Bryan Fuller in SCI Fi Wire

[velocityofsound]

Bryan Fuller teases Pushing Daisies' last eps-and comic series! (Spoilers for the last three episodes, and potentially beyond.)

Lots of interesting stuff about timeslot issues, his creative vision for the show, the Season 3 comics, etc.

We are currently negotiating with Warner Brothers to get the comic-book rights, and if they clear it in the

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[shipaholic]

There's some non-spoilery content at the beginning, which I can C&P:

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Bryan Fuller, creator of ABC's canceled fantasy series Pushing Daisies, gave SCI FI Wire a preview of the last three episodes and added that the story may continue in a comic-book series from Marvel.

The series, which charmed critics and fans alike, will also be showcased at the 2009 Paley Festival in Hollywood on Sunday.

We spoke exclusively with Fuller about Daisies' early demise and its continuing adventures. The following Q&A is an edited version of our interview. The show's final episodes will air on three consecutive Saturdays, starting May 30, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. It will land on DVD on July 21.

Initially, Pushing Daisies was this critically hailed, Emmy-nominated series with strong ratings. A year later, the series didn't even get a full season. What went wrong?

Fuller: The writers' strike is the big bully to blame for the plummeting ratings. There was a writers' strike in 1988, and television shows lost around 30 percent of their audiences. During this one, shows lost 20 percent of their audiences. It was a combination of the writers' strike and being off the air for 10 months.

The other problem was our timeslot wasn't good, since we didn't have a lead-in. When we aired at 9 p.m., we went up by 3 million viewers, which was really dramatic. ABC refused to move us from the 8:00 timeslot, which had worked previously the season before, but after the writers' strike and the erosion of the audience, it wasn't sustainable, so we asked them to move us repeatedly. We would have even taken Friday night at 9 p.m., because people don't watch TV earlier. All the Nielsen ratings indicate people start watching TV at 8:30. That was a big indication, but I certainly don't think the quality of the show went down. If anything, it got stronger and clearer.

When this run was coming to an end, were you concerned the remaining three episodes would never even air?

Fuller: We're doing the Paley Festival in April, where we'll be screening the last few episodes. It sold out within 20 minutes of tickets going on sale. The thing is, with Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me, there's always been a dedicated audience base, which is how I measure the shows' successes. That, to me, is so satisfying, which is why when Pushing Daisies got canceled, I knew we had 22 episodes I was very proud of that were meticulously produced, well written, and how many shows can say that? I walk away with more pride than disappointment.

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Then there are some mild plot spoilers for the last three episodes - nothing major. Brian talks about stuff he would have done if they hadn't been cancelled, and talks about some of the characters he wants to use in the comic. Then he talks about the artist:

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Do you have any artists lined up?

Fuller: I love Tim Sale. He's such a nice guy, and I have a really good relationship with him, so I'm hoping he'll be able to work with us. His art is so specific and has an interesting point of view, specifically with The Long Halloween. That was such a perfect melding of comic-book writer and artist, so I'd love to do something like that.

...

When can people expect to see that out on the stands?

Fuller: We are currently negotiating with Warner Brothers to get the comic-book rights, and if they clear it in the next month or so we would hit the ground running immediately to get the issues out. Our first issue could premiere in the fall.

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I hope that's helpful!

[shipaholic]

No problem! :)