Wings (TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Wings | |
|---|---|
 (l to r): Tony Shalhoub, Crystal Bernard, Timothy Daly, Steven Weber, Rebecca Schull, David Schramm, Amy Yasbeck |
|
| Genre | sitcom |
| Running time | 30 minutes per episode (with commercials) |
| Creator(s) | David Angell Peter Casey David Lee |
| Starring | Timothy Daly Steven Weber Crystal Bernard David Schramm Rebecca Schull Thomas Haden Church Amy Yasbeck Tony Shalhoub |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Original run | April 19, 1990–May 14, 1997 |
| No. of episodes | 172 |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Wings was an American sitcom that ran on NBC from April 19, 1990 to May 14, 1997. The show starred Timothy Daly and Steven Weber as brothers Joe and Brian Hackett. The show was set at the fictional Tom Nevers Field, a small airport on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts, where the brothers operated Sandpiper Airlines. Exteriors of the actual Nantucket Memorial Airport were used in the TV show. Interior scenes were, of course, filmed on a sound stage.
Other regulars include Crystal Bernard, David Schramm, Rebecca Schull, Thomas Haden Church, and Tony Shalhoub. Farrah Forke later joined the cast for a two-season run. When Forke left, Amy Yasbeck joined the cast for the remainder of the show's run. Thomas Haden Church ultimately left the show in the spring of 1995 to star in the Fox sitcom Ned and Stacey.
Wings was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey and David Lee who were also producer/writers on Cheers and later went on to create Frasier. Characters from Cheers occasionally made guest appearances on Wings.
Although the show was derisively referred to as "Cheers in an airport", it gained a loyal following and was a consistent ratings winner throughout its life. Through repeat airings on the USA Network and Nick at Nite, many have rediscovered the show, praising its writing quality and character development.
Contents |
[edit] Main Characters
Joe Hackett: a neurotic, compulsively neat pilot who runs a charter flight business called 'Sandpiper Air' on Nantucket Island. He dreamed of becoming a pilot as a child, and became the de facto head of the family after their mother disappeared and their father lost his mind. He initially intended to launch Sandpiper Air with his fiancee Carol behind the ticket counter, but his brother Brian ran off with her, causing a falling out between the brothers. The Hackett family moved to Nantucket when Joe and Brian were children. Played by Timothy Daly.
Brian Hackett: the more carefree of the Hackett brothers. His irresponsibility is often a source of consternation to older brother Joe: he had a "free ride" to Princeton and dropped out, was accepted into the astronaut training program at NASA and washed out, and has lost other lucrative opportunities due to his feckless nature. He moved to Mustique, South Carolina and ran charter flights there after he eloped with his brother Joe's fiancee, Carol, which (as stated above) caused a rift between the brothers. When Carol left Brian, he returned to Nantucket, and Joe was eventually persuaded to allow him not only to move into his house but to give Brian a job at Sandpiper Air. Brian is a shameless ladies' man for most of the series, but has two significant relationships: the first with helicopter pilot Alex Lambert, and then with Casey Chappel-Davenport, Helen's older sister. Played by Steven Weber.
Helen Chappel Hackett: a petite blonde who, despite having lived on Nantucket for most of her life, speaks with a Texas drawl. (This is also at odds with the fact that her mother does not have a Southern accent; her elder sister Casey does not have an accent either, but it is mentioned that Casey once had one but lost it, possibly deliberately.) Though Helen dreams of playing the cello in a large symphony orchestra, she runs the lunch counter in the airport terminal and never really manages to get a music career off the ground until the final episode. Helen also constantly battles a compulsive eating habit which caused her to be morbidly obese in her youth, as well as self-esteem issues which accompanied being an obese child. Though she was successful at losing the weight sometime after Brian eloped with Carol, it is still a spectre in her life and a blight on her self-image. She has been a lifelong friend of both Hackett brothers and dreamed of marrying Joe from a young age. She was briefly married to Antonio to prevent him from being deported, but divorced him and finally married Joe at the end of the sixth season. Played by Crystal Bernard.
Fay Evelyn Schlob Dumbly DeVay Cochran: Joe's only employee. Fay is an ex-stewardess who handles the ticket counter, baggage check, and flight announcements for Sandpiper Air. Fay has buried three husbands (all with the first name George) and is a generally sweet, motherly (though slightly batty) woman who looks after the younger members of their circle as her own children, with the possible exception of Roy Biggins, for whom she often has little patience due to his generally contemptible behavior. Played by Rebecca Schull.
Roy Biggins: the owner of Aeromass, the only other airline on Nantucket. Generally competitive, arrogant and unpleasant, Roy often belittles Joe for having a small-time operation, mocks Joe's business skills, and generally implies by his comments that Joe is inferior to him altogether. Despite this, Roy obviously feels threatened by Joe's presence as a competitor, and makes numerous attempts to either buy Sandpiper or put them out of business. Roy was married once to a woman named Sylvia; for several years he claimed that she died, but it was later revealed that she had actually left him, and is now living in Boston and married to a wealthy plastic surgeon. The couple have one son, R.J. (Roy Junior), who is gay. While normally conniving and arrogant, Roy does have a sense of fun: since his birthday was on the 29th of February, he celebrates it as if he was only a quarter of his real age. Played by David Schramm.
