A lot of debate surrounded the character of Helen. Was she going to be a mysterious dark beauty or a cheeky little southern bell? Creators could not decide what form she would take and even had some trouble picking out a name.
In fact, she was initially going to be called Helen Trionkis. It’s hard to imagine Crystal Bernard playing a Helen Trionkis, which is why it actually wasn’t meant for her in the first place.
The Truth About Tom Nevers
When making a TV show, sometimes you have to take a little "poetic license" in order to create a believable universe. And that pretty much means making some minor tweaks here and there. When it comes to the actual airport depicted in the show, there is some grey area when it comes to the existence of Tom Nevers Field.
While Tom Nevers is an actual place in Nantucket, it's really more of a park than an airport. If you want to actually fly in and out of the island, then Nantucket Memorial Airport is where you would actually go.
You Can Really Fly a Sandpiper's Plane
Talk about a never-ending career. This plane might eventually out-live the cast members. That's right, the Sandpiper plane that appears in the series opening and closing credits is a fully working plane that is still part of Cape Air's fleet.
And what's the airline slogan? “We’re Your Wings.” It looks like this plane will forever be tied in with the show.
Peri or Crystal?
The role of Helen Trionkis was meant to for the Greek-American actress Peri Gilpin. She was already a favorite of the creators and even starred in "Frasier" as the Frasier's psychiatrist as well as "Make it or Break it."
Creator David Lee shared in 2010 “Our first choice was Peri Gilpin. [NBC President Brandon] Tartikoff thought she wasn't ready to head a series yet.” Turns out Crystal Bernard was!
Lowell Was Written For Thomas Haden Church
Interestingly enough, the character Lowell was created with Thomas Haden Church already in mind. When the creators saw his one-time appearance in "Cheers" as Gordie Brown they were sold on his idiot savant persona.
Unfortunately, Church left in 1995 because he didn't want the typecast curse. Guess he made a good move since now he's a highly sought-after Hollywood star.