Everyone loves an underdog. Or, in the case of a cancelled-too-soon television show bracket, an underdog's underdog. The final round of our weeklong TV Reboot Tournament pitted a No. 7 seed in Pushing Daisies against top-seeded Firefly in a battle royale for genre-fan attention. Could Wonderfalls and Hannibal creator Bryan Fuller's enchanted romantic comedy ever hope to capture enough hearts to trounce the famous Browncoats, the highly organized devotees of Joss Whedon's 2002-2003 space-cowboy series? The answer, miraculously, was yes: The short-lived ABC show prevailed, capturing 56 percent of the vote.

But Firefly didn't go down without a fight, not with Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk jumping in on Friday night and sending Firefly's fortunes skyrocketing—and roping in the likes of William Shatner in the process. As Firefly voters kept piling on as we headed into Sunday, it looked like a lock for the crew of the Serenity versus the Pie Hole staff. So how did things end up this way? Let's break it down.

Firefly hadn't encountered formidable competition until its face-off against Pushing Daisies, which came as a surprise to exactly no one: Anyone lucky enough to be in the room for San Diego Comic Con's Firefly 10th Anniversary panel knows how brightly the fandom continues to burn for the 14-episode series. Or a Serenity sequel. Or an animated series based on the comic book—anything, really. More. In round one, Fox's sci-Western left The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. on the Earth-That-Was. In round two, the show knocked a potential revival of HBO's Tenacious D show out of the competition. With round three, bracket darlings began to drop, with Firefly topping Party Down, a dream revival for many a comedy buff. Practically in different weight classes, Firefly had no problem outmaneuvering Bored to Death in the Final Four. The show's place in the championship was destiny. And for good reason: Television needs a new Firefly. Our geeky star systems are vast and empty without it.

But the fundamental question at the heart of Firefly's match-ups—what show do we need?—provided Pushing Daisies with the same victory fuel. The goings were tough early on; as a Tumblr user wrote of the round-one pairing: "I had to choose between Veronica Mars and Pushing Daisies. This was, hands down, the hardest decision I've ever had to make." While Firefly had its movie moment with 2005's Serenity, the proximity of Veronica Mars' recent theatrical venture may have impacted its standings. Fans successfuly brought that show back to life. Been there, done that. Pushing Daisies bypassed it with ease. The show's round two opponent, The Critic, was alway wishful thinking on the part of Esquire editors, and was defeated with a Ned-style second-touch of death.

Round three provided another moment of pure hell for any TV viewer. Chapelle's Show, one of the greatest sketch comedy shows of all time or Daisies, pure kindness and love distilled into a one-hour drama? The match looked like such an uphill battle, those with something on the line had to step in. Enter Bryan Fuller himself.

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VOTE #PushingDaisies Bring back Chappelle's Show or Pushing Daisies? I say Pushing Daisies http://t.co/pa45V9bEFH — Bryan Fuller (@BryanFuller) March 18, 2015

For all of his shows that never found eclipsed their Nielsen ratings-dictated bars, Fuller remains Internet nobility. He points, dedicated fans follow. When he spread the word on our little competition, the TV Reboot Tournament came down with a serious case of Pushing Daisies fever. Like that, the No. 1 seed Freaks and Geeks slid back into its place as one of the 20th century's last great TV shows. Pushing Daisies was going all the way.

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VOTE #PUSHINGDAISIES THINK OF THE PIES! Bring back Freaks and Geeks or Pushing Daisies? I say Pushing Daisies http://t.co/6Ig7tVPyCS — Bryan Fuller (@BryanFuller) March 19, 2015

Sports fans live for neck-and-neck races. That's when the heart pounds, the sweat breaks, and warrior instincts tell them that hooting and hollering at the top of their lungs is the winning strategy. Though we gave it a full weekend to breathe, voters felt every second of Pushing Daisies vs. Firefly's countdown clock. We couldn't have dreamt of healthier, rowdier competition. First, Fuller applied a public, full-court press:

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Then he handed Daisies and Hannibal fans the voting equivalent of inflatable noisemakers:

