The ensemble comedies generally tend to be my favorites because there is a lot more humor to be found in groups than there are in those shows that rely on the talents of one lone actor. To give you a quick example (since most situation comedies have several characters) a series like The Bernie Mac Show tends to get its humor by watching Bernie Mac's reaction to those around him, while a series like Cheers has multiple leads and characters who all interact. One of the more underrated situation comedies in recent memory was Wings. It starred Timothy Daly and Steven Weber as brothers living in Nantucket and running a small commuter airline. The denizens of the airport included Helen Chapel (Crystal Bernard), the lunch counter manager, Roy Biggins (David Schramm), the owner of a rival airline, Fay (Rebecca Schull), who runs the ticket counter and Lowell (Thomas Hayden Church), the slightly less than brilliant mechanic.

An additional character whose appearances grew, as the show gained popularity, was taxicab driver Antonio (Tony Shalhoub).

Wings was one of those series that stayed on the air due to the terrifically talented cast and equally talented script writers. The sitcom offered all the wacky comedy audiences could stand, yet it rarely went so far as to become madcap in style. You could really believe in these characters and the situations they found themselves in week after week. There was even a bit of a soap opera mentality to it due to the on again / off again relationship between childhood friends Joe (Daly) and Helen. I remember going through several seasons of yelling at the screen for the two of them to finally get and stay together.

The rapport between the cast was awesome, and easily counts as one of the other driving forces behind its popularity. No matter which character a particular storyline happened to follow, the others would have their part in it and whether they were supporting each other or plotting against, the episode would never fail to entertain. But how can you lose when you have such a talented cast of actors (most of which have been as underrated as the series)?

Timothy Daly has proven over and over that he has the talent to carry a series, but for some reason audiences just don’t seem to connect to him as much as they did in Wings. He has also lent his talents to the world of voiceover work and was the voice of Superman in Superman: The Animated Series for several seasons. Tony Shalhoub showed he was not a one-hit-wonder by taking on the starring role in several movies, but really found his niche in the Emmy Award winning series Monk. The popularity of this series seems to know no boundaries as it readies itself for a fifth season on the USA Network. And of course, Thomas Hayden Church, after being cast in several 'dim-witted' character roles, finally found his due when he was nominated for an Academy Award for his work in Sideways. And he is about to play one of the villains in the upcoming 3rd installment of the Spider-Man franchise.

But it is Steven Weber whose talent gets him plum roles, but still seems to have a problem gaining the fame that he so richly deserves. To date I have yet to see him take on a role that he wasn't totally up to the task for. One of my favorites was his starring role in the little-seen Jeffrey, where he played a gay man looking for a simple relationship in this not-so-simple world. The movie is as funny as it is poignant and I am constantly recommending it to people. What I especially like about Weber is that he doesn’t always take on funny roles, which is where he seems the most at home.

For example, a few years back he had the unenviable task of playing the lead role in the TV version of Stephen King's The Shining. The story had already been done theatrically by director Stanley Kubrick, with Jack Nicholson in the lead as the ex-alcoholic author who takes on a job as caretaker of a haunted hotel that closes up for the winter. Nicholson's performance has been hailed as the definitive performance as has Kubrick's movie. However, and I seem to be in the minority here, I feel that the TV version was the much, much better version. And I also feel that Weber's performance was much more focused and a lot more terrifying than Nicholson's. This isn't to knock Nicholson's take on the role, but he is kind if a scary actor to begin with. Weber comes across as so likable that when he loses it in this movie, he is truly scary.

So anyhow, now that I've rambled, I'll get back to the point… which is to let you know that Paramount is releasing the 1st two seasons of Wings on DVD. And as this was amongst my favorites, I'm really glad to see it finally coming out.

This 4-disc set delivers all 28 episodes of the 1st and 2nd seasons, but sadly does not offer up any extra features. I was rather surprised considering that it's only been ten years since the show went off the air. I really expected a few commentaries or interviews, but no such luck. I'm usually a little disappointed when these sets lack extra features, but when the show it self is as good as Wings was, I'm just glad to have them available at all.

Episodes:
Season 1 -
Legacy'
Around the World In 80 Days
Return To Nantucket: Part 1
Return To Nantucket: Part 2
There Once Was A Girl From Nantucket
All For One and Two For Helen

Season 2 -
The Puppet Master
The Story of Joe
A Little Nightmare Music
Sports & Leisure
A Standup Kind of Guy
It's Not the Thought, It's the Gift
Hell Hath No Fury Like A Police Woman Scorned
High Anxiety
Friends or Lovers?
There's Always Room For Cello
A Terminal Christmas
Airport '90
Love Is Like Pulling Teeth
The Tennis Bum
My Brother's Back- And There's Going To Be Trouble
Plane 9 From Nantucket
Looking For Love In All the Wrong Places
Love Means Never Having To Say Geronimo
All In the Family
Mother Wore Stripes
Murder She Roast
Due For Plane and Cello

Starring: Timothy Daly, Steven Weber, Crystal Bernard, David Schramm, Rebecca Shull
Extras: None
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 5/23/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Wings: Seasons 1 & 2 a B.