From left to right, Brody, Swift, Rod, and Penny.
Top Wing is a short-lived Canadian computer-animated Nick Jr. series produced by Industrial Brothers and 9 Story Media Group, in association with Nickelodeon, that premiered on November 6, 2017. It was created by Matthew Fernandes, whose other credits include a number of shows for CBC Kids such as Dex Hamilton: Alien Entomologist, Remy & Boo, Dino Ranch, and Kingdom Force.
Set on Big Swirl Island, an island populated by various animals, the series follows four eager young birds—Swift, Penny, Brody, and Rod—who attend the prestigious Top Wing Academy as new cadets to earn their wings by helping their community. With the supervision of their instructor Speedy and mechanic Bea, the cadets take on different missions for their rescue skills and also help those in need, all while learning important life lessons.
The entire first episode was leaked on the Nick Jr. app on October 7, 2017. The series also airs on Treehouse TV in its home country of Canada.
The series was not renewed for a third season and the final episodes burned off from June 15 - July 2, 2020.
This show contains examples of:
- Alliterative Name: Timmy Turtle. Penny and Petey Penguin.
- Babysitting Episode: "Chicks on the Loose" has Brody watching Cheep, Chirp and their cousins while Speedy and Bea are away.
- Big Brother Instinct: Brody decides not to attempt a canon ball off Extreme Peak, a tradition in his home town, in extremely windy conditions but the instant he realizes his little sister Brenda has been blown off, he dives after her.
- In the episode where we meet Rod's family, eldest of his younger siblings Romeo spends the whole episode jumping at the slightest noise and being freaked out by the differences of the island when compared to the family farm but when the family jalopy is going out of control with his younger brothers and sisters aboard, he overcomes his fear to assist in their rescue.
- Big Brother Worship: Brenda, Brody's little sister, thinks he's the coolest bird alive. Rod's little brother Romeo has similar opinions of Rod, with the added belief that Rod knows no fear.
- Catchphrase: "Slick!" - Swift
- "Primo!" - Brody
- "Let's cock-a-doodle-do-this!" - Rod
- Rod also has "I/You cock-a-doodle-did-it!" for successful completion of an attempt.
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Swift is represented by orange, Penny is represented by pink, Brody is represented by green, and Rod is represented by red.
- Cowardly Lion: Rod's little brother Romeo spends the first part of his introduction jumping at noises and being scared of everything different from the farm. But when his younger siblings are in danger, he manages to put aside his fright to help save the day.
- Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat: Batty McBat in "Winging It", where he tries to put a boulder in Penny's path at one point. He also does this on his sister's behalf when she races Rod; this not only doesn't help her win but sends her bike completely out of control, which Rod rescues her from.
- Everyone Meets Everyone: The first episode has Swift arriving at Big Swirl Island, then he goes to Top Wing Academy and meets the other cadets. In return, they participate in their first mission and become a team.
- Evolving Credits: The intro changes in the second season to reflect the team graduating to level 2, featuring them in their new base outfits and uniforms, and having Speedy and Bea drive the Command Flyer.
- Expy: Penny is one to Mindy, because they are both the girly, curious, youngest members of their groups. Penny can also be seen as one to Skye or Pidge
- Timmy Turtle is a turtle version of either Alex Porter or Liam McCloud
- Face Your Fears: In "Rod's Beary Brave Save", Rod has to face his fear of entering a haunted cave.
- Family Theme Naming: Brody has family members whose names all start with B, while Rod’s family has names that start with R.
- Insistent Terminology: Rod is not a chicken, he is a rooster.
- It Runs in the Family: Both Brody's parents and his little sister all act pretty much just like him.
- I've Heard of That — What Is It?: In "Time to Earn Our Wings," after being told about turbo-thrusters, Rod states that he loves turbo-thrusters, whatever they are.
- Local Hangout: The characters often hang out at The Lemon Shack in their free time.
- Odd Name Out: In "Chicks on the Loose", Cheep and Chirp are revealed to have cousins named Chickster, Chuckster, Chitter, Chatter, Clucky and Bob.
- One-Word Vocabulary: The Banana Bandits can only say "Banana."
- Pokémon Speak: Cheep and Chirp only say their names. As do their cousins, save for Bob who goes "honk".
- Remembered I Could Fly: In "Lemon Pirates", Swift tries to stand on rolling lemons, but then he realizes he could fly.
- Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Followed to a tee. All crocodile characters...Captain Dilly, Matilda, Rocco, and Chomps...are evil. The only good reptile is, per usual for this trope, a turtle.
- Two Shorts: It's averted with the first episode, which was a half-hour. Subsequent episodes have 2 11 minute stories.
- Siblings in Crime: Baddy and Betty McBat are an example of this, with often working together as troublemarkers.
- Similar Squad: The quartet of Baddy, Betty, Chomps, and Rocco are a Foil to the cadets' team, especially in "Winging It" and "Baddy and the Bad Wings."
- The Smurfette Principle: Penny is the only female character in the cadets' team.