Antonio Scarpacci: (season 3-8) an Italian immigrant who provides taxi service to and from the airport. Antonio is mild-mannered, deferential, and hopelessly romantic; he falls head-over-heels for Helen's older sister Casey when she returns to Nantucket, though his feelings are not reciprocated. Antonio was originally a waiter, and made a guest appearance in the second season in this role before becoming an official cast member in the third season (by which time he had changed professions). Played by Tony Shalhoub.
Lowell Mather: (season 1-6) a rather dim-witted mechanic/handyman who works at the airport and is available to everyone when repairs are needed. He was married to a woman named Bunny with whom he had several children, but they divorced when Lowell learned that Bunny was sleeping around. He lived with Joe and Brian for a time after Brian sank the boat he lives on, when it was revealed that Lowell is a surprisingly talented cook and fluent in French. After about a year, however, his eccentricities became unbearable to the Hacketts, and they kicked him out to find his own place. Eventually, Lowell is forced to leave Nantucket and enter the Witness Protection Program after witnessing a mob hit. Played by Thomas Haden Church.
Alex Lambert: (season 4-5) a helicopter pilot who moves to Nantucket to start her own helicopter tour business. Though she initially rebuffs the amorous attentions of both Hackett brothers, she eventually falls for Brian's boyish charms. She and Brian live together briefly, but after Brian spends a wild night in New York with an old friend, Alex throws him out of the apartment and leaves Nantucket for good. She returns a season later to resolve some of the bitterness in their breakup; she and Brian briefly get back together before they both finally decide it's best to go their separate ways. Played by Farrah Forke.
Casey Chappel-Davenport: (season 6-8) Helen's older sister. Casey returns to Nantucket after being abandoned by her husband Stuart, but she has difficulty adjusting her upper crust tastes and sensibilities to a working class life on the small island. (This is again at odds with the fact that she grew up on the island along with her sister Helen; she often behaves as though she is totally unfamiliar with life on Nantucket.) Though Antonio falls madly in love with her, Casey takes little notice of him. After she and Brian spend the better part of a season sniping at each other, they end up having sex the night before Joe and Helen's wedding. Afterward they find themselves unable to stay away from each other, having a passionate sexual affair; while Joe and Helen are on their honeymoon, Casey's bra lands on the hearth of the lit fireplace and leads to Helen's house burning down. Her relationship with Brian cools after that, but they maintain a friendship, with occasional hints of a possible further romance. Played by Amy Yasbeck.
Budd Bronski: (season 7) an ex-military man who is hired to replace Lowell. He is extremely jumpy and insecure, and somewhat haunted by an incident in his past in which an aircraft he worked on ended up crashing. Though the military officially cleared him of charges, Budd continued to blame himself for the incident until Brian convinced him to let it go. After being introduced early in the seventh season, Budd disappears toward the end of the season and is never mentioned again. Some viewers opine that the character was created because the writers had already written Lowell into some scripts, and inserted Budd to provide a quick solution to re-writing the shows. Played by Brian Haley.
[edit] Recurring characters
Bunny Mather: Lowell's wife at the beginning of the series, whom he ends up separating from and eventually divorces when he learns she sleeps with other men. Bunny's promiscuity is her primary gag; she flirts with nearly every man she encounters, and ends up sleeping with many of them. Played by Laura Innes.
Carlton Blanchard: an old man with a high-pitched nasal voice whose outwardly meek yet privately demanding behavior causes everyone who meets him to shudder at his coming. Played by William Hickey.
Lewis Blanchard: Carlton's equally-irritating nephew. He is very rude and abrasive, and makes only the slightest of attempts to hide his wish for Carlton to die so he can inherit his money. He seems to have a crush on Casey, who is completely repulsed by his lewd remarks. Played by Gilbert Gottfried.
Davis Lynch: a businessman whom Joe flies to Nantucket to invest in the airline. Though he rejects Joe's offer, he ends up dating Helen and finally proposing to her. Helen accepts, but ends up leaving him for Joe. Played by Mark Harelik.
Sandy Cooper: a friend of Joe, Brian, and Helen from high school. She has an insane obsessive crush on Joe, but he is unable to convince anyone else of this because she acts completely normal except when she is alone with Joe. Played by Valerie Mahaffey.
Kenny McElvey: an 18-year-old who becomes Sandpiper's backup pilot during a second season story arc where Joe is grounded for hypertension. The comedic focus of the character was his youth and relative inexperience. When Joe began flying again in the third season, Kenny disappeared from the series without explanation and was never mentioned again. Played by Michael Manasseri.
[edit] DVD Releases
The first and second seasons of Wings were released in a four-disc set on May 23, 2006, with more sets on the horizon according to retailers; Season Three has already been released on October 24, 2006. This has come as a relief for those who cannot find the show in syndication.
Season Releases
| DVD Name | Release Date | Ep # | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seasons 1 & 2 | May 23, 2006 | 28 | |
| Season 3 | October 24, 2006 | 22 | |
| Season 4 | TBA | 22 | |
| Season 5 | TBA | 24 | |
| Season 6 | TBA | 26 | |
| Season 7 | TBA | 26 | |
| Season 8 | TBA | 24 |
[edit] Music
The theme was a short version of a Franz Schubert piece, Piano sonata No. 20 in A Major, D. 959, IV. Rondo. Alegretto. Schubert received screen credit as the theme composer in every episode.
The opening theme heard during the first two seasons was a fairly straightforward arrangement with piano and strings. In season three, a new jazzed-up version of the theme was heard during the closing credits, and the slow opening theme was dropped in January 1992 as episodes began using a "cold" opening.
