When I first saw this advertised on television I thought it might be a fun little show, I didn't think it would be something I'd want to own on DVD though... I soon realised that this was something special; the colours are all brighter than normal, the dialogue is more wordy than people really use and the plot is surreal to say the least. All these things could have lead to a disaster but it worked perfectly for me. The cast did a great job bringing their surreal world to life.
Ned isn't like ordinary people; he can bring the dead back to life with a single touch, there are two major catches though, if he touches that person a second time they will die forever and if he leaves a person alive for more than a minute somebody else nearby must die. Using this skill he is able to help private detective Emerson Cod by questioning murder victims. Things change for Ned when one of the victims he revives is his childhood sweetheart Charlotte "Chuck" Charles. He can't bring himself to touch her again which apart from causing somebody else's death leads to a very difficult relationship between them. When Ned isn't dealing with dead people he cooks in The Pie Hole, the pie-restaurant he owns.
Most of the episodes are of the murder-of-the-week variety although there are some continuing threads to the story. The murders are never anything normal; their strangeness reminded me of the 1960s series "The Avengers". As well as having two great leading characters the supporting cast does a great job, I especially liked Kristin Chenoweth's portrayal of the diminutive Olive Snook a Pie Hole employee with a soft spot for Ned but who does not know his strange secret.
It is a shame that the series was cut short but I'm glad that it was given a proper ending even if there were a few loose ends left untied the main story had nice conclusion. This series won't be for everybody but if you want to watch something a bit different I'd recommend giving this show a chance.
