Wings: Now boarding guest stars and recurring characters

 

This is the second in a three-part series looking back at one of the underrated sitcoms from the 1990s, Wings.

A longtime staple of episodic television, whether in an outstanding series or a middling one, is the appearance of guest stars and recurring characters. The sitcom Wings was no different.

These appearances serve multiple purposes. They can be used to boost ratings and attract viewers for a struggling show. Back when fall and spring sweeps were a big thing looked at by networks, before cable and streaming shows entered the picture with original content, a major name could appear on a show and send ratings into another stratosphere. Or they could simply be a popular figure at the time and brought in for some good will (and yes, ratings).

Recurring characters were used for the same reasons, along with helping build the world of a particular series.  They could be family members, friends of characters, or even random acquaintances that bring so much flavor to the show they'd be invited back for future episodes.

Wings had all of this and more. Many guest stars and recurring characters entered the terminal at Tom Nevers Field during the eight seasons of this comedy. And we begin with a character crossover event.

Wings: Everyone knows your name

Before ABC had their TGIF lineup mix-and mash and long before NBC had Chicago Wednesdays and Law and Order Thursdays, Wings gave us multiple occasions with characters crossing over between shows.

NBC was already on the verge of universe building, where we discovered Seinfeld, Friends, and Mad About You shared the same landscape. Wings wasn't a spin-off of Cheers but seeing how both shows had the same creators/producers and were set in Massachusetts, it was only logical that characters from Cheers would make the trip to Nantucket (though the favor was never returned, as many times as the characters from Wings took trips to Boston).

The first to do so were Norm (George Wendt) and Cliff (John Ratzenberger), who walked through the terminal doors for a fishing trip (season 2, episode 2). This was more than a brief cameo, as the two were present throughout the episode, with Cliff even offering sage advice. They never did reach their fishing destination, as they spent way too much time at Helen's (Crystal Bernard) lunch counter.

It wouldn't be until the middle part of season three (episode 16) when characters from Cheers returned. This time it was none other than the man who would later get a spin-off, Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammar). Dr. Crane was on the island with this wife Lilith Sternin-Crane (Bebe Neuwirth), conducting a self-help seminar.

As mentioned in part one of this blog series, over 20 episodes of Wings were not available on Hulu. One of these contains the final appearance from a character from Cheers. In this episode, Brian (Steven Weber) takes Alex (Farrah Forke) to Boston and a Clint Black concert. Black plays himself in the episode and Brian tries to sneak into a party (or backstage). Also attempting to do the same? Miss Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley).

Though the big gun from Cheers, Sam Malone (Ted Danson), never made an appearance, there were plenty of other notable performers to appear on Wings.

Wings: Notable one-timers

Between guest stars and recurring characters, there were likely over 100 different performers, celebrities, statesmen, and more to appear in an episode of Wings.

There were familiar faces of sitcom lore, like David Ogden Stiers of Mash fame, who played an orchestral conductor (season 2, episode 3). And John Ritter (Three's Company), who played Stuart, the ex-husband of Casey (real-life wife Amy Yasbeck) in season seven's 25th-episode.

Ray Charles had a brief cameo (S5, E24) and George Kennedy went through an entire episode playing himself (S7, E21). 

Joe (Tim Daly) and Brian's mom was played by Barbara Babcock (S2, E20), while Tim Daly's older sister Tyne appeared in episode six of season three.

And of course, Wings capitalized on what was trending around the time, with Colonel Oliver North showing up in the cold open for season 3, episode 18 with a throwaway line about having "no recollection". 

There was an older generation of performers and comedians who appeared on the show. Debbie Reynolds played Helen and Casey's mom (S6, E9). Roy's (David Schramm) mother didn't make an appearance until the final season and she was played by Rose Marie. Abe Vigoda (S8, E11), Soupy Sales (S6, E8), and Peggy Lipton (S6, E8) were others who landed in Nantucket.

And older generation of performers and comedians, too, appeared as recurring characters over the 172-episode run.

