Wings was one of the most successful sitcoms of the 1990s. The series is set at the Tom Nevers Field airport, located on the island of Nantucket, and follows the airline of Sandpiper Air, run by brothers Joe and Brian Hackett. As the Hackett brothers run their airline, they deal with their eccentric employees, friends and passengers.

Wings was created by David Angell, Peter Casey and David Lee, who also worked on Cheers and later created the iconic show Frasier. Wings share a universe with the two shows, as various characters have guest-starred on Wings. The show was also renowned for its ensemble cast, one of the strongest sitcom casts ever assembled.

Joe Hackett Owns Sandpiper Air

Joe Hackett runs Sandpiper Air with his brother Brian. Compared to his brother, Joe is a very responsible, extremely neurotic, and overall nice guy. Originally, Joe was going to run the airline with his fiancée Carol, but she ran off with Brian before the series, leaving Joe to run it for himself. This caused friction between the brothers, and they often butted heads.

Despite being mad at Brian, Joe ultimately allowed him to move in with him and make him a partner at Sandpiper Air. Joe had always dreamed of being a pilot at a young age. He eventually falls in love with his childhood friend, Helen, and they marry in the Season 6 finale.

Brian Hackett Comes Back to Nantucket to Make Things Right

Brian Hackett is Joe's younger brother, who returns to Nantucket in the pilot episode after not speaking to Joe for six years. Brian revealed that after he ran off with Joe's ex-fiancee Carol, she, in turn, left him for someone else. Joe takes Brian on at Sandpiper Air, but his carefree attitude often lands him in trouble.

Brian was a near-polar opposite of Joe, carefree and, at times, irresponsible. He is very smart, but his irresponsibility gets in the way. Brian dropped out of Princeton and also went to train at NASA but was kicked out. Brian enjoyed playing practical jokes on his brother to get him to lighten up, much to Joe's annoyance. Brian was a womanizer throughout the series, though he did have some stable relationships throughout the series' run.

Helen Chapel Grew Up With the Hacketts and Later Marries Joe

Helen Chapel owns The Lunch Counter, a small eating area at the Tom Nevers Field airport. She took over the business from her parents after they retired. Helen grew up with Joe, Brian and Carol, whom she despised because Carol picked on her in high school. Helen was overweight as a child, but Joe and Brian were always kind to her. She eventually lost a lot of weight but still battled a compulsive eating habit, something that would get worse any time Carol was in town.

Carol dreams of becoming a cellist, and one of the show's longest-running bits is that bad luck tends to follow wherever she plays. This caused her music career to never take off, and she continued to run the lunch counter at the airport. Carol finally marries Joe at the end of Season 6.

Fay Cochran Met Joe By Chance and Went to Work For Him

Fay Cochran is the only employee, outside of Joe and Brian, at Sandpiper Air. Fay is a retired flight attendant who runs everything from the terminal, including the ticket counter, baggage check, and flight announcements. She met Joe on a flight to Hawaii, and he convinced her to come work for Sandpiper Air.

Fay's sweet demeanor causes her to look after her younger friends in a motherly way. She has been widowed three times, with all of her ex-husbands named George. Fay often talked about a curse that a man named George, who married her, would die before their time. She often amuses her friends with stories about her three husbands.

Roy Biggins Owns the Biggest Airline in Nantucket

Roy Biggins is the owner of Aeromass Air, the only other airline in Nantucket and Joe's competitor at the airport. Roy's airline is much bigger than Joe's, as he has seven planes to Joe's one. Despite this, Roy is oddly threatened by Joe and makes numerous attempts to buy Sandpiper Air or put it out of business.

Roy is very arrogant and often butts heads with the rest of the characters. He is a proud American who serves on the Nantucket City Council and has an autographed picture of Richard Nixon in his office. One of his quirks is that he was born on February 29th and only celebrates his birthday every four years as it fell on a leap year.

Lowell Mather Was the Handyman of the Airport

Lowell Mather is a mechanic and handyman who works at the Tom Nevers Field airport. He does not work for one airline but works for both Joe and Roy in order to make money. Lowell was friends with Joe, Brian and Helen growing up. He lives on a houseboat that is never seen throughout the series.

Lowell is very dim-witted and once hilariously remarked that his brother was an orphan despite not claiming to be one himself. He was married to a woman named Bunny but broke it off due to her infidelity. Lowell left the series in Season 7 after he witnessed a mob hit and went into the Witness Protection Program.

Antonio Scarpacci Was Always on the Receiving End of Bad Luck

Tony Shalhoub's Antonio Scarpacci owns a taxi service that brings passengers to and from the airport. An Italian immigrant, Antonio comes from a poor yet large family. He also used to be a waiter; Tony Shalhoub guest starred on the series in Season 2 as a waiter before joining the main cast in Season 3.

A long-running gag on the show is that misfortune always seems to find Antonio. Once, Roy backed his car into Antonio's taxi, which led it to fall into a sinkhole. Another time, he nearly got deported, but Helen married him so he could stay in the country. Unbeknownst to them, they were married for three years until it was sorted out.

Alex Lambert Starts a Helicopter Tour Business in Nantucket

Alex Lambert joined the show in Season 4 when she arrived in Nantucket to start her own helicopter tour business. Alex was previously enlisted in the United States Army and flew Apache helicopters in Desert Storm. She is pursued by both the Hackett brothers and enters a relationship with Brian.

Alex was not on the series for long but served as one of Brian's most significant relationships on the show. After Brian spent a wild night out with Joe in New York, Alex threw him out of their apartment and left Nantucket. She reappeared in the following season for an episode, but Alex and Brian decided it was best that they stay friends, and Alex was never seen again.

Casey Chapel Was Helen's Older Sister and Love Interest of Brian's

Casey Chapel was Helen's older sister who returned to Nantucket after her marriage fell apart. Arriving in Season 6, Casey spends most of her time jobless and mooching off of Helen. Her estranged husband Stuart (played by her real-life husband John Ritter) showed up in Nantucket to con Casey into a divorce so he could keep all of their money.

The night before Joe and Helen's wedding, she sleeps with Brian, and they begin a passionate love affair. During one such escapade, the pair accidentally burn down Helen's house when Joe and Helen are on their honeymoon. After this incident, Casey and Brian decided to just be friends. Antonio also had a massive crush on her, but Casey did not reciprocate his feelings.

Budd Bronski Did Not Last Very Long on the Show

After Lowell left the show, Budd Bronski was the new mechanic at the airport. As a former United States Marine, he served Sandpiper Air and Aeromass just like Lowell did. Brian hired him over the phone without consulting Joe or Roy.

Budd was plagued with guilt by an incident that happened during his time in the Marines. A plane that he worked on crashed, and he was court-martialed. While he was cleared of any charges, he always wondered if he caused the crash or not, which was attributed to a bolt he may or may not have tightened. Budd only lasted eight episodes and was written out with no clear explanation as to why he left.