Pigeon (Pushing Daisies)
Encyclopedia
"Pigeon" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American
television
comedy-drama
Pushing Daisies
. The episode—which features a duet version of the They Might Be Giants
song "Birdhouse in Your Soul
"—earned Jim Dooley
a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series
. It attracted about 9.7 million viewers for its broadcast premiere in the United States.
and Chuck investigating whether the pilot committed suicide. Chuck finds herself drawn to the man who appears to be the sole survivor (guest star Dash Mihok
). Olive takes a wounded pigeon to Chuck's aunts for help.
Pushing Daisies stars Lee Pace
as Ned, Anna Friel
as Chuck, Chi McBride
as Emerson Cod, Ellen Greene
as Aunt Vivian, with Swoosie Kurtz
as Aunt Lily and Kristin Chenoweth
as Olive Snook. Jim Dale
is the narrator, and Sy Richardson
plays the coroner, a recurring character.
Guest starring in "Pigeon" are Dash Mihok
as Conrad/Lewis/Lefty, Vince Cefalu as Bradan, Karly Rothenberg
as Becky, E.J. Callahan as Jackson, Pamela Kosh
as the narcoleptic curator, Jayma Mays
as Elsita/Elsa, Victor Z. Isaac as the delivery boy and Dan Glenn as young Jackson.
television network announced an order for a full 22-episode first season of the series. The full order was not a surprise, since the show had easily won its Wednesday lead-off time slot among adults 18-49 during each of the three previous airings, though that success was against the backdrop of an overall bad start for the new fall TV broadcasting season.
The episode competed against the first game of the 2007 World Series
, losing to that sporting event but outdrawing the premiere of Phenomenon
on NBC, as well as every other program that night.
. Entertainment Weekly
later credited the strike for giving Pushing Daisies, a series with only moderate ratings success during its first season, a change to relaunch. Nine months later, actress Kristin Chenoweth
, who played Olive, cited the strike as one reason for the cancellation though she speculated that other reasons may have also played a role.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
Pushing Daisies
Pushing Daisies
Pushing Daisies is an American comedy-drama television series created by Bryan Fuller that aired on ABC from October 3, 2007 to June 13, 2009. The series stars Lee Pace as Ned, a pie-maker with the ability to bring dead things back to life with his touch, an ability that comes with stipulations...
. The episode—which features a duet version of the They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
song "Birdhouse in Your Soul
Birdhouse in Your Soul
"Birdhouse in Your Soul" is a song by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was released in March 1990 as a single from the album Flood. It reached #3 on the United States Modern Rock Tracks chart and #6 on the UK Singles Chart and remains their highest-charting single in both...
"—earned Jim Dooley
James Dooley (composer)
James Michael Dooley is a film score composer. Dooley studied music at New York University, majoring in music composition. After finishing the university he moved to Los Angeles, where he studied music with prolific film score composers Christopher Young, Elmer Bernstein and Leonard Rosenman...
a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series
This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series.-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:-Total Awards:* CBS - 10* ABC - 7* NBC - 6* FOX - 3* Syndicated - 3* Discovery Channel - 2...
. It attracted about 9.7 million viewers for its broadcast premiere in the United States.
Plot
A plane crash into an apartment building leaves Emerson, NedNed (Pushing Daisies)
Ned is the protagonist from the 2007-9 ABC television series Pushing Daisies. He is portrayed by Lee Pace.Ned works as a pie maker at his restaurant The Pie Hole. He also has the ability to resurrect the dead with a single touch...
and Chuck investigating whether the pilot committed suicide. Chuck finds herself drawn to the man who appears to be the sole survivor (guest star Dash Mihok
Dash Mihok
Dashiell "Dash" Mihok is an American actor.-Life and career:Mihok was born in New York City, New York, the son of actors Andrea and Raymond Thorne . He attended the Bronx High School of Science and was raised in Greenwich Village. While at the Bronx High School of Science, Dash played baseball as...
). Olive takes a wounded pigeon to Chuck's aunts for help.