Wings: Recurring guests

One of the funnier characters on the show was William Hickey, who played Carlton Blanchard. Hickey first appeared as Carlton in season three, episode 17. Carlton wins a round-trip ticket at a fundraiser and wants to fly to Las Cruces, which Joe begrudgingly has to agree to. Carlton annoys each of the characters in various ways and only wants to make this trip to see a brother he hasn't spoken to in 50 years. Chaos ensues, a plane crash happens, and the main cast want nothing to do with Carlton ever again.

Of course, Carlton shows up for two more episodes over the years, bringing the same annoyances and comedy. He's talked about in even more in episodes Hickey doesn't appear, as Gilbert Gottfried arrives as Carlton's nephew in season 5, episode 15 (and playing the nephew in two more episodes in seasons six and seven).

Phil Leeds, in some ways, would later replace Hickey as the "annoying old man" character. Leeds drops by in seasons seven (E24) and eight (E11, a Christmas episode). Leeds plays Lou, a character who Joe meets while caught up in a lie. The two end up at a strip club with Brian, who is there to see an old friend (Carol Alt as Tracey, once the "hottest girl in Siasconset High".)

Abraham Benrubi appeared as Roy's son in season two, episode ten and is rarely mentioned, if at all, until a reappearance in the 13th episode of season seven. RJ is a star football player but takes cello lessons from Helen, who he first comes out as gay to. Roy initially struggles with this at first and it is in Benrubi's later appearance in which the character RJ is going to get married.

Mark Harelik, Valerie Mahaffey, and Laura Innes kept popping up over the years, and with good reason. Harelik played Davis Lynch, who first shows up as a possible investor in Sandpiper Air in season five, episode four. Davis ends up in a relationship with Helen, though he's discussed more often than seen, and appears in four episodes in season five and one in season seven.

Mahaffey appears as Sandy, an old classmate the core group. Sandy was obsessed with Joe and first appears to be normal in her life as a lawyer (and later, judge). But her obsession with Joe still stands, creating havoc in private with him but nobody else believes the zaniness that happens behind closed doors. Mahaffey appeared in three episodes, beginning in season five, and at one point in her season seven appearance dated Brian.

For the longest time, Lowell (Thomas Haden Church) spoke of his wife Bunny. He had plenty of stories but it took all the way until season three, episode four for Bunny (Innes) to actually make an appearance. Sex-crazed and aloof, Bunny ultimately kicks Lowell off the boat and the two divorce. 

Innes, who went on to star on ER, appeared as Bunny in four episodes across seasons three, four, and five, and was just one of many future stars to spend some time on Wings. 

Wings: Future stars

One of the great things during this re-watch is seeing performers who would later go onto headline television shows of their own (or find consistent work over the years).

Back in the fifth episode of season one, Megan Mullally appeared as a blind date of Joe's. Brian has set up Joe on this date with Cindy, who is described as the town floozy. Mullally, of course, would later star on NBC's Will and Grace (among other things).

Another performer from those early seasons was Matthew Fox, playing a high school baseball player who was about to break Joe's strikeout record (S3, E21. Brian Doyle Murray was also in this episode as the baseball coach). Fox would later reach superstardom with the series Lost and before that was also one of the stars of the original Party of Five.

Party of Five also saw Scott Grimes gain some notoriety. Grimes has appeared on all sorts of television and movies in the last 30 years, including ER. He was on Wings in episode three of season four, working as a high school intern for Roy.

Others who spent time on Wings include Peri Gilpin (S3, E19) and Kevin Connolly (S5, E7). Gilpin's appearance was prior to her role of Roz on Frasier and Connolly would later gain fame as one of the stars on Entourage.

John Hawkes, who has built up quite the resume over the years, showed up a couple of times in season five as a waiter at the Crab Shack.

Wings delivered laughs for eight seasons and a large part of the success was due to guest stars and recurring characters who boarded the show. Another reason for success? The relationships, romantic and otherwise, for the main cast, which we'll explore in the upcoming part three three of this blog series.

Wings: The forgotten sitcom gem of the 1990s, part 1

photo credit: Wikimedia Commons