# Taxi (1978)

> A cantankerous New York taxi dispatcher bullies a crew of eccentric drivers who become each other's family.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/2133

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 114
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Stan Daniels, Ed. Weinberger, James L. Brooks, David Davis
- Network: ABC, NBC
- Cast: Judd Hirsch, Jeff Conaway, Danny DeVito, Marilu Henner, Tony Danza, Andy Kaufman, Randall Carver, Christopher Lloyd
- TMDB rating: 7.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077089/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: sardonic, warm, wry, irreverent, comforting

## What critics say

Audiences broadly regard Taxi as a warm, well-acted sitcom whose ensemble of working-class drivers and their dispatcher gives it lasting appeal, with quality holding steady across its run.

## Synopsis

Taxi (1978-1983) is an American network sitcom created by Stan Daniels, Ed. Weinberger, James L. Brooks and David Davis, produced for ABC and NBC. Set in a New York City taxi garage, the show follows the cantankerous dispatcher Louie De Palma (Danny DeVito), who runs his crew from a glass-walled cage and insults them at every turn. His drivers include the struggling former cab driver Alex Reiger (Judd Hirsch), the aspiring actor Bobby Wheeler (Jeff Conaway), the earnest Latka Gravas (Andy Kaufman) and the dreamy Reverend Jim Ignatowski (Christopher Lloyd). Each episode is built from the small indignities of the job, fares that go wrong, petty rivalries and the everyday money worries of people who never quite get ahead. Across five seasons the series keeps its tone warm and wry, with a steady stream of sharp verbal sparring and a surprisingly tender sense of found family beneath the insults. Its multi-camera, studio-audience comedy rhythm ties it to the classic workplace sitcom tradition. Fans of Cheers, Barney Miller and The Mary Tyler Moore Show will find the same ensemble warmth and sardonic humor here.

## Shows like Taxi

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- [Who's the Boss? (1984)](https://ember.film/tv/599)
- [Alice (1976)](https://ember.film/tv/464)
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- [Perfect Strangers (1986)](https://ember.film/tv/1684)
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