Master of Fantasy: Bryan Fuller

By Vlada Gelman

Like the piemaker at the center of “Pushing Daisies,” creator Bryan Fuller likes to give his shows a special touch.

His first series, Showtime’s “Dead Like Me,” featured a girl who became a grim reaper after being killed by a falling toilet seat from the Mir space station. His second, Fox’s short-lived “Wonderfalls,” had inanimate, animal-shaped objects giving instructions to the show’s heroine.

ABC’s “Pushing Daisies,” which revolves around a man who can bring the dead back to life with a touch, continues Mr. Fuller’s tradition of creating unique cult fantasies that bring comedy, romance and a dash of reality to an epic genre.

“Fantasy is sometimes associated with ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Star Wars,’” Mr. Fuller said. “What I like to do is almost like a whimsical reality. It’s like grounded fantasy.”

Mr. Fuller left a gig as a writer/co-executive producer on “Heroes”—he wrote season one’s “Company Man,” considered by fanboys to be one of the show’s best episodes—to bring “Daisies” to life. The show carries an ambitious blend of the fantastical, dazzling visuals and quirky comedy, carried out with a commitment to making a movie-quality “prime-time fairy tale.”

“I just love production value. I want things to be as well-produced as they possibly can,” he said.

While he’s got more show ideas, fantasy and not, Mr. Fuller, who got his start on “Star Trek: Voyager,” said he would like to make a new “Star Trek” series.

“I think it would be a ball,” he added.