If you could change anything about Wings... - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Chocoholic · 04-28-2003, 12:25 AM

If you could change anything about Wings, what would it be?

I would have had Antonio on the cast from the start and I would have ended the series with Joe and Helen's wedding, but other than that, there's nothing about this fine sitcom that I would change.

I would definitely change how the critics, awards shows, and networks felt about the show though. Wings was apparently too over the heads for most of the TV critics, I guess.

losthighway · 04-28-2003, 01:34 AM

Snoopy, I feel the same way about Antonio. He was a great additon to the cast and I like how they had the episode where he was working as the waiter and then worked him into the show a while later.

Although I still enjoyed several episodes and the show overall even after the wedding, it would have been nice to have the show end with the wedding. Too bad they didn't try to milk the engagement time a little longer. And YES, if I could change one thing it would be the emmy nominations and voting.

After Lowell left I never would have brought in Bud. It's always a mistake to try and replace an original character with a copy character. It never works.

pilotguy · 04-28-2003, 02:33 AM

Well, being that I'm a "late bloomer", and this is really the first time that I've watched "Wings" on a regular basis, I can't say that I'd change too much about the show....at this point in the series (3rd season).

However, from what I've been reading, there will be quite a few things that I would change when NICK starts showing the later seasons.....

Some of the characters take on different (and less appealing) qualities in later seasons, and many of the later episodes get away from the "gang at the airport" type of ensemble stories and concentrate more on a single character in a given episode...with much of the action taking place away from the airport.
If these things are true, then they are probably things that I would change....I'll know better once I actually watch those later episodes.

There IS one thing that I'm seeing now that I don't particularly care for...and that's how this whole "Joe & Helen" relationship is being handled in the 3rd season.

I know that they eventually do get married, but right now it seems like the writers are trying to go back to the platonic relationship of the first season, as if Joe and Helen never even dated.
This seems a little unrealistic to me.....If they care enough about each other to eventually get married, then going back to the "Big Brother-Little Sister" relationship that they had before their romance (and very messy breakup) seems a little weird...but then this is only a TV show! (But does anyone here feel like I do about this?).

losthighway · 04-28-2003, 12:20 PM

Pilotguy, you have a good point about the Joe/Helen relationship. It is hard to get a real feel for the development of characters when you are seeing a show for the first time in syndication where episodes can jump around, rather then seeing them as they progressed when the show originally aired.

Still, it was a little unbelieveable how they handeld the Helen/Joe relationship. But as you said, this is also TV, and one of the basic concepts of TV writing with relationships is if you have two characters that have an attraction to each other and a spark you have to drive the show by the premise of are they going to get together? Then you have to reward the audience by getting them together, but then what is the first thing they need to do to sustain the plot line and keep the attraction going? Break them up.

Shows such as Cheers with Diane and Sam have done this, and to a lesser degree even shows like Friends with Ross and Rachel and Ed with Carol and Ed have used the technique.

The fear of "what do we do now" takes place if you bring two main characters together too soon. You need the friction and anticipation sometimes to drive the story line. So with Wings, they essentially had Helen and Joe dating within about 15 episodes. So they needed to break them up and try to keep the undercurrent alive that the feelings were still there, even though they were not dating anymore. And that's how we got classic episodoes such as "Ladies Who Lunch".

Another classic episode a couple years later that did that was "Hey 19" when Joe dates a 19 year old. Even though Helen was dating Davis Lynch at the time, it was driving her crazy that Joe was with the 19 year old and her jealousy was obvious.

Oops, I got a little long winded there, but you are right, it is kind of odd how they become big brother/little sister again for a while, but like you said, with TV you suspend your disbelief a little.

nantucket_wings · 04-28-2003, 02:59 PM

if I could change 1 thing about Wings ... I would keep it on the air longer

phoebe7165 · 04-28-2003, 03:36 PM

Negotiated with Thomas Haden Church better to keep him on the show. Hooked up Antonio with Casey just to give Antonio a little happiness with a 'normal-looking' woman instead of constantly making him out to be a hopeless schmuck. I agree about casting somebody to 'replace' Lowell. What were the writers thinking? I do like what they did with the last episode, with Brian finally taking responsibilty and Helen being able to experience her musical dream.

denvercenter · 04-28-2003, 04:09 PM

For what I hear of Nick@Nite I really don't believe it will happen.

nantucket_wings · 04-28-2003, 08:38 PM

well if thats the case, I hope they make it a double episode so we wouldnt have to stay up so late for just a half hour of wings

Quote:

Originally posted by denvercenter
For what I hear of Nick@Nite I really don't believe it will happen.

