Bryan Fuller to the Rescue!

20th Century Fox Television, Living Dead Guy Productions

Previously unbeknownst to me, the Fall 2015 TV season seemed to have one overall theme: despair. From The Leftovers, to The Affair, to Homeland, to How to Get Away With Murder, these shows were showing us the dark side and not much else. Even newcomers like Jessica Jones and Code Black wadded in darkness. The season needed to be rescued and Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller was just the man to do it!

Discouraged by all the heaviness and bleakness, I decided to dig into the Bryan Fuller catalog. His Showtime Original, Dead Like Me, had a similar, but darker vibe than Pushing Daisies, not what I was looking for. I was looking for a little levity, irreverence, and maybe with a dash of magical realism. While I was hesitant to go back all the way to 2004 for the one-season wonder, Wonderfalls, it fit the bill.

An angst-fueled, disenfranchised, post-collegiate, souvenir retail clerk in Niagara Falls, Jaye Tyler, is forced to interact and engage with the world around her through the inanimate objects that speak to her. Serving as the brunette sheep of the family, she is supported (and antagonized) by her parents Darrin, Karen, and siblings Sharon and Arron. I mean, why are you killing me, Bryan Fuller? So good. Bryan and company created a quirky, mystical world centered around Niagara Falls with a bustling souvenir shop, local bar, family home and High 'n Dry Trailer Park where Jaye lives in an Airstream. 

Jaye's angst is a nice contrast to the 'Honeymoon Capital of the World.' I knew the pilot had me, when Jaye told a little kid to, 'piss off' Ha! The quirky innocence of this place seems to do nothing but antagonize Jaye's resistance to engage with fellow townspeople, until the objects including a misshapen wax lion, a brass monkey bookend, a pink lawn flamingo, a cow creamer and many, many others all start talking to her. The series plays on the Honeymoon reputation and well as building on the mythology of Niagara Falls, from Indian ceremonies to barreling down the falls, captured in the main title theme song, 'I Wonder Why the Wonder Falls,'  written and performed by Andy Partridge. Props to Michael Andrews who also did the score to Donnie Darko and Music Supervisor Julie Houlihan who helped secure many tracks including the final track, Travis' 'Love Will Come Through.'

Unfortunately, at the time, the FOX network didn't see a future in the show. But I think it's worth the travel back in time for the charming storytelling and visual effects by CORE Digital Pictures. Like Northern Exposure, Wonderfalls is not available by any streaming means, only DVD. You could also check it out like I did through some janky YouTube links, I'm not above that. Jaye struggling to say the words 'Rainbow Boulevard' still lands with just as much heartbreak. While I wish there was a season 2 and 3, I am inspired by what Bryan Fuller and company created here and am grateful they helped rescue the borderline dystopian, Fall 2015 TV season. Bryan Fuller, must-see TV needs more of your magical pixie dust (and I don't mean in a scary, Hannibal kind of way - no matter how beautifully made, acted, and crafted). Till then, I'll be anxiously waiting to meet your next delightful cast of characters and the 'perfectly (not) normal' adventures they will lead. 

The Facts Were These...

Warner Bros. Television Distribution, Living Dead Guy Productions

After two seasons, 22 episodes, and a writers strike, Pushing Daisies, the series about Ned, a pie maker/re-animator who is in love with Chuck, his once-dead childhood girlfriend, had come to its premature end. 

Created by Bryan Fuller, the show had me from the ‘Pie-lette’ with the vindication of a dog named Cantaloupe and a change of luck for Lonely Tourist Charlotte Charles of Couer d’Couers. Absolutely charming. And while death is a big part of the show, it’s not morose or gory. It’s a colorful, comical version of death, largely courtesy of the fantastical creations by head make-up artist, Todd Macintosh. Also fantastical is Ned’s pie shop, The Pie Hole, whose facade is in the shape of a pie and inside, illuminated by oversized cherry lamps. For the architectural buffs, Ned lives with his dog Digby, next door to his not-so-secret-admirer Olive Snook in the Los Angeles landmark, The Bradbury Building.

The characters are a playful mixture of happiness and trepidation, real and magical – a pie maker who’s an re-animator, an investigator who's a knitter, a dead girl who’s alive, and her aunts, the synchronized swimming duo, The Darling Mermaid Darlings, who are shut-ins with an affinity for exotic cheeses.

Lush and delightful, this show came to life with an eclectic cast, whip-smart writing and absolutely visually stunning, swoon-worthy production design by Michael Wylie. You’ll be hooked faster than you can say gruyere-baked pie crust.