Cast
- See also List of characters in Pushing Daisies
Pushing Daisies stars Lee Pace
Lee Pace
Lee Grinner Pace is an American actor. Pace has been featured in film, stage and television. He is known best for his starring role as Ned in the ABC series Pushing Daisies for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe award and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2008.-...
as Ned, Anna Friel
Anna Friel
Anna Louise Friel is an English actress. She rose to fame in the UK as Beth Jordache on the Channel 4 soap Brookside.-Early life:...
as Chuck, Chi McBride
Chi McBride
Kenneth "Chi" McBride is an American actor. He starred as Steven Harper on the series Boston Public, as Emerson Cod on Pushing Daisies, and recently appeared in Fox's drama Human Target.-Early life:...
as Emerson Cod, Ellen Greene
Ellen Greene
Ellen Greene is an American singer and actress. Greene has had a long and varied career as a singer, particularly in cabaret, as an actor and singer in numerous stage productions, particularly musical theatre, as well as having performed in many films – notably Little Shop of Horrors...
as Aunt Vivian, with Swoosie Kurtz
Swoosie Kurtz
Swoosie Kurtz is an American actress. She began her career in theater during the 1970s and shortly thereafter began a career in television, garnering ten nominations and winning one Emmy Award. Her most famous television project was her role on the 1990s NBC drama Sisters...
as Aunt Lily and Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth is an American singer and actress, with credits in musical theatre, film and television. She is best known on Broadway for her performance as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown , for which she won a Tony Award, and for originating the role of Glinda in the musical...
as Olive Snook. Jim Dale
Jim Dale
Jim Dale, MBE is an English actor, voice artist, singer and songwriter. He is best known in the United Kingdom for his many appearances in the Carry On series of films and in the US for narrating the Harry Potter audiobook series, for which he received two Grammy Awards, and the ABC series Pushing...
is the narrator, and Sy Richardson
Sy Richardson
-Early life:Richardson was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He started singing at age 12 and recorded his first record with Lil June and the Januarys at 16. Richardson served two years on active duty with the United States Navy.-Career:...
plays the coroner, a recurring character.
Guest starring in "Pigeon" are Dash Mihok
Dash Mihok
Dashiell "Dash" Mihok is an American actor.-Life and career:Mihok was born in New York City, New York, the son of actors Andrea and Raymond Thorne . He attended the Bronx High School of Science and was raised in Greenwich Village. While at the Bronx High School of Science, Dash played baseball as...
as Conrad/Lewis/Lefty, Vince Cefalu as Bradan, Karly Rothenberg
Karly Rothenberg
Karly Rothenberg is an American film and television actress. In addition to her feature film roles, Karly now has a Recurring Guest Star Role as Marlene, Secretary to Miguel Ferrer's character, Lt. Felix Valdez, on Lifetime TV's The Protector. She was also a Recurring Guest Star in the role of Mrs...
as Becky, E.J. Callahan as Jackson, Pamela Kosh
Pamela Kosh
Pamela Kosh, also known as Pam Kosh, is an American television and film actress best known for her roles as Miss Peach in Days of Our Lives, Flora in The King of Queens, Miss Simpson in Saved by the Bell and Martha in Dr...
as the narcoleptic curator, Jayma Mays
Jayma Mays
Jayma Suzette Mays is an American television and film actress, and singer. Mays' most prominent roles include that of Emma Pillsbury on the American television series Glee, recurring appearances on Ugly Betty and on Heroes as characters named Charlie.- Life and career :Mays was born Jamia Suzette...
as Elsita/Elsa, Victor Z. Isaac as the delivery boy and Dan Glenn as young Jackson.
U.S. ratings
This episode aired the day after the ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television network announced an order for a full 22-episode first season of the series. The full order was not a surprise, since the show had easily won its Wednesday lead-off time slot among adults 18-49 during each of the three previous airings, though that success was against the backdrop of an overall bad start for the new fall TV broadcasting season.
The episode competed against the first game of the 2007 World Series
2007 World Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at Fenway Park in Boston, MassachusettsThe Red Sox cruised to a blowout win in Game 1 behind ALCS MVP Josh Beckett, who struck out nine batters, including the first four he faced, en route to his fourth win of the 2007 postseason...
, losing to that sporting event but outdrawing the premiere of Phenomenon
Phenomenon (TV series)
Phenomenon is a competition show judged by mystifier Uri Geller and illusionist Criss Angel and hosted by Tim Vincent which debuted live on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 on NBC. The show featured ten contestants competing to become the next great mentalist, to be determined by viewers voting by phone...
on NBC, as well as every other program that night.
Writer's strike
The week the episode aired in the United States was also one in which screenwriters authorized their union leaders to call what in two weeks became the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
later credited the strike for giving Pushing Daisies, a series with only moderate ratings success during its first season, a change to relaunch. Nine months later, actress Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth is an American singer and actress, with credits in musical theatre, film and television. She is best known on Broadway for her performance as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown , for which she won a Tony Award, and for originating the role of Glinda in the musical...
, who played Olive, cited the strike as one reason for the cancellation though she speculated that other reasons may have also played a role.