Crystal was surprisingly awesome at playing the adorable Helen Chapel but her accent may have been a little hard to find. As a Texan, Crystal’s accent had that southern twang, but her character was a native of Nantucket Island. Her thick southern accent proved a little harder to shed.
Producers tried to create a convoluted backstory to justify it, but after the airing of the pilot, no one even cared. Everyone was smitten with Helen Chapel.
Oldie But Goodie
When asked about the show the actor said" I look back at it, and that show was really great! It’s hilarious! And we were very good. We were really fun. I don’t know why we didn’t get the credit we deserved at the time."
While "Wings" was reasonably successful in its day, fans might be a little disappointed to learn that their favorite show flew under the radar. The 90s was a time filled with fantastic sitcoms. It took quite a lot to stand out.
Tyne Daly Was One of the Highlights
Despite the show being a decent success amongst audiences, it did garner a surprising amount of critical acclaim. It was nominated for 3 Emmy awards including one for Outstanding Makeup in 1996, and the others for guest stars on that appeared on the show. One in particular caught everyone's eye.
Tyne Daly, Tim's sister, was one of the few people who were recognized for the role. This might sound strange at first, especially since most of the actors and actresses played a pivotal role. She even only had one appearance as Mimsy Borogroves and that was enough for her to be noticed!
Gilpin’s Hidden Talent
The 90s were filled with hit sitcoms and"Frasier" was another one of those gems. That wasn't the only thing the two shows had in common. The other was this little factoid connected to actress Peri Gilpin who played the psychiatrist Roz Doyle.
The name Roz Doyle was actually the name of one of the producers from "Wings." Sadly the producer passed away from breast cancer in 1991 and naming the character was a heartwarming way to honor her memory.
John Ritter Makes an Appearance
John Ritter who plays Stuart Davenport is the ex-husband of Helen's sister, Casey - his real-life wife - Amy Yasbeck. And you can guess where he met. That's right, on the set of "Wings," the two actors had an instant connection. So basically, Ritter played the ex-husband of his future wife! Now that's serendipity.
Three years later, the two were married. While Ritter tragically suffered a fatal heart attack, he and Amy were in love until the very end.