You're Right..."WINGS" IS Different Now! - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

pilotguy · 07-21-2003, 02:19 AM

Several of you have commented on how "WINGS" became "different" the past couple of seasons...not necessarily "BAD", just "different"...and I have to say that I agree with you.

In previous seasons the series was truly an "ensemble" sitcom. Oh sure, individual episodes may have centered around a specific character, but most of the action took place in the airport waiting area, with the characters commenting on the action as it progressed.

Many of the later episodes that take place after Joe and Helen's wedding center around the couple's domestic problems, and much of the action takes place in their home, away from the airport.

These later episodes remind me of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" or the original "Bob Newhart Show".....You still have the workplace and its zany characters, but the airport setting, action and characters aren't as crucial to many of the episodes as they used to be. The workplace is a PART of the "domestic" episodes, but it's not the main setting of the story.

Sometimes it seems like the series should NOW be called "The Joe and Helen Show". I'm not saying that that's BAD, but it IS definitely DIFFERENT than what "WINGS" USED to be!

losthighway · 07-21-2003, 11:06 AM

That's pretty much true Pilotguy and a fair comparison to other shows. Joe and Helen were always key central characters, and as soon as the creators decided to go in the direction of having Joe and Helen get married (a decision I think was the right one) then you have to change the dynamic of the series, and not only have you changed the dynamic of the sexual tension, but it becomes necessary to show their life beyond the walls of the airport terminal. It's just a natural progression of the show.

I still remember how disappointed I was when NBC decided to not bring back Wings for another year, because I still enjoyed the show over the last season, but at the same time it was probably the right time to end it.

I read a quote by Crsystal Bernard a couple years ago where she said it was sad to know she wouldn't work with her friends anymore, but they had pretty much told all the stories and in some cases retold stories. And I agree with that.

Wings had the equivilent of about a 7 1/2 year run and in my opinion most sit-coms only remain fresh and vibrant for about that exact amount of time. (7 or 8 years). There have been several sit-coms I have enjoyed over the years such as M*A*S*H, Cheers and now Frasier, that in my opinion all ran a couple years too long. I felt the weakest work of all of those shows were the last couple, simply because the writers were obviously running out of ideas, and to a degree I think even the actors get a little bored with the work. Lets face it, after 8 seasons almost 200 story lines and plots have been done and there is only so many things that can happen to the particular characters.

Wings had a run of over 170 episodes and as the show developed certain things had to change to develop story lines, but as you said it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. And when you see the final two episodes of the series, which are called "Final Approach" I think you'll like it. I think it was an excellent ending to the series.

Krista2882 · 07-21-2003, 01:02 PM

I actually didn't even notice that, pilotguy. I know Joe and Helen had always been 2 of the lead characters on the show, and I actualy didn't notice that since they've gotten married, there are more episodes that center around them. But now that you mention it, i do notice it. I guess it never really occurred to me because the two of them are my favorite characters anyway. hehe.

but yeah, like losthighway said, I think the writers went the right way with having Joe and Helen get married, and it makes sense that since they are married, that they would have more episodes about their life together outside of the airport.

and I also agree with losthighway that even though we would probably have all liked to see more seasons of the show, it was probably a good place to end it- after 8 seasons. I know I haven't seen the rest of season 8 yet, but it seems like where it's going and the way the show is now, it was a good time to end it. it seems that some shows are on for TOO long. It's better to end a show while it's still good. Go out with a bang, you know what I mean? Because even if a show is my favorite show, if it starts going downhill, and they still let it drag on for a few more seasons, I just won't even watch the show anymore. So it's better to end a show while it's still good, and while people are still watching it.

o wait, NBC was who decided not to bring the show back after 8 years? hmmmm... Well, that's ok. 8 seasons is a good amount of time for a sitcom. a lot of the "best" sitcoms lasted 8 years.

I feel like I'm rambling. lol.

But anyway, my point is.... what is my point?
hhmmm..
oh, in the last 2 seasons, having more storylines that center around Joe and Helen rather than around everyone as a group in the airport is actually a change that i didn't really conciously notice.
and I agree with losthighway- I think the show ended in a good way. I'm glad NBC let them know beforehand that it would be the last season, so that they could give the show a good ending. (even tho I haven't seen it yet. lol. But I've heard it was good). Some other shows aren't as lucky. they're just cancelled. boom, that's it. with no ending!! it'll make you go crazy!!! *still boycotting the Sci-Fi Channel*

~Krista

Chocoholic · 07-21-2003, 01:47 PM

I agree. The last two seasons didn't seem as funny to me. They seemed to take away from the airport and focused mainly on Joe and Helen and Brian and Casey.

