Critical favorite earns full season

Another show has joined the thus-far small ranks of new series to earn a full-season order: ABC's forensic fairy tale "Pushing Daisies."

The network confirms it has picked up the critically praised show, adding nine more episodes to its initial order of 13. "Daisies" joins its Wednesday-night companion "Private Practice," CBS' "Big Bang Theory" and The CW's "Gossip Girl" as the only new shows thus far this fall to earn full-season orders.

The show stars Lee Pace as Ned, a piemaker with the ability to bring the dead back to life with his touch (but only for a minute, lest something or someone else die), which he and a private investigator (Chi McBride) who knows his secret put to use in solving murder cases and collecting reward money. The arrangement gets more complicated, however, when Ned revives his childhood sweetheart, Chuck (Anna Friel), and lets her keep living. Now he can't touch her again, because if he does she'll die again, permanently.

Despite the not-easily-explained premise, viewers have warmed to the show. Though it's not a huge hit -- no new series is -- "Pushing Daisies" has averaged 11.37 million viewers over its first three airings. It also draws a 4.1 rating in the crucial adults 18-49 demographic, handily winning its timeslot.

Bryan Fuller ("Dead Like Me," "Wonderfalls") created the series and executive produces with Barry Sonnenfeld, who directed the first two episodes, Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks and Brooke Kennedy.