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IF #PUSHINGDAISIES WINS, I'LL TWEET AN INTERESTING TIDBIT ABOUT THE #HANNIBAL S3 PREMIERE Bring back Pushing Daisies! http://t.co/QSZHQFJ3k2 — Bryan Fuller (@BryanFuller) March 20, 2015

Someone tipped off Team Firefly. Or Nathan Fillion keeps a close eye on any TV revival polling. Because then this happened:

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Hey, Browncoats. Looks like you’re needed. How Would Malcolm Reynolds Vote? http://t.co/DASMCgzDot — Nathan Fillion (@NathanFillion) March 20, 2015

And then Daisies star Lee Pace jumped into the fray:

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“@leepace: VOTE! VOTE! I LOVED FIREFLY, but… http://t.co/zRqbT2FTMV”



You will crumble before the Browncoats! Oh, and follow @leepace. — Nathan Fillion (@NathanFillion) March 21, 2015

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“@NathanFillion:You will crumble before the Browncoats!"



Come on Pie Holers! It's not over yet! 🐒💣http://t.co/h4wFDBGBtd — Lee Pace (@leepace) March 21, 2015

Emoji. Lee Pace went there. Playful teasing went atomic when outsiders joined in.

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The Pushing Daisies vs. Firefly throwdown would not be ignored. Before long, other cast members were weighing in.

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Oh it's on @Esquiremag! --> http://t.co/7vv93lX7Sc Big fan of both shows but I love Olive & the gang! #TeamPushingDaisies who's with me?? — Kristin Chenoweth (@KChenoweth) March 21, 2015

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Guys & ladies. Firefly is getting beat out by Pushing Daisies. .@NathanFillion if you haven't voted, maybe you could -http://t.co/NHWvASuCdD — alan tudyk (@AlanTudyk) March 22, 2015

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“@sundevilgrad: Firefly is losing http://t.co/Qhsjy4I66b”



May be the losing side... Still not convinced it's the wrong one — Jewel Staite (@JewelStaite) March 22, 2015

Fuller even tried to appeal directly to his opponents.

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.@alan_tudyk IF #PUSHINGDAISIES WINS @leepace CAN TOUCH YOUR #FIREFLY CHARACTER AND BRING HIM BACK TO LIFE http://t.co/QSZHQFJ3k2 — Bryan Fuller (@BryanFuller) March 22, 2015

By this point, Pace was a little stunned. "It's so nice that they still care, you know?" he told Esquire hours before the polls closed. Fillion was equally grateful when we spoke to him over the weekend. "When I meet these fans at conventions and they are longing for Firefly and they can't believe it was cancelled and their hearts are ripped out, I'm grateful," the actor explained over the weekend. "I'm vindicated. Because that's how I felt!"

In the end, fans carried Pushing Daisies across the finish line, uniting from around the world to give the show a visible bump in the spotlight, at a time when television shows are coming back, in one way or another. We've reckoned with Pushing Daisies love during previous rounds, but the message is clear: Audiences need more. Here's hoping they get it.

ABC

Finally, a few stray tournament observations:

How many "marshmallows" spent the week weeping because Veronica Mars didn't get past Round One? It's unfathomable. A brutal, bracket-shattering defeat.

There was little hope for Wonder Showzen, The Sarah Silverman Program, Upright Citizens Brigade, Get a Life, or Stella, but boy, are those great, oddball comedies. Must-sees if they're missing from your television education.

Is the age of cherishing My So-Called life over? Was its potential revival more of a LiveJournal/Xanga era dream than a Tumblr/Snapchat one?

Shows that went far did so with International support. They love Pushing Daisies in China.

Bored to Death is an anomaly. Very funny show! But are people tattooing Ted Danson smoking a joint on their arm? Because fans of the shows that went as far as HBO's detective comedy are ones with the kind of mesmerizing draw that make Heaven's Gaters envious.

Someone tell us to stop waiting for the Deadwood TV movies because we can't convince ourselves to give up.

Matt Patches Senior Writer Patches is a Senior Writer at Esquire.com.

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