Still, I'd rather watch a bad Wings episode than most of the crap that has come out these past couple of seasons.

spunkygirl · 07-21-2003, 09:57 PM

I love the last two seasons, I think they're still as funny as the other seasons had been. Yeah the dynamic changed, which I thought they did it well, it did center more around Joe and Helen's home life, but IMO they did that alot in other seasons, I remember early on in the series, that there had been alot of episodes that revolved around things going on in either Helen or Joe's house, and even Faye's.

blackbeard · 07-21-2003, 10:19 PM

While I agree seasons 7 and 8 leave something to be desired when compared to earlier seasons, I would still rather watch those seasons than any episodes of Cosby or Threes Company.

Adamantium · 07-22-2003, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Krista2882
*still boycotting the Sci-Fi Channel*

Is that because of "Farscape"?

Okay, my take on the last two seasons. I actually enjoyed much of the 7th season. And I liked the three-part "Wingless" episodes. I also like the final episode. Obviously, since Lowell was my favorite character, the show went downhill after he left. That's already been mentioned by just about everyone here. But I think it could have been better, even without him. It's like the stories didn't go anywhere. I mean, Joe and Helen were together. The Brian and Casey thing wasn't going anywhere. No one else in the airport had lives to follow.

There was a line in a season 8 episode I thought was weird.
Brian to Fay: My ex-girlfriend, Alex ...

I forget the rest of the line, but I think Fay knows who Alex is. All he had to say was "Alex ..." That didn't bring the show down or anything, it's just something I thought of and decided to mention it.

Krista2882 · 07-22-2003, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by TVAdam
Is that because of "Farscape"?

yes!!!

the stupid Scifi channel renewed Farscape for a 4th AND 5th season, and then all of a sudden, near the end of the 4th season, they change their minds, and cancel it!! so the writers thought they were getting a 5th season, so the show was left HANGING there at the end of the 4th season!! I saw the last episode and wanted to throw things at the TV! It's the worst cliff-hanger ever! It needs an ending!! lol But I'll stop ranting now hehe. Fans are still trying to get another network to pick up the show. hopefully something will happen, even if it's only for one more season, so the show can be ended properly!

~Krista

Adamantium · 07-22-2003, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Krista2882
yes!!!

the stupid Scifi channel renewed Farscape for a 4th AND 5th season, and then all of a sudden, near the end of the 4th season, they change their minds, and cancel it!! so the writers thought they were getting a 5th season, so the show was left HANGING there at the end of the 4th season!! I saw the last episode and wanted to throw things at the TV! It's the worst cliff-hanger ever! It needs an ending!! lol But I'll stop ranting now hehe. Fans are still trying to get another network to pick up the show. hopefully something will happen, even if it's only for one more season, so the show can be ended properly!

Sci-Fi Channel had the TV show "Sliders" end with a cliff-hanger too. Rembrandt (the sole survivor from the first season) was taking the final slide, where a seer predicted death. He jumped through the vortex and then the other sliders stood by. It would have been nice to have a better finale. I hear now and then talk of a Sliders movie, but I don't know.

To keep it on "Wings" topic, although I my sometimes bash the later years, I still watch and enjoy every episode from seasons 7 and 8. I mean, it's still Wings. However, I admit that I quit watching the show when it was new. Somehow, though I decided to tune into the final episode when it originally aired. I can't say it enough, Wings is (or was) a Great show. If it wasn't, it wouldn't have all of us discussing the sitcom almost seven years after it's cancellation.

Krista2882 · 07-23-2003, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by TVAdam
Sci-Fi Channel had the TV show "Sliders" end with a cliff-hanger too. Rembrandt (the sole survivor from the first season) was taking the final slide, where a seer predicted death. He jumped through the vortex and then the other sliders stood by. It would have been nice to have a better finale. I hear now and then talk of a Sliders movie, but I don't know.

oh, I didn't realize that. ..I started watching Sliders when it first started on one of the network channels... it was on on Friday nights on FOX or something like that.. i don't remember. but then when it moved and continued on the Sci-Fi channel, it kind of went downhill. At least I didn't really like it anymore, and I stopped watching. I didn't realize it ended with a cliffhanger like that.
Another one of my favorite shows ended with a cliffhanger- "The Pretender" was on NBC for 4 seasons, and then it was cancelled with no ending!! TNT bought the rights to the show and shows reruns now, and they made two TV movies, but they still haven't actually wrapped up many of the loose-ends in the story, and I haven't heard anything about a 3rd movie!

and if N@N really decides not to show the last episode of Wings this time around, and I have to wait another whole cycle of the show to see it, i'm going to have a cow. hehe

losthighway · 07-23-2003, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by TVAdam
I can't say it enough, Wings is (or was) a Great show. If it wasn't, it wouldn't have all of us discussing the sitcom almost seven years after it's cancellation.

