By this I mean the characters who were not there originally.

Antonio Scarpacci - The only add-on character that feels like he'd been there from the beginning. He fits in perfectly. In fact, when I first started watching the show many years ago on USA, I thought Antonio was an original cast member. I was quite shocked to learn that he didn't join the show until the third season. Towards the end of the show, he got very pathetic. It's funny at first, but some of the things he says and does seems to cross the line a bit. I'd be afraid he'd commit suicide or kill someone if he was a real person. :crazy:

Alex Lambert - She's kind of dull and boring, but I like her story. Her story being where she comes to Nantucket and both the Hackett brothers fight over her. She eventually goes out with Brian. I liked them as a couple. I didn't miss her that much when she left, however.

Casey Davenport - A bit annoying at first, I got to like Casey as well. I didn't care for her when she was snobby. But once she became pathetic, and worked better with the group then I liked her. I still wish she would have gone out with Antonio, instead of having an on-going fling with Brian.

Budd Bronski - Well, he's no Lowell. However, since I've gotten the season seven DVD, I've come to like Budd. I wish he was used more and for the duration of the series. Don't get me wrong, he's still the worst character of the cast, but I like him. They really should have used him more.

Antonio is second only to Hawkeye from MASH on my list of TV characters that I think became really annoying as the series progressed. (At least we never had to hear Antonio whine about the evils of war ;) ) I agree with you, Adam. If later-season Antonio was my friend, I would seriously try to get him some help before he did something to himself or someone else.

Alex was a good addition, but I think they just didn't know what do with her, especially after she and Brian started dating. I wish she'd stuck around.

Casey had her moments ("Helen's at the store!!!") but overall, I wasn't too crazy about her. To me, she was a more likable version of Diane from Cheers. I wish she and Antonio had gotten together. They would have been a fun couple. I hated her with Brian.

Bud... who is he again?

Kenny should have stuck around. I liked him. He could have been the Radar of the airport.

Alex was a good addition, but I think they just didn't know what do with her, especially after she and Brian started dating. I wish she'd stuck around.

Kenny should have stuck around. I liked him. He could have been the Radar of the airport.

By my count, Kenny was only in four episodes. The fact that we remember him so well from a show that produced 172 episodes is a testament to the character.

As for Alex, you're right. They didn't know what to do with her. She couldn't just be one of the gang. She was always there to be the love interest for Brian. That's why when they broke up, she was just gone. I wouldn't be surprised if the people behind "Wings" asked her to leave because they ran out of ideas for her and wanted to inject some new blood in the series (in the form of Casey).

And then they wound up pairing Casey wtih Brian :rolleyes: I couldn't stand them as a couple at all.

Someone wrote a good Casey/Antonio story over at www.fanfiction.net Look in the TV secion for Wings.

Since I started watching Wings in the middle of the cycle on N@N, I really liked Casey right away. She's actually my favorite outside the regular characters who were there from the start. The aforementioned "Helen's at the store!" is one of my all-time favorite moments. ;)

I really didn't like Alex at all when I watched the show on N@N and TV Land. I thought she really didn't have much personality or chemistry with Brian. But somehow, watching the show on DVD, I've gotten to really like the Brian/Alex storyline. I can see, though, why it didn't last. The show got so much humor from Brian's constant chasing after women, and Alex got in the way of that.

As for Bud, I thought he was OK. I didn't like the fact that he was "replacing" Lowell, but I guess they felt the need to have another mechanic there. Otherwise you probably would've wondered who was fixing the planes once Lowell was gone. He did have some moments, like his reaction to Brian's date in "Twas the Heist Before Christmas." "Whoa, you could take the paint off a barge with that breath!" But other than that, I don't think he really fit into the rest of the show that well.

Antonio to me doesn't even seem to be a "new" charcter, even though I know he wasn't there at the beginning. Again, because I saw the later eps. first, the change in Antonio didn't bother me as much as others. As for Antonio/Casey, I guess I'm the only one here who didn't want to see that. I just can't imagine a scenario where a woman like Casey would be interested in Antonio that way. But that's just my 2 cents.

