Taxi

Taxi

1978
Taxi
Taxi

Taxi

7.7 | TV-PG | en | Drama

Louie De Palma is a cantankerous, acerbic taxi dispatcher in New York City. He tries to maintain order over a collection of varied and strange characters who drive for him. As he bullies and insults them from the safety of his “cage,” they form a special bond among themselves, becoming friends and supporting each other through the inevitable trials and tribulations of life.

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Seasons & Episodes

5
4
3
2
1
EP24  Simka's Monthlies
Jun. 15,1983
Simka's Monthlies

Simka faces deportation if she puts off another immigration interview because of her monthly "crimpka poosh."

EP23  A Grand Gesture
May. 25,1983
A Grand Gesture

Jim wants the cabbies to experience the joy of giving, so he hands each of them $1000 to give away.

EP22  Jim's Mario's
May. 18,1983
Jim's Mario's

Jim buys the cabbies' hangout, oblivious to the fact that no one else hangs out there.

EP21  Tony's Baby
Apr. 20,1983
Tony's Baby

News of his girlfriend's pregnancy floors Tony on the eve of his fight with a contender.

EP20  Arnie Meets the Kids
Apr. 13,1983
Arnie Meets the Kids

Elaine and her beau share butterflies over his meeting her children.

EP19  Louie and the Blind Girl
Apr. 06,1983
Louie and the Blind Girl

Louie is worried by the prospect of his girlfriend having her sight restored.

EP18  Alex Gets Burned by an Old Flame
Mar. 30,1983
Alex Gets Burned by an Old Flame

Diane, an old friend of Jim's comes to the garage looking for Jim, and Alex takes a liking to her. Alex makes some less than flattering remarks about Jim, not realizing that she and Jim have begun a romantic relationship. When Jim confronts Alex about the things he said, Alex justifies his comments with examples of crazy things that Jim has done. Jim is touched that Alex remembered all those things about him and all is well.

EP17  A Taxi Celebration (2)
Mar. 23,1983
A Taxi Celebration (2)

Part two of a two part clip show featuring highlights of Taxi.

EP16  A Taxi Celebration (1)
Mar. 23,1983
A Taxi Celebration (1)

Part one of a two part clip show featuring highlights of Taxi.

EP15  Sugar Ray Nardo
Feb. 05,1983
Sugar Ray Nardo

When Elaine's son, Jason, watched Tony coaching youth boxing, he wants to get involved. Alex and Tony talk Elaine into letting Jason box, despite her better judgement. In Jason's first bout, he gets knocked out by the first punch and Elaine holds Alex responsible. Fortunately, Elaine forgives Alex eventually and Jason doesn't want to box again.

EP14  Alex's Old Buddy
Jan. 29,1983
Alex's Old Buddy

Alex takes ownership of his old dog, Buddy, who has been living at his sister's place in the country. Buddy is now 19 and Alex wants to spend as much time with him as possible. The dog is lovable but at his advanced age, requires constant care, and Alex soon is taking Buddy with him everywhere including the cab. The gang soon sees that Buddy is not doing very well and gently suggest that Alex consider putting him to sleep, but Alex refuses. Jim suggests that Alex get Buddy to do his old trick (playing dead) to determine his wellness. Buddy does the trick successfully, although gives the gang a scare when he doesn't get up right away and they really think he may be dead (thankfully, he turns out to be okay). However, the next time the gang sees Alex, he doesn't have Buddy with him, and Alex says that he had to take Buddy to the vet where he died. Louie ushers everyone out of the garage so Alex can grieve alone. With everyone gone, the stoic Alex cries as the episode ends.

EP13  Louie Moves Uptown
Jan. 22,1983
Louie Moves Uptown

Louie decides to buy a luxury co-op apartment with some help on the down payment from the newly wealthy Jim. Unfortunately, Louie first has to convince a snooty co-op board that he is right for their building (as he comes in, they are rejecting actress Penny Marshall because they don't approve of the actress lifestyle). Bringing Alex for support, Louie has his work cut out for him when he sees that the board is bigoted. Alex goes on a tirade against their discriminatory process, and the board accepts Louie just to spite Alex.

