Dotsthavesp I wanted to but couldn't!

UnowPriceless hyped garbage

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

hfan77 When Jim Brooks, David Davis, Ed. Weinberger and Stan Daniels left MTM to form their own production company, they applied what worked well for them on shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda to create and produce their own show and it would become Taxi. The show was a true ensemble comedy like The Mary Tyler Moore Show with outstanding writing and a great cast with nobody dominating the story lines like Fonzie on Happy Days and Urkel on Family Matters, The cast was anchored by Judd Hirsch, who played career cabbie Alex Rieger. He's the father figure of the bunch and supportive to would be boxer Tony Banta, played by Tony Danza, aspiring actor Bobby Wheeler, played by Jeff Conaway and the lone female driver Elaine Nardo, portrayed by Marilu Henner. Also adding to the hysteria was Andy Kaufman as mechanic Latka, who comes from an unidentified foreign country. He created his mannerisms and language that brought a lot to each episode he was in. But to me, the best character on the show was Louie DePalma, the nasty dispatcher that turned out to be the role that put Danny DeVito on the map. DeVito's portrayal of Louie turned to be the meanest boss on TV since Mr. Slate on The Flintstones. One the other side of the coin, Taxi was also the show that he worked with the woman who would become his wife, Rhea Perlman. Another character who to me was very funny was Reverend Jim, the Christopher Lloyd character who became a regular in the second season after Randall Carver was let go. His portrayal of a burned out hippie, especially in the episode where he took his driver's test was outstanding. One other character who came along later in the run was Simka Dahblitz, played by Carol Kane. She would later marry Latka. The show would also be the launching pad for brothers Glen and Les Charles, who would later team up with James Burrows to create and produce another classic comedy, Cheers. Though Taxi won 18 Emmys and had a healthy five year run, it was sent to the garage after moving to NBC in the 1982-83 season. I'll close with the tag line that was heard after the closing credits "Thank you Mr. Walters."

dougdoepke What a fine ensemble comedy series. The writing is consistently good, enhanced by an outstanding core cast. The usually calm and cool Judd Hirsch is perfect as Alex the series anchor, along with the talented Marilu Henner as Elaine. They're the voice of normalcy, plus Elaine's real eye-candy relief from all the guys. Then there're the kooks, Andy Kaufman as the wide-eyed Latka and Chris Lloyd as the drugged-out Jim. Their antics amount to guaranteed guffaws. And, of course, there're the two squirrelly hunks Jeff Conaway (Bobby) and Tony Danza (Banta). But maybe most of all is Danny DeVito as the obnoxious Louie, the spoon that stirs the pot. All in all, Louie is unlike any TV character I've seen and when he comes charging out of his cage, it's like a small ball of demonic energy cut loose.Taxi is one of the few series that gets better as it progresses. Bringing Chris Lloyd in full time added another unique character, along with Carol Kane (Simka) who then gets to trade foreign gibberish with Latka. And even when the story thread might falter, the character byplay is strong enough to carry the ball. The whole mix is often hilarious, with the Taxi garage as a familiar backdrop. Still, there's often an undercurrent of poignancy since the younger guys consider the taxi job only temporary. They dream fondly of a fancier career that's probably just that, a dream. Meanwhile they've found camaraderie and good friends, which, all in all, is one of life's real treasures. Hopefully, they'll find that out before it's too late. Meanwhile, we've found a great 30-minutes of weekly entertainment.

Jetset971 Taxi was and still is a gem of a sitcom. Very clever in every department and has held up very well through time. Judd Hirsh is fantastic as the shows anchor, "Alex", which everyone else clings to. Danny DeVito is a laugh riot as the scheming evil little imp "Louie". Christopher Lloyd and Andy Kaufman brought the extremely original characters of "Reverend Jim" and "Latka" to life. Even Tony Danza does his best, and only real, acting as the would be prize fighter "Tony".I have far too many episodes that I loved. I wish I could list them all but I will site what I consider to be the best episode ever. "Memories of Cab 804", the two part episode where the most beloved cab in the garage has been in a wreck and the cabbies all reminisce and tell their experiences in the cab. My favorite scene is when Elaine drives a guy to his home and the man offers her to spend the night with him. She declines and the guy offers her a 100.00 tip. She's not sure to take it when out of nowhere "Louie", who has been listening on the CB, interjects and says "Your better off with the 100". LOL!!! I crack up every time I see that scene!. Some people were angered by how the show was unceremoniously canceled. Even Judd Hirsh ranted, at the emmy awards that year, how they should put it back on. I however disagree. You see, most shows never get out when they should. They tend to linger on and on and loose there once great quality. "Taxi" was spared that. They did five great seasons and will always be remembered for never loosing any magic.

movieman_kev The first season of this classic sitcom started off on the ground running as we're introduced to the down-trodden, brow-beaten denizen taxi drivers of the Sunshine Cab Company, the advice giving Alex Reirger (Judd Hirsh), failed boxer Tony Banta (Tony Danza, failed actor Bobby Wheeler (Jeff Conaway), new immigrant, Latka (superbly played by Andy Kaufman) as well as new cab drivers Elaine and John (Marilu Henner and Randall Carver respectively), and cranky, hateful boss Louie De Palma (Dsnny DeVito, in the role of his career). These people are life losers, but the writing is such that they are NEVER treated as such. All of the characters were highly relatable and one couldn't help but feel empathetic to each of them. We're laughing with these guys, not at them. And it's a very funny, poignant show. Guest stars this season included Former Welterweight Champion of the World Carlos Palomino, Tom Selleck, Jeffrey Tambor, Martin Mull, and Suzanne Kent in a very memorable part as Alex's blind date, the overweight self-pitying Angela who would return next season in a surprising way. The first Season of Taxi was a few outstanding shows, a few funny ones, but not a clunker in the bunch. And you have no choice but to love that theme song.My Season 1 grade: A