Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Why I love TV EP 001

It has been about a year since I started writing this blog so I thought it was time you learned how and why I became a fan of television. I think it all started as a kid in 1986 but...

Way way way back when NBC sitcoms were worth watching from 4/19/1990- 5/21/1997 there was a little TV series called Wings. Created and produced by David Angell,(April 10, 1946 – September 11, 2001) Peter Casey and David Lee Wings took place on the island of Nantucket. The main setting takes place in a small airport, where there were two competitive airlines, SandPiper and AroMass, a waiting/sitting area for the passangers, a small kitchen with a counter to eat lunch, the office of the owner of SandPiper, and of course a airplane hanger to keep the one plane when not in use. Wings just may be my favorite series of the 90s (including FRIENDS).

I have discovered that the series re-runs on the Reelz network and have been re watching everyday. As I watch I find myself laughing, a lot. it has been 15 years since it went off the air but for me the jokes and characters are just as fresh as watching it back when it was new. But if you do find the jokes to be old and outdated there is still the colorful cast of characters to enjoy. Let me start with Joe and Brian Hackett (aka The Hackett Brothers) who grew up in Nantucket. Joe played by the wonderful Tim Daly (Private Practice) is the older, had to take care of Brian and their father when their mother left them when they were just still kids, by the book, pilot and owner of SandPiper Air. His brother Brian played by the terrific Steven Weber is the complete opposite, fun loving, Hawaiian shirt wearing, left home with Joe's fiancee, got to live his life on his own terms until losing it all and had to come home and work/pilot with his brother one. Next there is Helen Chappel played by Crystal Bernard, who is the childhood friend of Joe and Brian, she owns and operates the airport lunch counter by herself, she was "fat" in her high school days but is no unrecognizable be most former classmates and like with every character she is single and always looking for love, but Joe is her one and only true love. Also working at the airport is Fay Evelyn Cochran played by Rebecca Schull, she and Joe have been working together at SandPiper since the beginning. A woman in her older years who has been married to three men named George (all dead) she will always be there to tell the passangers when their plane has arrived or is ready to take off. There is also Lowell Mather played by Thomas Haden Church, he is the airport at Tom Nevers Field manchanic. He was married to a woman named Bunny and may not be the smartest bulb in the bunch but is sweet and always good for an unexpected one-liner. Across the way from Fay's post there is Roy Biggins played by David Schramm. Roy owns AroMass and well let me just say hates the other characters, mean and sarcastic he enjoys making everyone around him just as misreable as he. Then there is Antonio Scarpacci played by the magnificent Tony Shalhoub, he is a cab driver who is always hanging out at the airport looking for a fair. Unlucky in love but always there to tell a story of his life and family back in Italy he is one of my favorite supporting characters of all time. Sweet and award, funny and cute Antonio will always have a place in my heart. In the last fews season of the series we were introduced to Casey Chappel played by Amy Yasbeck, Helens younger and prettier sister, she come back to Nantucket when she finds her rich husband cheating on her. There were many other recuuring characters incuding Alex Lambert (Farrah Forke) and Budd who took over for Lowell when he left.

 The Brothers Hackett, The Sisters Chappel and the rest of the charaters and the acrors who play them make Wings worth watching even a 2ed, 3erd 4th and 100th time around!

You know when you love and support the actors in their other roles by watching all that comes after it was a good series so to sum up I love you Wings! Thank you for helping me become a TV fan!