- Kristen

As for Antonio/Casey, I guess I'm the only one here who didn't want to see that. I just can't imagine a scenario where a woman like Casey would be interested in Antonio that way. But that's just my 2 cents.


It worked on Friends with Ross and Rachel :D Personally, I think Casey and Antonio would have been a much more interesting couple than those two. I was never much of a Friends fan in the first place.

Alex Lambert--didn't like her and I think Forke is a bad actress. My gut is that her acting was so horrible they had to get her off the show. Yasbeck was a much, MUCH better actress.

Antonio--wow, I'm in the minority here. I liked his character MORE as the series progressed. Next to Lowell, he made me laugh the most.

Budd--no thanks. There's a reason he lasted only one season.

Antonio Bolognio... I think he was funny as hell and a crucial character. They really needed the ethnic slant. He did get pathetic in the last two seasons, but the last two seasons in general had more pathetic moments than any of the others. I love, love, LOVED that character up until Joe and Helen's wedding.

Alex Lambert... I thought she was gorgeous but a poor actress. (Apparently FForke's breast implants leaked and had to be removed, and I've always tried to pinpoint exactly when that happened in the series, because they certainly emphasized them more during her first season!) I liked the addition of her character but hated the fact that she made the brothers look like idiots; that wasn't necessary and went on a little too long. I think she left at the right time and I didn't miss her afterwards, either.

Casey Davenport... Uggh, shoot me now, couldn't stand her -- the character OR the actress. Agreed with the previous posters that her best moment HAD to be "Helen's at the store!" with the random screaming. But overall, there's something I've never been able to put my finger on about Amy Yasbeck that bugs me. She's gorgeous, but her comedy attempts feel horsey coming out of her. It's hard for me to buy. Clumsy/forced delivery or something. :confused:

Budd Bronski... Didn't like him, but getting the Season 7 DVD did help that a bit. The episode with George Kennedy in it had something to do with that; I don't remember why Budd wasn't allowed to come to the party for Larry (the contractor), but something he did in that episode made me like him.

And yes, agreed, Kenny should've stuck around. The scene with him at the drive-through window is one of my favorites (when the guy in line behind Brian apologizes and tells Kenny to take his time, ha)!

HEY, we don't have a "favorite scenes" thread in here, do we? Fave episodes, fave lines, but no favorite scenes, hmm... :idea: Maybe I should look first.

You guys stole my answers (I sound like Lowell in "Airport '90"). Well, to be brief then....

Antonio - I liked any incarnation of him. As he got more pathetic, he got funnier because that's why we love these shows, to laugh at the lovable losers.

Budd - I'm a rare Bud supporter. He was a Lowell-clone, but Haley played him with enough energy to make him fun.

Kenny - Meh. Didn't do much for me. Though I don't blame the actor, I just think he was too underused to be endearing.

Casey - Much like Rebecca on Cheers, first she started out prissy and unbearable, only to settle in as a more casual and tolerable character. Though I think the "slutting out" of Casey may have been a bit too extreme.

Alex - Shockingly enough, why I started watching the show. I noticed her -- erm, well can't say here, but let's just say the first ep I was passing on USA years ago was her with Brian and Joe at the gym. I saw spandex and...well, after I said "Are those real?" I said, "Who is THAT?!"

Antonio - Definately by far the best addition. Great character, although I agree with those that say that he became to whiny later on in the series.

Budd - I'm rather indifferent to be honest, he wasn't ever on enough to leave any sort of impression. Honestly Lowell's non-presense bothered me more than Budd's presense.

Kenny - He was OK but I don't think they should've kept him, his character had played out and there wasn't really much more they could do with him.

Casey - I know I am in the huge minority here but I actually liked Casey much more in season 6 when she was more snotty as it added a new contrast and freshness to the series to an extent, sort of like Roy in the beginning, I think they should've played up this angle more. Whiny Casey of later season 6 and through season 7 and 8 was totally useless.

Alex - The antics of the brothers going after her in season 4 was funny but her and Brian's relationship in season 5 was snooze worthy.