It has been 15 years since
the last new episode of Wings
aired on NBC – and probably about 15 seconds since the last Wings rerun aired somewhere on cable.
During an eight-season run,
the series anchored several NBC lineups that popularized the tag line “must-see
TV.” But unlike The Cosby Show
and Cheers, it is rarely
afforded the same respect. I don’t
think that’s fair. We can debate about whether it qualifies as classic TV – I
say it does – but it certainly deserves recognition as Comfort TV, and here are
ten reasons why.
1. A classic(al) theme song
Before it was phased out
halfway into the third season, Schubert’s Sonata in A set the delightful tone
for a lovely 60-second opening credit sequence featuring picturesque aerial
shots of Nantucket, where the series is set. Thanks to Wings, if you’re ever with some friends and this piece
starts playing on a classical radio station, you can casually observe, “Ah,
Schubert’s Sonata in A – one of my favorites” and everyone will think you have
culture.
2. The pilot
A show about pilots should
have a great pilot, and Wings
delivers. The first appearance of Joe Hackett’s ne’er do well brother Brian is
one of the series’ best moments. The black sheep hits Tom Nevers Field like an
insult comic propelled by a tornado, immediately setting the tone for the
sibling rivalry that would play out over the next eight years.
3. Holiday episodes
Holiday shows have fallen
out of favor in today’s TV landscape (don’t get me started on that topic), but
even in the classic TV era most shows managed only one or two Christmas
episodes no matter how many seasons they aired. Wings did six of them, all of which deserve a spot in
your next holiday TV marathon. My favorite is “The Customer’s Usually Right” from
season four, in which Joe’s refusal to pay a 50-cent rewind fee on a rented
videocassette (it was 1992) gets a sweet little old lady fired on Christmas
Eve. His attempts to make amends lead to unexpectedly hilarious
complications.
4. William Hickey as
Carlton Blanchard
William Hickey was an
Oscar-nominated actor and one of the most distinguished acting teachers of his
generation (his students included Steve McQueen and Barbra Streisand). But for
classic TV fans, he will always be best remembered as Carlton Blanchard, the
most annoying man ever born. Hickey appears in just three episodes, but they’re all gems.
5. “Joe Blows”
Two-part episodes are
difficult to pull off for the average sitcom. “Joe Blows” from season five
overcomes the odds and became one of the show’s best stories. On the surface
it’s basic role reversal – irresponsible Brian is forced to take over the
day-to-day operations of Sandpiper Air, while button-down brother Joe becomes
a Caribbean beachcomber. But it's also the best exploration of their always complicated relationship.
6. It could pull off a
touching moment
Some of the most memorable
scenes in any comedy are the ones bereft of laughs, when the writers dropped
the punch lines and created dramatic moments that made the characters seem more
authentic. Wings had its share,
beginning with the standout season two episode “It’s Not the Thought, It’s the
Gift.” The story is an escalating game of amusing one-upmanship between
brothers Joe and Brian to find the best birthday present for Helen, but the
poignant final scene is unexpectedly moving. And in the season six opener
“Whose Wife Is it Anyway?” Joe proposes to Helen in the emotional high point of
the series.
7. The Frasier crossover
I don’t care if it was
shameless network cross-promotion, the season three arrival of Drs. Frasier and Lilith
Crane to Nantucket inspired several classic moments, including Joe’s reference
to Lilith as “Morticia,” and Helen demanding her money back after one of
Frasier’s vacuous self-esteem seminars.
8. The Trivial Pursuit game
It’s hard to single out any
one scene as the funniest out of 172 Wings episodes, but many fans point to the Trivial Pursuit game in the
season two show “Sports and Leisure” as the series’ comedic pinnacle.
9. The classic TV salutes
For a TV fan, some of Wings’ best scenes featured the cast acknowledging its
classic sitcom ancestors. After Helen and Joe came into some money, Helen loses
control at a memorabilia auction and outbids guest star Peter Tork for the
Monkeemobile (“She’s Gotta Have It”); in “A House to Die For,” there’s a dream
sequence in which Helen plays Marcia Brady opposite the cast of 1995’s The
Brady Bunch Movie.
10. A satisfying finale
“Final Approach” provides a
fitting send-off that may not quite reach the heights of the last Mary Tyler
Moore Show or Newhart episodes, but surpasses the finales of Cheers, Seinfeld and many other, more celebrated classics.
I am also very fond of this series, and was appalled by it's shabby treatment on DVD. The episodes were compressed way too much. It really deserves a remastered re-release, on Blu Ray if necessary.
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