Taxi

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.

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.

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.

• Cheers (1982)workplace sitcom ensemble of eccentric misfits, sardonic boss figure, found family warmth
• Barney Miller (1975)urban workplace comedy with a domineering boss and quirky coworkers
• Taxi Driverensemble of mismatched working-class characters bonding through shared workplace friction
• The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970)multi-camera workplace comedy with a tight-knit ensemble of colleagues

Created by

Stan Daniels, Ed. Weinberger, James L. Brooks, David Davis

Release Date

1978-09-12

Episode runtime

30 min

Rating

7.7 / 10 (187)

What is Taxi about?

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

What is Taxi like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Taxi as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.

Is Taxi violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Taxi.

What did critics think of Taxi?

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.

Which shows are like Taxi?

Shows with a similar feel include Cheers (1982), Barney Miller (1975), Taxi Driver, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970).

How long is Taxi?

Taxi: 5 seasons, 114 episodes.

Is Taxi still running?

No, Taxi has ended.

Where can I watch Taxi?

In United States, Taxi streams on Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount Plus Apple TV channel, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.