WINGS, which ran for 8 seasons from 1990-1997, is one my favorite comedies. In a way, it is a lot more watchable than even so-called "better" comedies because it has a very inviting, comfortable feel and always seemed to stay within it's zone. It never really got overly serious as other comedies and always maintained a light, fun approach to storytelling. And, 99.9% of the time, the jokes were spot on, so spot on that they are still funny upon repeat viewing.
A major strength of WINGS is the dialogue, which seems so spontaneous and ad-libbed at times that I wonder how much of it comes from the writers and how much from the actors (I'd bet a fair amount came from them!). Much of the dialogue is actually conversational and not just to set up jokes and punchlines, like in most situation comedies. So I find myself laughing DURING the conversations, not just at the end of them!
In general terms, like many of the great comedies, WINGS was just as funny in it's later seasons as it was in the early ones (I dare say the later seasons were funnier!). The earlier seasons are a lot more structured and plot-oriented, whereas the later seasons, because we already know the characters so well, the plot plays 2nd fiddle to the characters we have come to know and love and they just run with it!
WINGS starred the great, underrated television stalwart Timothy Daly (who should have at least one Emmy for something by now!) as Joe Hackett, owner of Sandpiper Air in the tiny island of Nantucket outside of Boston. Joe got to live his dream of owning his own airline and the opening scene introduces us to this central character. "Joe" is the appropriate name for this character as he was truly an "Everyday Joe", "Everyman", "Regular Joe" type of character! A stickler for order and neatness, Joe was borderline anal retentive! And Daly ALWAYS was in character. I think playing the straight man amongst a sea of wacko characters is one of the hardest things to do and Daly's Joe was the calm, solid center for the show's entire run. Not to mention that Daly was just as funny as his co-stars and he didn't need to act like a wacko to be funny!
But Daly wasn't the only star. Steven Weber hilariously essayed the role of Brian Hackett (Joe's younger, cooler, zanier brother who initially worked for him and in later seasons became his equal partner in the airline). Brian was perhaps my favorite character as he was always so sarcastic, nutty, and witty, even in serious situations that you just HAD to laugh at him. I just couldn't help myself from laughing at Brian's antics (even when I tried!). Weber's comic timing was just plain superb. If I had to choose ONE actor from WINGS to that should have won an Emmy for their role, it would have been Weber.
The chemistry between Daly and Weber as siblings Joe and Brian is some of the best I've ever seen on a TV show. There are a lot of times where I'd swear I was watching real brothers interact...They are that good!
The third star (who could also be considered a supporting character) was the infectiously funny and wild Crystal Bernard as Helen Chappell, the Hackett brothers childhood friend who would eventually become Joe's wife in later seasons. She ran the lunch counter at the airport, the central location for every episode of the show. I personally liked Helen a lot more in later seasons (when she and Joe got married) than earlier. I think her marriage to Joe (who she had a crush on forever!) really lightened her up in a good way and allowed Bernard to show her full comic range. She and Joe's banter pre-marriage seemed a bit too Sam-and-Dianeish (a la CHEERS) for me; usually, when a show finally puts a couple together, it is the deathknell, but WINGS flourished after they finally got Joe and Helen together.
The supporting cast was magnificent and one of the best ensembles ever: the daffy airline mechanic Lowell (played by Thomas Haden Church, who left early in Season 7 to star in his own show NED AND STACEY), the brothers' airline assistant, the esteemed world-weary, sarcastic Fay (played the entire run by Rebecca Schull), the brothers rival at the airline, the boisterous, unapologetic robust Roy (played entire run by David Schramm), the lovable, Italian loser cabbie Antonio (probably my 2nd favorite character, played by Tony Shalhoub, who everyone now knows as MONK!), Helen's looney, spurned-by-her-husband-jack-of-all-trades older sister Casey Chappell (played wonderfully by the delightfully radiant Amy Yasbeck in Seasons 6, 7, and 8, the last three seasons of the show).
Also, there was helicopter pilot Alex (played by Farrah Forke in Season 5). While a solid character, I didn't really think Alex added anything special to the show from a comedic standpoint other than be kind of a "cheerleader" type character and thought she brought Brian's character down and kept him from being his usual fun self. Thankfully, they rectified that and Alex only lasted the one season, allowing Brian to become a full-blown, comical character. At the end of the day, when it comes to comedy, I favor laughter over realism! Also, I thought that Brian and Casey had a lot more chemistry as a wacky kind-of-but-not-really-a-couple couple than Brian and Alex had as an actual couple!
