warner Bros. will be able to stream the episodes to unlimited outlets, the episodes will be branded ABC and promote back to the network.

“This announcement reiterates our commitment to keep our viewers and their needs front-and-center as we continue to lead in the digital arena,” said Anne Sweeney, co-chair, Disney Media Networks and president, Disney-ABC Television Group.

Stephen McPherson, pictured, is the President of ABC. He recently spoke with The Los Angeles Times about a bevy of new shows on the network, most notably Pushing Daisies.

ABC is rolling out the most new shows this fall. How does the upcoming season look?
We’re excited to get going. We’re in a more stable place than in years past and it’s nice to go into September with a lot of hits - Ugly Betty, Grey’s, Lost” and Dancing With the Stars. We have Sunday, Monday and Thursday working well. And we’ve got some great shows coming up where we really took some chances - Dirty, Sexy, Money and Pushing Daisies.

Pushing Daisies already has made an impression with the critics.
My hats off to Bryan Fuller, who created the show. It’s his vision from beginning to end. Barry Sonnenfeld brought a great touch to the premiere episode. It’s a truly unique, interesting, touching procedural show with romance, intrigue and comedy to it.

Visually, it’s the most stunning show put on television in years. We’ve had a lot of success taking chances - whether it was Lost or Ugly Betty. Pushing Daisies is one of those shows that stands out in a crowded market. It’s wonderful doing shows like this and not just trying to copy what’s already working out there.

In Pushing Daisies parlance, the show does not premiere in a little over two weeks.

It starts in 18 days, five hours, forty-five minutes and 20 seconds.

That’s because, more than anything else on the show, Pushing Daisies savors every second of life. That’s evident from the opening voice-over, in which Ned (Lee Pace) is described as being “9 years, 27 weeks, 6 days and 3 minutes old.”

Later, he’s “”19 years, 34 weeks, 1 day and 59 minutes.”

Why the details? Because this forensic fairytale - as ABC describes the series as - centers around the concept that every minute matter. As Chuck (Anna Friel) says in the opening episode, “Pie-lette,” dying is as good a reason as any to start living.

“I just thought that every minute was precious,” said Creator Bryan Fuller, who spent last year on the writing staff of Heroes. “So when the narrative talks about how old somebody is, the motivation is that at the end of your life, down to the minute, you look at every minute as precious.”

Overall, is the show a bit far-fetched? Sure. But maybe that’s on purpose. Perhaps it’s meant to help you focus on your own world, as Chi McBride says:

“It’s a fairy tale, man. If you want reality, you have your own life.”