FALL TV SEASON 'Pushing Daisies' pops as one of lineup's liveliest - 1 touch revives dead, 2nd dooms them forever

MARK WASHBURN

LOS ANGELES - Springing from an absolutely preposterous plot is ABC's fall comedy "Pushing Daisies."

It's about a guy who can bring the dead back to life by just touching them. Problem is, if he touches them again, they die for good. He hooks up with a private detective, played by Chi McBride, who finds the gift useful in his line of work.

Complicating matters is that Mr. Magic Touch (Lee Pace, "Wonderfalls") has revived his childhood sweetheart. They get smitten, but can't touch. It's a problem that requires the use of beekeeper suits and other prophylactic measures.

Petal for petal, this kooky show is the standout of the fall line-up. A modern-day fairy tale with the dead-on comic aim of "Beetlejuice" or "Men in Black," it is harvesting nothing but bouquets from TV critics gathered for fall network previews.

Which leads us back to Chi McBride. He was aboard last year's critical darling, a serial drama called "The Nine." Following spectacular reviews, it spectacularly flopped.

So how's he taking it this time?

"I knew you were going to ask me that," he told critics. "I would much rather be in a situation where there's a lot of positive critical buzz than to not.

"I'd rather be on this show than to be in a room where people are laying odds as to when you're going to get cancelled."

Odds being laid here are that McBride is going to have plenty of time to smell the roses