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E! Online is reporting, direct from showrunner Bryan Fuller, that even if the strike were to end this week, his show, ABC’s Pushing Daisies, would not be back for more episodes this year. And I quote from E! Online:

“Lots of talk has been going down this past week,” Daisies boss Bryan Fuller told me earlier today. “Essentially, even if the strike is resolved in the next week or two, we wouldn’t be back until next season. There was a preliminary conversation that involved a plan to hit the ground running and try to get episodes on the air as soon as possible, but it no longer seems like that’s going to happen. It seems most likely that we will have a very short first season and then come back in the fall for a proper season two.”

Now, that’s a dang shame. Sure, it took yours truly until the strike break to find time to display a bunch of TIVO’d episodes of Pushing Daisies across my standard Sony WEGA sitting awkwardly atop my plasma tv mount, but once I found the show and realized it was from the same wonderful folks who brought us Dead Like Me and Wonderfalls, I was all over that show and it’s now in my personal Top 10 “Must Watch” list.

C’mon, Fuller… say it ain’t so! If the writer’s strike settles soon, I don’t wanna have to wait till September to see more of The Pie Maker and Dead Girl! That’s just wrong in SO many ways!

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Next on my list of year-in-review posts is comedy shows. As more and more shows begin mixing comedy and drama, this becomes a harder category to handle. Is House a drama or a comedy? What about Pushing Daisies? Or Chuck? Anyone who’s used Cisco knows what I mean.

So here they are, my Top 5 comedies of 2007, with my best guesses as to whether the shows I’m praising are comedies or not.

5. Pushing Daisies (ABC)

There were a lot of shows vying for the fifth spot. CBS’s The Big Bang Theory was an early favorite. So was another Monday Night on CBS show, How I Met Your Mother. I like Tina Fey’s 30 Rock even though I can’t stand Alec Baldwin. And The CW’s Reaper was, at times, hilarious. However, even though I was a late-comer to ABC’s Pushing Daisies, it immediately became a favorite for its dark theme yet wonderfully loony cast of characters. Reminds me a bit of other short-lived favorites like Fox’s Wonderfalls and Showtime’s Dead Like Me. Creator Bryan Fuller is the reason for that; he was involved in all three shows and still makes wonderful television. He has the feel of a young Glen Gordon Caron. Here’s hoping Pushing Daisies lasts longer!

4. Extras (HBO)

Ricky Gervais is a dark comedy genius and Extras gave me a lot of laughs this year. The series-capping Christmas special was the perfect way to fill out the characters. Here’s hoping NBC doesn’t try to snog this one into their lineup with a less-talented American cast. (Yes, The Office rebounded after a dreadful first season, but still…)

3. Chuck (NBC)

Sure, it’s frothy and not very deep, but it’s fun and that’s what counts. NBC’s spy comedy was a fun way to warm up for Heroes every Monday night, and fully enjoyable in its own right. With an appealing cast, Chuck looks like a keeper.

2. Psych (USA)

Aging well in its second season, USA’s dramady is still one of the fresher, more appealing shows on non-network television, and full of gentle laughs and good mysteries. A perfect companion to Monk.

1. Scrubs (NBC)

In their final season, Bill Lawrence is pulling out all the stops and it’s just too bad the series may not get the ending he envisioned thanks to the writer’s strike. The tales of JD and his many cohorts has always been a personal favorite, and this one will be missed when it disappears for good.

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