Couldn't agree more!!

It helps of course that the show is running on Nick at Nite right now, but I think it says alot about the show that 6 years after it left the air there are a bunch of people discussing it!

I really did enjoy the show from beginning to end, even though I admit it had peeks and valleys like every show does. But one of the things I have enjoyed about this board is even though as "fans" of the show we may have differeing opinions on what episodes were good, or what actors were underrated etc.... everything is always discussed in a civil and respectful way. I appreciate that. Nothing turns me off faster then reading posts where people start taking 'shots' at each others opinions or get nasty and make mean spirited comments. There is none of that here, and that is great.

phoebe7165 · 07-23-2003, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by losthighway
Couldn't agree more!!

It helps of course that the show is running on Nick at Nite right now, but I think it says alot about the show that 6 years after it left the air there are a bunch of people discussing it!

I really did enjoy the show from beginning to end, even though I admit it had peeks and valleys like every show does. But one of the things I have enjoyed about this board is even though as "fans" of the show we may have differeing opinions on what episodes were good, or what actors were underrated etc.... everything is always discussed in a civil and respectful way. I appreciate that. Nothing turns me off faster then reading posts where people start taking 'shots' at each others opinions or get nasty and make mean spirited comments. There is none of that here, and that is great.

Losthighway, that's the reason I quit going on the TVLand message boards. Non-fans were going on the Wings board, bashing the show, and saying how much it sucked. I wasn't going on the boards I never watched and saying their shows sucked, so why were they doing it to Wings? That would be just a waste of my time. So Snoopy told me about these boards. As far as people taking 'shots' at each others opinion, apparently you haven't encountered "Sitcom Analyzer" He's(I think it's a male) is on some other boards and he thrives on making trouble and pissing people off. Well, he despises Wings so I don't see him coming on this board and bothering us. He's on my ignore list.

Chocoholic · 07-24-2003, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by phoebe7165
. As far as people taking 'shots' at each others opinion, apparently you haven't encountered "Sitcom Analyzer" He's(I think it's a male) is on some other boards and he thrives on making trouble and pissing people off. Well, he despises Wings so I don't see him coming on this board and bothering us. He's on my ignore list.

Thankfully, he seems to be in the minority on these boards. I can't stand people who feel that their opinions are better and smarter than anyone else's and that people who disagree with them must be stupid. There are some TV shows that I really can't stand (like Friends and Three's Company) but you don't see me going to fan boards for those shows and bashing them. Everyone has different opinions and the right to express them.

I used to post at these other boards (EW.com/People.com both now defunct) and they were full of people like SOLOMON/Sitcom Analyzer. I remember these three people in particular who always bashed me because I love Wings (which they can't stand) and I didn't like some of their favorite shows. These people claimed to be adults who were going back to college too. The so-called board moderator did nothing to stop them. There were some really nice posters there, but the rude people ruled and ruined the boards.

I think this group is a good one. Most Wings fans I've met, on-line or off, seem to be nice, fun, pleasant people to be with, just like the Wings characters

07-21-2003, 02:19 AM	#1
pilotguy Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 09, 2003 Posts: 1,305	You're Right..."WINGS" IS Different Now! Several of you have commented on how "WINGS" became "different" the past couple of seasons...not necessarily "BAD", just "different"...and I have to say that I agree with you. In previous seasons the series was truly an "ensemble" sitcom. Oh sure, individual episodes may have centered around a specific character, but most of the action took place in the airport waiting area, with the characters commenting on the action as it progressed. Many of the later episodes that take place after Joe and Helen's wedding center around the couple's domestic problems, and much of the action takes place in their home, away from the airport. These later episodes remind me of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" or the original "Bob Newhart Show".....You still have the workplace and its zany characters, but the airport setting, action and characters aren't as crucial to many of the episodes as they used to be. The workplace is a PART of the "domestic" episodes, but it's not the main setting of the story. Sometimes it seems like the series should NOW be called "The Joe and Helen Show". I'm not saying that that's BAD, but it IS definitely DIFFERENT than what "WINGS" USED to be!