Chocoholic · 04-28-2003, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by losthighway

It's always a mistake to try and replace an original character with a copy character. It never works.

I agree, although I do like Woody over Coach on Cheers. Of course, I'm a bit biased since I prefer the Rebecca years over the Diane years.

losthighway · 04-29-2003, 01:55 AM

I liked Rebecca better then Diane too! Great minds think alike. LOL

nantucket_wings · 04-29-2003, 11:39 AM

I 3rd that comment, I like rebecca more then diane ... and I loveeeee Woody ...

Chocoholic · 04-29-2003, 12:04 PM

Too bad no one from Wings was on Cheers. I bet it would have been funny. Have Brian and Antonio plan to go to Boston to do something, but end up in the bar, kinda like what Norm and Cliff did on Wings.

pilotguy · 04-29-2003, 07:48 PM

Do you know what would have been wild?

Having Lowell sitting next to Cliff at the bar, drinking beer and trying to "out-trivia" each other!

Like Cliff, Lowell is a bottomless source of little-known, and most of the time completely useless, trivia facts...only Lowell doesn't have the "Know-It-All" attitude of Cliff. Most of the time Lowell offers his trivia knowledge as help for a situation.

Anyway, Lowell and Cliff having a "Trivia Face-Off"....What an idea!

Chocoholic · 04-29-2003, 08:19 PM

That would have been funny

I also would have liked to see Reverend Jim from Taxi visit the airport and have a heart-to-heart talk with Antonio, once hopeless cabbie toanother.

We had a topic like this earlier, about Wings crossovers that should have happened.

04-28-2003, 12:25 AM	#1
Chocoholic Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 01, 2000 Location: Between a rock and a hard place. Posts: 11,235	If you could change anything about Wings... If you could change anything about Wings, what would it be? I would have had Antonio on the cast from the start and I would have ended the series with Joe and Helen's wedding, but other than that, there's nothing about this fine sitcom that I would change. I would definitely change how the critics, awards shows, and networks felt about the show though. Wings was apparently too over the heads for most of the TV critics, I guess.

04-28-2003, 02:59 PM	#5
nantucket_wings " Wing Nut " Senior Member Join Date: Apr 08, 2003 Location: Mansfield, Ohio Posts: 1,042	if I could change 1 thing about Wings ... I would keep it on the air longer
	__________________ Stace aka: Nantucket_Wings

04-28-2003, 04:09 PM	#7
denvercenter Airline Historian Occasional Poster Join Date: Apr 07, 2003 Location: KDEN, DEN this is Aviation Talk for Airport Location. Posts: 79	I liked it the way it was just wish for a better time slot! For what I hear of Nick@Nite I really don't believe it will happen.

04-28-2003, 01:34 AM	#2
losthighway Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 14, 2003 Posts: 370	Snoopy, I feel the same way about Antonio. He was a great additon to the cast and I like how they had the episode where he was working as the waiter and then worked him into the show a while later. Although I still enjoyed several episodes and the show overall even after the wedding, it would have been nice to have the show end with the wedding. Too bad they didn't try to milk the engagement time a little longer. And YES, if I could change one thing it would be the emmy nominations and voting. After Lowell left I never would have brought in Bud. It's always a mistake to try and replace an original character with a copy character. It never works.

04-28-2003, 02:33 AM	#3
pilotguy Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 09, 2003 Posts: 1,305	Well, being that I'm a "late bloomer", and this is really the first time that I've watched "Wings" on a regular basis, I can't say that I'd change too much about the show....at this point in the series (3rd season). However, from what I've been reading, there will be quite a few things that I would change when NICK starts showing the later seasons..... Some of the characters take on different (and less appealing) qualities in later seasons, and many of the later episodes get away from the "gang at the airport" type of ensemble stories and concentrate more on a single character in a given episode...with much of the action taking place away from the airport. If these things are true, then they are probably things that I would change....I'll know better once I actually watch those later episodes. There IS one thing that I'm seeing now that I don't particularly care for...and that's how this whole "Joe & Helen" relationship is being handled in the 3rd season. I know that they eventually do get married, but right now it seems like the writers are trying to go back to the platonic relationship of the first season, as if Joe and Helen never even dated. This seems a little unrealistic to me.....If they care enough about each other to eventually get married, then going back to the "Big Brother-Little Sister" relationship that they had before their romance (and very messy breakup) seems a little weird...but then this is only a TV show! (But does anyone here feel like I do about this?).