EP12  Get Me Through the Holidays
Dec. 16,1982
Get Me Through the Holidays

Alex's ex-wife, Phyllis, depressed and lonely, comes to see Alex, who takes pity on her and includes her in his holiday plans. This turns ugly, when she manages to bring the whole gang down with her self-pity. Her Christmas present to Alex is that she won't bug him for New Year's, which turns out to be the best gift she could give him.

EP11  Zena's Honeymoon
Dec. 09,1982
Zena's Honeymoon

Zena comes to the garage and announces she's getting married and asks the gang to let Louie know that she wants to speak with him. After telling Louie, he becomes convinced that she wants to get back together, and he meets her for dinner. Louie is crushed when she tells him she's getting married and wants him to attend, and he reacts very insultingly toward her. The rest of the gang goes to the wedding when Louie refuses, but afterwards he regrets not going and wishing her well, so he crashes his way on to their cruise ship (about to leave on their honeymoon). Zena and her husband are not happy to see Louie and before he can wish them well, Louie has a change of heart and starts choking the husband. After composing himself, however, he wishes them well, and Zena seems touched.

EP10  Elaine and the Monk
Dec. 02,1982
Elaine and the Monk

Latka and Simka introduce Elaine to a friend of theirs visiting from their country named Zifka. Zifka is a monk who has taken a vow of silence but during his vacation is allowed a week (every ten years) to experience all worldly pleasures. He and Elaine quickly fall in love (seemingly to Alex's dismay) but Zifka must resume his silence when his week ends right before he can tell Elaine exactly how he feels about her. Elaine is saddened but understanding, and lets Zifka go.

EP9  Travels with My Dad
Nov. 25,1982
Travels with My Dad

Tony's dad, a merchant seaman who Tony hasn't seen much of, arranges to bring Tony on a sea trip with him. Tony is hesitant but doesn't want to disappoint his dad, so he goes along. On the trip, Tony spends much of the time seasick, but bonds with his dad and they engage in a bar brawl in Singapore, and almost get matching tattoos until they think better of it.

EP8  Louie's Revenge
Nov. 18,1982
Louie's Revenge

Louie gets a call from Emily, who jilted him in an earlier episode, who is drunk and drugged and wants to meet him at a nearby bar. Louie decides to go over there to throw a drink in her face and reject her, therefore getting the last laugh. However, when he gets to the bar, Emily serenades him and has Louie eating out of her hands. The next morning, she is shocked to see him wake up next to her, but Louie somehow convinces her that they are meant for each other. They begin a relationship but it becomes evident that Louie has become Emily's slave and he's starting to hate himself for it. Eventually she comes to a realization of what she's doing to him and breaks it off with Louie, who is relieved, but he finally exacts revenge by throwing orange juice in her face.

EP7  Alex the Gofer
Nov. 11,1982
Alex the Gofer

Alex, who loves the theater, takes a part time job as a gofer for a young producer and director, but soon feels mistreated by his younger bosses. Louie, spying on Alex at his new job, spots Alex being humiliated and uncharacteristically does not make fun of him; rather, he tries to convince Alex to stand up for himself and tell the director off. Alex is considering this when the director suddenly has a change of heart and apologizes for mistreating Alex and ignoring one of his earlier suggestions. As a result, Alex regains his dignity.

EP6  Crime and Punishment
Nov. 04,1982
Crime and Punishment

Louie lets Jeff, his assistant dispatcher, take the rap for skimming money from the company (that Louie is actually responsible for), assuring Jeff that he'll smooth everything over. Louie overdoes it when he reprimands Jeff in front of the garage owner, though, and the owner not only fires Jeff but has him arrested. Louie eventually tells the owner the truth before Alex has a chance to turn him in, but the owner thinks that Louie is only doing it to protect Jeff. The owner decides as a favor to Louie to drop the charges against Jeff and hire him back, so Louie's crime ends up going unpunished despite his good intentions.