07-21-2003, 11:06 AM	#2
losthighway Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 14, 2003 Posts: 370	That's pretty much true Pilotguy and a fair comparison to other shows. Joe and Helen were always key central characters, and as soon as the creators decided to go in the direction of having Joe and Helen get married (a decision I think was the right one) then you have to change the dynamic of the series, and not only have you changed the dynamic of the sexual tension, but it becomes necessary to show their life beyond the walls of the airport terminal. It's just a natural progression of the show. I still remember how disappointed I was when NBC decided to not bring back Wings for another year, because I still enjoyed the show over the last season, but at the same time it was probably the right time to end it. I read a quote by Crsystal Bernard a couple years ago where she said it was sad to know she wouldn't work with her friends anymore, but they had pretty much told all the stories and in some cases retold stories. And I agree with that. Wings had the equivilent of about a 7 1/2 year run and in my opinion most sit-coms only remain fresh and vibrant for about that exact amount of time. (7 or 8 years). There have been several sit-coms I have enjoyed over the years such as MAS*H, Cheers and now Frasier, that in my opinion all ran a couple years too long. I felt the weakest work of all of those shows were the last couple, simply because the writers were obviously running out of ideas, and to a degree I think even the actors get a little bored with the work. Lets face it, after 8 seasons almost 200 story lines and plots have been done and there is only so many things that can happen to the particular characters. Wings had a run of over 170 episodes and as the show developed certain things had to change to develop story lines, but as you said it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. And when you see the final two episodes of the series, which are called "Final Approach" I think you'll like it. I think it was an excellent ending to the series.

07-21-2003, 01:02 PM	#3
Krista2882 Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 10, 2003 Location: CT Posts: 1,370	I actually didn't even notice that, pilotguy. I know Joe and Helen had always been 2 of the lead characters on the show, and I actualy didn't notice that since they've gotten married, there are more episodes that center around them. But now that you mention it, i do notice it. I guess it never really occurred to me because the two of them are my favorite characters anyway. hehe. but yeah, like losthighway said, I think the writers went the right way with having Joe and Helen get married, and it makes sense that since they are married, that they would have more episodes about their life together outside of the airport. and I also agree with losthighway that even though we would probably have all liked to see more seasons of the show, it was probably a good place to end it- after 8 seasons. I know I haven't seen the rest of season 8 yet, but it seems like where it's going and the way the show is now, it was a good time to end it. it seems that some shows are on for TOO long. It's better to end a show while it's still good. Go out with a bang, you know what I mean? Because even if a show is my favorite show, if it starts going downhill, and they still let it drag on for a few more seasons, I just won't even watch the show anymore. So it's better to end a show while it's still good, and while people are still watching it. o wait, NBC was who decided not to bring the show back after 8 years? hmmmm... Well, that's ok. 8 seasons is a good amount of time for a sitcom. a lot of the "best" sitcoms lasted 8 years. I feel like I'm rambling. lol. But anyway, my point is.... what is my point? hhmmm.. oh, in the last 2 seasons, having more storylines that center around Joe and Helen rather than around everyone as a group in the airport is actually a change that i didn't really conciously notice. and I agree with losthighway- I think the show ended in a good way. I'm glad NBC let them know beforehand that it would be the last season, so that they could give the show a good ending. (even tho I haven't seen it yet. lol. But I've heard it was good). Some other shows aren't as lucky. they're just cancelled. boom, that's it. with no ending!! it'll make you go crazy!!! still boycotting the Sci-Fi Channel ~Krista

07-21-2003, 01:47 PM	#4
Chocoholic Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 01, 2000 Location: Between a rock and a hard place. Posts: 11,235	I agree. The last two seasons didn't seem as funny to me. They seemed to take away from the airport and focused mainly on Joe and Helen and Brian and Casey. Still, I'd rather watch a bad Wings episode than most of the crap that has come out these past couple of seasons.

07-21-2003, 09:57 PM	#5
spunkygirl Member Moderator Forum Celebrity Join Date: Apr 26, 2003 Posts: 21,563	I love the last two seasons, I think they're still as funny as the other seasons had been. Yeah the dynamic changed, which I thought they did it well, it did center more around Joe and Helen's home life, but IMO they did that alot in other seasons, I remember early on in the series, that there had been alot of episodes that revolved around things going on in either Helen or Joe's house, and even Faye's.

07-21-2003, 10:19 PM	#6
blackbeard B.O.G. Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 05, 2001 Location: Constitution State Posts: 712	While I agree seasons 7 and 8 leave something to be desired when compared to earlier seasons, I would still rather watch those seasons than any episodes of Cosby or Threes Company.