Was it that Lowell was gone?

Was it that Joe and Helen were married and you liked them better when they were either single?

Was it that Antonio was a little too annoying those final years?

Was it because of Casey?

Was it because of all those fires destroying two sets that were on the show since the beginning (Helen's home followed by Joe and Brian's house)?

Or was it something I didn't mention?

As for my personal opinion... I think the show was just fine the last two years. I miss Lowell, because he was my favorite. However, he was always just a side character anyways. It's not like if Joe, Brian or Helen left. Even if Roy had left instead of Lowell, Roy's absence would have been worse, because he had a bigger role in the show. I liked that Joe and Helen were married, so that didn't bother me. Antonio was annoying, but still funny. Casey grew on me (not literally, of course). It's weird but the more pathetic she got, the more I liked her. She became more one of the gang, instead of Helen's snooty sister. I didn't care much for the house fires story, but it didn't do much damage to the show in my opinion.

I guess, the last two years tried to be sillier and wackier than before. Which didn't make it worse, just different. I'm glad to say I like all eight seasons now. And that's a good feeling. :)

Was it that Lowell was gone?

Was it that Joe and Helen were married and you liked them better when they were either single?

Was it that Antonio was a little too annoying those final years?

Was it because of Casey?

Was it because of all those fires destroying two sets that were on the show since the beginning (Helen's home followed by Joe and Brian's house)?

Or was it something I didn't mention?

I guess, the last two years tried to be sillier and wackier than before.

I think it was actually a combination of all those factors. Lowell's departure left a huge void that was never really filled. I loved the idea of Joe and Helen getting married, but I wish they had left that until the series finale. Antonio became such a whiny, self-loathing loser that I stopped finding him funny and started wishing they'd kick him off. I never warmed up to Casey and I didn't like how they always paired Brian up with her. I thought the house fires were just stupid. They ruined the chemistry between all the characters. It became less of an ensemble show and turned into the "Joe and Helen with Brian and Casey" show. It just became too silly, wacky, and stupid for me at times.

Wings is still one of my all-time favorites, but to me the show ended with Joe and Helen's wedding. There are few episodes from the final two seasons that I find funny.

I agree. I definitely missed Lowell when he left. He's probably my favorite character. Budd just didn't do anything for me, LOL. Antonio's "pity me" act did get kind of old. They should have found him a good woman and a new job! Casey was ok, but definitely not one of my favorite characters. I did enjoy John Ritter's guest appearence though. As for the house fires, I didn't care for those episodes at all. We pretty much knew Joe and Helen would end up together, so I'm glad they got married. I agree with the idea of the finale with their wedding. Maybe they could have combined that with her getting the job in Vienna.

I'm a rare non-Lowell lover, so I didn't really miss him, and I thought the first fire lead to a great scene between Tim and Steven, plus Joe's "visit" from his father. The second fire was a cheap joke, but I liked it (plus Antonio's crush on the fire investigator).

I actually liked the last two seasons more than the first two. Maybe it was because we knew the characters better by that point, but they were just funnier to me. Though outlandish stretches, I liked the vaccuum one, Brian and Helen stranded in New York, Kyle Vein, Jenny McCarthy's guest-shot, Harrison Kingsberry's lost body, and even Wingless (a dramatic three-parter with some good gags).

Writing, writing, writing! Main issues were that characters became their exagerated character types, the likes of Brian, Antonio and Casey all became really whiny. Joe got more and more bitter. And it wasn't just the characters, the storylines were just silly and outrageous and there seemed to be little depth compared to the earlier seasons.

I'm a rare non-Lowell lover, so I didn't really miss him, and I thought the first fire lead to a great scene between Tim and Steven, plus Joe's "visit" from his father. The second fire was a cheap joke, but I liked it (plus Antonio's crush on the fire investigator).

I actually liked the last two seasons more than the first two. Maybe it was because we knew the characters better by that point, but they were just funnier to me. Though outlandish stretches, I liked the vaccuum one, Brian and Helen stranded in New York, Kyle Vein, Jenny McCarthy's guest-shot, Harrison Kingsberry's lost body, and even Wingless (a dramatic three-parter with some good gags).

I agree with a lot of this. Although I prefer the first few seasons, I do think the show survived without Lowell. Except for the attempt to bring in Budd as a "replacement," I think that was handled very well. I thought Casey brought a lot to the show, and I love the whole Brian/Casey storyline. The writers got some good stuff out of that. The aforementioned season 8 episodes about Brian and Helen in NY, and "Wingless" were really good episodes, IMO. I also love the martini bar one, and the one where they thought some guy left a heart at the airport. LOL. And I love that "Final Approach" brought everything full circle with the money from Joe and Brian's dad. That was a perfect way to end.

- Kristen

Another thing I noticed is that we saw alot more of the homes than in the earlier seasons. We saw Brian and Joe's house more in season 7 than any previous season, and alot of episodes in season 8 took place at Joe and Helen's beach house and later in the season, at Brian/Casey/Antonio's house.

Another thing about season 8 I noticed was that there wasn't as many ensemble storylines, that they had 2 or 3 story vignettes intertwined like like "Friends" or "Seinfeld" were known for.
Example:
Heartache Tonight has the Roy/Joe/Helen storyline and with the Brian/Casey date storyline.

I liked it better when the storylines all took place in the airport in usually one big storyline.

Another thing about season 8 I noticed was that there wasn't as many ensemble storylines, that they had 2 or 3 story vignettes intertwined like like "Friends" or "Seinfeld" were known for.
Example:
Heartache Tonight has the Roy/Joe/Helen storyline and with the Brian/Casey date storyline.

I liked it better when the storylines all took place in the airport in usually one big storyline.

:yeahthat I agree. The separate storylines did not work for the show.

Count me as one who missed Lowell a LOT. Although I still loved the show, it wasn't the same without him. It required the other, relatively "sane" characters to take on more of the ildiocy. Quite frankly, only Brian and Antonio's characters were equipped for this.