EP5  Scenskees from a Marriage (2)
Oct. 28,1982
Scenskees from a Marriage (2)

Latka and Simka throw a party and decide the last to arrive will be the one that Simka must sleep with. Alex barely edges out Louie, in hilarious fashion. Simka goes to Alex's apartment to seduce him, but he refuses her advances. It seems Simka and Latka will have to divorce, but Jim points out that they can just marry again after divorcing.

EP4  Scenskees from a Marriage (1)
Oct. 21,1982
Scenskees from a Marriage (1)

Latka is sent to rescue a female cabbie who is stranded in a snowstorm, but he breaks down as he reaches her. The two are freezing in her cab and decide to make love in order to avoid freezing to death. They survive and are rescued but Latka feels tremendous guilt and Simka realizes he's been unfaithful (despite the circumstances) before he can even tell her. Latka and Simka seek the guidance of their minister, who says to set things right, Simka must sleep with someone Latka works with. (Continued in part two)

EP3  Alex Goes off the Wagon
Oct. 14,1982
Alex Goes off the Wagon

In this episode, we learn that Alex can be a compulsive gambler. Alex even scares Louie off with his compulsion, but Jim talks some sense into Alex at the end (after having bankrolled him initially).

EP2  Jim's Inheritance
Oct. 07,1982
Jim's Inheritance

When Jim's father passes away and leaves him a substantial inheritance, Jim's siblings sue to have Jim declared incompetent and his inheritance placed in an account that the brother will have control of. In court, Louie and Alex speak in Jim's behalf, but to no avail. Jim later feels better when he plays a tape of ""You Are the Sunshine of My Life"" that his father left for him.

EP1  The Shloogel Show
Sep. 30,1982
The Shloogel Show

Newlyweds Latka & Samka throw a Shloogel, one of their religion's traditions. The shloogel is, in effect, a party at Mario's where they set all the gang up on blind dates. Tony is set up with Vicki, an abrasive brunette and immediately starts arguing with her. Elaine is set up with mousy Arnie, who has low self esteem. Jim is set up with actress, Marcia Wallace, who played Carol on his favorite show, Bob Newhart. Louie is set up with Judy, a pretty blind woman. Alex is set up with Susan, who seems to be his dream woman and he seems to be falling for her immediately. Despite the fact that none of the other matches seem perfect, all of them show promise by the end of the evening.

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7.7 | TV-PG | en | Drama , Comedy | More Info
Released: 1978-09-12 | Released Producted By: Paramount Television Studios , John-Charles-Walters Productions Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

Louie De Palma is a cantankerous, acerbic taxi dispatcher in New York City. He tries to maintain order over a collection of varied and strange characters who drive for him. As he bullies and insults them from the safety of his “cage,” they form a special bond among themselves, becoming friends and supporting each other through the inevitable trials and tribulations of life.

