can anyone suggest anything similar to watch? with the same mix of comedy, quirkiness and visuals? the only thing i can think of is the movie The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. they should finance tv series like they do American Idol - “call in if you do not want your favourite series voted out!” ; “the Tribal Council has spoken, it’s time for Lost to go.” i don’t really like reality tv, but surely many would pay to keep a series going…
DEAD LIKE ME. The story of a young girl who is killed when a toilet seat from the reentering Mir space station kills her and becomes a grim reaper. Aired two seasons on showtime and a a direct to dvd movie.
WONDERFALLS. The story of a Niagra Falls store clerk, who one day finds out animal totems talk to her and only her. (Lee Pace better known as Ned the pie maker plays her brother.) Four episodes aired before cancellation but all eleven are available on dvd.
Bryan Fuller, the creator of DEAD LIKE ME and WONDERFALLS would later create
PUSHING DAISIES.
I think if Bryan Fuller had stuck with the show instead of being ousted, it would have been more like Pushing Daisies than it turned into, but as it stands it was decently entertaining with some quirky elements to it.
Definitely check out Bryan Fuller’s other series Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me. I would also check out current show Glee. For films, maybe the works of Jean-Pierre Jeunet: Delicatessen (1991), The City of Lost Children (1995), Amélie (2001) or Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, BigFish, etc.) or Terry Gilliam (Baron Munchausen, Brazil, Time Bandits, 12 Monkeys, etc). Honorable mention to the Princess Bride and Neverwhere.
I’ll add my vote for *WonderFalls *and Dead Like Me.
There’s a lot of similarity between both shows (of course), but they both had short runs, so it doesn’t have a chance to get old.
Because the first episode of Pushing Daisies was directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, who established the shooting style that was maintained ever afterward, perhaps The Tick would be something to look into.
thanks for the answers! 4 seasons of tv should soothe the ache abit.
i like Tim Burton’s work but i’ll say it’s different from Pushing Daisies, more odd than quirky. watched 12 monkeys a loong time ago, iirc it didn’t really stand out to me. i’ll look into the Jean-Pierre Jeunet stuff.
For Jeunet I’d start with Amelie, which is quirky but sweet, whereas the other two are a bit fantastical but also darker. Oddly, he also directed Alien Resurrection, which is why it had all those French actors in it, but he didn’t write it (that was Whedon!).
i watched Amelie and it was great! it is *exactly *what i was looking for, thank you jackdavinci, thank you! the only parts i didn’t like were the shaky cam, but the rest of the film more than made up for it.
i’m on Wonderfalls now. it’s fun to watch though it’s not anything like Pushing Daisies. i would say it’s more like a stress-free version of Joan of Arcadia. [whisper]i notice the few times he had appeared so far, Ned the Piemaker doesn’t touch anyone.[/whisper]
i see Middleman is another suggestion that lasted for one season only. don’t people like quirky tv series?