04-28-2003, 12:20 PM	#4
losthighway Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 14, 2003 Posts: 370	Pilotguy, you have a good point about the Joe/Helen relationship. It is hard to get a real feel for the development of characters when you are seeing a show for the first time in syndication where episodes can jump around, rather then seeing them as they progressed when the show originally aired. Still, it was a little unbelieveable how they handeld the Helen/Joe relationship. But as you said, this is also TV, and one of the basic concepts of TV writing with relationships is if you have two characters that have an attraction to each other and a spark you have to drive the show by the premise of are they going to get together? Then you have to reward the audience by getting them together, but then what is the first thing they need to do to sustain the plot line and keep the attraction going? Break them up. Shows such as Cheers with Diane and Sam have done this, and to a lesser degree even shows like Friends with Ross and Rachel and Ed with Carol and Ed have used the technique. The fear of "what do we do now" takes place if you bring two main characters together too soon. You need the friction and anticipation sometimes to drive the story line. So with Wings, they essentially had Helen and Joe dating within about 15 episodes. So they needed to break them up and try to keep the undercurrent alive that the feelings were still there, even though they were not dating anymore. And that's how we got classic episodoes such as "Ladies Who Lunch". Another classic episode a couple years later that did that was "Hey 19" when Joe dates a 19 year old. Even though Helen was dating Davis Lynch at the time, it was driving her crazy that Joe was with the 19 year old and her jealousy was obvious. Oops, I got a little long winded there, but you are right, it is kind of odd how they become big brother/little sister again for a while, but like you said, with TV you suspend your disbelief a little.

04-28-2003, 03:36 PM	#6
phoebe7165 Pop Culture Goddess Forum Fanatic Join Date: Apr 15, 2003 Location: US of A - the country of "really bad music" lovers Posts: 11,600	Negotiated with Thomas Haden Church better to keep him on the show. Hooked up Antonio with Casey just to give Antonio a little happiness with a 'normal-looking' woman instead of constantly making him out to be a hopeless schmuck. I agree about casting somebody to 'replace' Lowell. What were the writers thinking? I do like what they did with the last episode, with Brian finally taking responsibilty and Helen being able to experience her musical dream.

04-29-2003, 01:55 AM	#10
losthighway Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 14, 2003 Posts: 370	I liked Rebecca better then Diane too! Great minds think alike. LOL

04-29-2003, 11:39 AM	#11
nantucket_wings " Wing Nut " Senior Member Join Date: Apr 08, 2003 Location: Mansfield, Ohio Posts: 1,042	I 3rd that comment, I like rebecca more then diane ... and I loveeeee Woody ...

04-29-2003, 12:04 PM	#12
Chocoholic Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 01, 2000 Location: Between a rock and a hard place. Posts: 11,235	Too bad no one from Wings was on Cheers. I bet it would have been funny. Have Brian and Antonio plan to go to Boston to do something, but end up in the bar, kinda like what Norm and Cliff did on Wings.

04-29-2003, 07:48 PM	#13
pilotguy Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 09, 2003 Posts: 1,305	Do you know what would have been wild? Having Lowell sitting next to Cliff at the bar, drinking beer and trying to "out-trivia" each other! Like Cliff, Lowell is a bottomless source of little-known, and most of the time completely useless, trivia facts...only Lowell doesn't have the "Know-It-All" attitude of Cliff. Most of the time Lowell offers his trivia knowledge as help for a situation. Anyway, Lowell and Cliff having a "Trivia Face-Off"....What an idea!

04-29-2003, 08:19 PM	#14
Chocoholic Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 01, 2000 Location: Between a rock and a hard place. Posts: 11,235	That would have been funny I also would have liked to see Reverend Jim from Taxi visit the airport and have a heart-to-heart talk with Antonio, once hopeless cabbie toanother. We had a topic like this earlier, about Wings crossovers that should have happened.