A funny, lighthearted satire, WINGS is one of the best ensemble comedies that has ever graced television!
A major strength of WINGS is the dialogue, which seems so spontaneous and ad-libbed at times that I wonder how much of it comes from the writers and how much from the actors (I'd bet a fair amount came from them!). Much of the dialogue is actually conversational and not just to set up jokes and punchlines, like in most situation comedies. So I find myself laughing DURING the conversations, not just at the end of them!
In general terms, like many of the great comedies, WINGS was just as funny in it's later seasons as it was in the early ones (I dare say the later seasons were funnier!). The earlier seasons are a lot more structured and plot-oriented, whereas the later seasons, because we already know the characters so well, the plot plays 2nd fiddle to the characters we have come to know and love and they just run with it!
WINGS starred the great, underrated television stalwart Timothy Daly (who should have at least one Emmy for something by now!) as Joe Hackett, owner of Sandpiper Air in the tiny island of Nantucket outside of Boston. Joe got to live his dream of owning his own airline and the opening scene introduces us to this central character. "Joe" is the appropriate name for this character as he was truly an "Everyday Joe", "Everyman", "Regular Joe" type of character! A stickler for order and neatness, Joe was borderline anal retentive! And Daly ALWAYS was in character. I think playing the straight man amongst a sea of wacko characters is one of the hardest things to do and Daly's Joe was the calm, solid center for the show's entire run. Not to mention that Daly was just as funny as his co-stars and he didn't need to act like a wacko to be funny!
But Daly wasn't the only star. Steven Weber hilariously essayed the role of Brian Hackett (Joe's younger, cooler, zanier brother who initially worked for him and in later seasons became his equal partner in the airline). Brian was perhaps my favorite character as he was always so sarcastic, nutty, and witty, even in serious situations that you just HAD to laugh at him. I just couldn't help myself from laughing at Brian's antics (even when I tried!). Weber's comic timing was just plain superb. If I had to choose ONE actor from WINGS to that should have won an Emmy for their role, it would have been Weber.
The chemistry between Daly and Weber as siblings Joe and Brian is some of the best I've ever seen on a TV show. There are a lot of times where I'd swear I was watching real brothers interact...They are that good!
The third star (who could also be considered a supporting character) was the infectiously funny and wild Crystal Bernard as Helen Chappell, the Hackett brothers childhood friend who would eventually become Joe's wife in later seasons. She ran the lunch counter at the airport, the central location for every episode of the show. I personally liked Helen a lot more in later seasons (when she and Joe got married) than earlier. I think her marriage to Joe (who she had a crush on forever!) really lightened her up in a good way and allowed Bernard to show her full comic range. She and Joe's banter pre-marriage seemed a bit too Sam-and-Dianeish (a la CHEERS) for me; usually, when a show finally puts a couple together, it is the deathknell, but WINGS flourished after they finally got Joe and Helen together.
The supporting cast was magnificent and one of the best ensembles ever: the daffy airline mechanic Lowell (played by Thomas Haden Church, who left early in Season 7 to star in his own show NED AND STACEY), the brothers' airline assistant, the esteemed world-weary, sarcastic Fay (played the entire run by Rebecca Schull), the brothers rival at the airline, the boisterous, unapologetic robust Roy (played entire run by David Schramm), the lovable, Italian loser cabbie Antonio (probably my 2nd favorite character, played by Tony Shalhoub, who everyone now knows as MONK!), Helen's looney, spurned-by-her-husband-jack-of-all-trades older sister Casey Chappell (played wonderfully by the delightfully radiant Amy Yasbeck in Seasons 6, 7, and 8, the last three seasons of the show).
Also, there was helicopter pilot Alex (played by Farrah Forke in Season 5). While a solid character, I didn't really think Alex added anything special to the show from a comedic standpoint other than be kind of a "cheerleader" type character and thought she brought Brian's character down and kept him from being his usual fun self. Thankfully, they rectified that and Alex only lasted the one season, allowing Brian to become a full-blown, comical character. At the end of the day, when it comes to comedy, I favor laughter over realism! Also, I thought that Brian and Casey had a lot more chemistry as a wacky kind-of-but-not-really-a-couple couple than Brian and Alex had as an actual couple!
A funny, lighthearted satire, WINGS is one of the best ensemble comedies that has ever graced television!