Lee Pace, who was cast in The Hobbit because of Pushing Daisies. Lee plays Ned, a pie maker with the ability to bring dead things back to life with a single touch, only for them to die again forever with a second one. When he brings back the love of his life, Charlotte “Chuck” Charles (Anna Friel), he chooses to keep her around and suffer the cosmic consequences.

One of my favorite the idea of a Pushing Daisies stage musical, the series has yet to be brought back from the dead. Maybe one day we’ll get to see a revival of the vastly underrated show, but until then, there are still many questions that keep me awake at night.

6 Will Ned And Chuck Ever Be Able To Touch?

Pushing Daisies Likely Would Have Found A Loophole

Part of the charm and romance of Pushing Daisies is that the two leads, Ned and Chuck, are unable to touch, since Ned’s strange supernatural ability that brought Chuck back to life would also end her life if they touch again. The two young lovers find creative ways to express their affection without actually touching one another, but even so, the eagerness to see these two lovebirds being able to physically consummate their romance became one of the series’ most anticipated problems to solve.

Even though their inability to touch one another is a major part of the show’s appeal, I can’t help but wonder if the continuation of Pushing Daisies would have somehow found a way to make it happen. Maybe the writers could have done an episode where Ned’s ability disappears for a day. Or maybe they could have learned more about it and possibly found a cure. Since the origin and cause of Ned’s powers are a mystery, it would be easy to make something up to allow Chuck and Ned to finally hold hands, at the very least.

5 How Do The Aunts React To Chuck Being Alive?

They're Reunited In The Season 2 Finale

Aunts Lily (Swoozie Kurtz) and Vivian (Ellen Greene) were formerly renowned synchronized swimmers, known as the Darling Mermaid Darlings, before they became recluses following an accident in which Lily lost her eye. Just when they were considering making their big comeback, Chuck was murdered while on a cruise ship, causing them to revert back to their hermit-like ways.

The Pushing Daisies season 1 finale dropped a bombshell when Lily revealed a deeply-held secret to Olive — she is not Chuck’s aunt, but her mother. Olive spills the beans to Chuck in season 2, making her all the more determined to see Lily despite Ned’s insistence that she remain hidden. Ned finally gives in to Chuck’s wishes in the season 2 finale, “Kerplunk,” when they ring the doorbell of the aunts’ house, and Lily and Vivian are shocked to find Chuck alive and well on their doorstep.

Sadly, we never got to see how Chuck’s reunion with her beloved Aunt Vivian and mother Lily would happen, since the series was canceled after that. Besides mother and daughter finally being together again, there is still much more to resolve as well — such as Lily confessing to Vivian that she had an affair with her fiancé, Charles Charles. Perhaps another season of Pushing Daisies would have helped to resolve these dangling issues, but now we’ll never know.

4 Whatever Happened To Alfredo, Olive’s True Soulmate?

Olive Deserved A Second Chance With Him

The best (and only) waitress at the Pie Hole, Olive Snook (Kristin Chenoweth), is desperately in love with Ned, and though her love is unrequited, she doesn’t give up hope that he will one day come around. The ending of Pushing Daisies has Olive finally moving on from Ned and settling down with her new beau, taxidermist Randy Mann, played by David Arquette.

"...I couldn’t help but hold on to hope that Alfredo would one day return."

While I was happy that Olive was able to find love with someone new, I believe that she made the wrong choice, and that her true love was actually Alfredo Aldarisio (Raúl Esparza) from season 1. A homeopathic medicine salesman, Alfredo fell in love with Olive the moment they met. Unfortunately, she was too hung up on Ned to see her perfect match right in front of her. In “Bitter Sweets,” Alfredo tells Olive that he will be leaving town for his job, and likely won’t return. It wasn’t until he was gone for good that Olive finally realized what she’d lost.

Honestly, I was never a fan of Arquette’s character, who was far too dopey for my taste, and I couldn’t help but hold on to hope that Alfredo would one day return. A third season of Pushing Daisies would have not only been the perfect opportunity to see Alfredo again, but for Olive to realize that he is the one she was meant to be with.

3 Will Emerson Cod Establish A Relationship With His Daughter?

She Seemingly Showed Up At His Office In The Season 2 Finale

Private Investigator Emerson Cod (Chi McBride) seemingly only cares about one thing — cold hard cash. Yet as Pushing Daisies goes into its second season, we eventually learn that Emerson does have a soft spot in the form of a long-lost daughter named Penny. Emerson’s ex had left him years before, taking their daughter with her without leaving a trace, and he’s been trying to find her ever since.

In the episode “Water & Power,” Penny’s mother, Nina Robinson, hires Emerson to clear her of a murder, and in return, she will allow him to see Penny. In the end, Nina fools Emerson into believing that Penny is waiting for him in the backseat of his car, only for him to find a dummy dressed up as his daughter. Nina then drives away, as 12-year-old Penny waves at Emerson from the window with a smile.

Nina didn’t exactly go back on her promise, but it seems that Emerson gets his chance to meet Penny in the season 2 finale, “Kerplunk,” when a silhouette of a little girl is shown at the door of Emerson’s office. Frustratingly, we never got to see Emerson and his daughter back together again. Personally, I would love to have seen Penny her dad on a case or two as his "lil gumshoe."

2 Will Oscar Vibenius Ever Learn Chuck’s Secret?

He Was On The Way To Sniffing It Out

Pushing Daisies featured multiple fantastic guest stars, including the late, great Paul Reubens as Oscar Vibenius, one of the comedic actor's best roles other than Pee-Wee Herman. Introduced in “Smell of Success,” Oscar is an olfactory expert who excels in the science of smells — particularly bad ones. He becomes fascinated with the natural musk of Chuck and Digby, who share a similar fragrance due to them both being brought back from the dead.

Having never smelled anything like them before, Oscar becomes obsessed with finding out why Chuck smells so unique, and asks her for a piece of her hair to conduct experiments. He suspects that Chuck is hiding a dark secret, and warns her that he will find out what it is, either with or without her help. After wavering back and forth on her decision, Chuck decides not to acquiesce to Oscar’s request, and he is forced to settle for some of Digby’s fur shavings instead.

With the cancelation of Pushing Daisies, the question remains: will Oscar ever discover Chuck’s secret? If he does, what will he do with it? The possible repercussions are a bit daunting, but sadly, they’ll have to remain a mystery.

1 Who Is Ned’s Father, And What Is He Hiding?

The Man Will Remain An Enigma

The facts are these: Ned’s father left him at boarding school when Ned was 9 years old. He then went on to marry another woman, with whom he had twin boys. Ned was left traumatized, and 20 years later, he still hadn't seen or heard from his father. However, season 2 of Pushing Daisies hints that he is closer than Ned realizes. He saves the lives of Olive and Ned in “The Norwegians,” and finds other ways to help his son while hiding in the shadows.

Also during season 2, we are introduced to Dwight Dixton, a shifty drifter who was at one time in cahoots with Chuck’s father, Charles Charles, and Ned’s dad. The three of them were of the Blue Berets, yet it’s hinted that they were also secret agents. Each of them had a pocket watch with their initials engraved on it, which, when brought together, would apparently reveal some earth-shattering secret. Unfortunately, this secret would never be revealed due to the show’s untimely cancellation.

There are many questions about Ned’s dad that the show was never able to answer. Why did he leave Ned at boarding school? Was he trying to protect his son from something dangerous? If so, why would he have a second family only to leave them as well? And what was the deal with the watches? Unfortunately, despite Brian Fuller’s many attempts to make a Pushing Daisies revival that might answer these burning questions, we are still left in the dark.