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Cast

Judd Hirsch , Danny DeVito , Marilu Henner

Director

James L. Brooks

Producted By

Paramount Television Studios , John-Charles-Walters Productions

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Reviews

Blueghost Or why I never fell in love with "Taxi".This TV show had a lot going for it, but never reached "greatness" in the sense of true monumental groundbreaking material. It had great chemistry among the talent involved, but the plays, though broken up into four acts for TV, read more like psychological comedies, dealing with a variety of urban social topics, and "solutions" thereof.Whether it's Devito's short man's complex lording it over his employees and lechery towards Marilu Henner's character, or the young boxer and actor striving for the big time but having their hands tied by driving hacks. Each seeks to escape their doldrums, and come to discuss and experience their troubles in a group therapy garage that is a place of emotional healing and comedy.What better medicine than laughter? Well, being a California kid who attended theatre I could appreciate the sketch and thesping, but the themes seemed crazy or obnoxiously eccentric and just plain out there and out of touch. And why was that? Probably because a need was felt to create a socially forward thinking show to help people deal with really crazy and just plain silly inner city psychology. Hence the music, hence Hirsch's character feeling like a shrink, hence the eccentricities of the stories and characters. All presented as if we had just stepped out of Taxi to attend some theatre a block or two away from Radio City Music Hall (minus the Rockettes... you can't have everything).Entertaining, fun and funny, and for me personally it was a time killer before the Dukes of Hazard came on. With a more mature mind I can see it for what it is, and, ironically enough, actually dislike it a bit more than I had previously, all the while still appreciating the theatrics.Ergo, if you're a fan of this show, and want to own the series on DVD, then maybe you better check yourself into Bellevue New York.
Greatornot They were all dreamers . Hoping for something better but ending up in Sunshine Cab Company. This show is perhaps the funniest show from its time frame. Great comedy all around. Devito was Top Notch and his hand gestures,acrobatics and facial expressions were not to be missed. Made of stone, Louis DePalma, the dispatcher truly had a heart of gold, seen on very rare occasions. You had Andy Kaufman as the mechanic , simply awesome making up his own language from a fictional nation, Another true artist in the field. Tony Danza, Jeff Conaway would be boxer and would be actor respectably. Elaine the sexiest mom around, raising a pre teen son, just stringing cab job and museum job to make ends meet. Christopher Lloyd another true classic , the reformed or maybe not so much drug abuser, was simply another artist with just wonderful expressions,lingo and overall comedic appearance. The first cast member of any sitcom , that I recall as a drug user . Of course the glue of this cast , Mr. Judd Hirsch'Alex Rieger', the wannabe cab psychologist with baggage in his own life. This was just a wonderful sitcom that provided nonstop laughter. Throw in some excellent guest stars from the 5 year run and this show is in the big leagues with more prominent sitcoms in American History. It deserves its due . Hopefully in the era of dvds and webstreaming , this show will get its kudos.
dcfrench My favorite episode was when Alex got his old dog, Buddy, back from the farm where he had been staying for the past several years.Before Alex went to pick him up, he told everyone at the shop what a great dog he was and all about his great "play dead" trick, where Alex does a Lone Ranger routine before pretending to shoot Buddy. When Alex gets Buddy back to his apartment, he tries over and over to get Buddy to perform the trick, but Buddy has apparently forgotten it. Buddy isn't well and Alex takes him to the vet. After the vet gives Alex the bad news that Buddy doesn't have much longer to live. Alex takes Buddy home and treats him like a king. He even sautes his dog food in a wine sauce. Alex's date one night thinks it is some of Alex's gourmet cooking and helps herself.Then one day Alex brings Buddy into work with him. Everyone wants Alex to do the famous "play dead" trick but he begs off, knowing that Buddy has forgotten it. But finally, under great pressure, especially from Louie, Alex tries one more time. And, you got it, this time Buddy slumps over and collapses on the floor right on cue. But he doesn't get up and you know what happened. Tony is the only one not to figure it out and makes some inappropriate comment. But everyone else slowly circles around Alex and Buddy and tears are welling in everyone's eyes, including mine. Alex chokes when he tries to say something and Nardo tries to comfort him. The camera goes from face to face and then slowly pans down to Buddy, lying lifeless on the floor. But then, lo and behold, Buddy slowly turns his head to the side to look up at the stunned crew standing there shocked and crying.Buddy had done the best "play dead" trick any dog had ever done! I literally jumped out of my chair and shouted something like "I do not believe it!" at the TV. The bastards totally punked me. They had me crying, for God's sake. Sadness turned to shock, to amazement, to anger, to laughter, and then finally to sadness again. Because, after the last break, Alex was sitting alone on the bench at work looking completely lost. He reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out Buddy's empty collar and broke down in tears. And so did I! And that was the end of the best Taxi episode, or any situation comedy episode I have ever seen or probably ever will see.
jts0405 They were just finding their own in season 1. Season 2 was a riot, when they introduced Revrend Jim. Each show was a comedy classic. It had one of the funniest scenes of all time, when Jim was taking his driving test. Will we ever find out what a yellow light means? This show was a launching pad of comedy stardom. For Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, and Tony Danza. The first 3 seasons are on DVD, and they are worth buying. This show also introduced us to Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, and George Wendt who later went on to cheers fame. It was just a shame that it ended to soon. With the death of Andy Kaufman. The show was not going to go on anymore since the death of Andy. Everyone felt bad about the loss of Kaufman and the loss of one of the greatest shows ever. The show will always be remembered if you buy the DVDs and relive the sad, funny, and hilarious moments of Taxi.