Taxi (TV)
"Taxi" is a television sitcom that premiered on ABC during a period marked by economic uncertainty and international tensions. Set in the fictional Sunshine Taxi Company, the show features a diverse cast of eccentric characters, including an immigrant mechanic portrayed by Andy Kaufman and a dispatcher played by Danny DeVito, who embodies a particularly ruthless demeanor. The series is noted for its unique blend of humor and somberness, as the characters navigate their lives with a sense of resignation to their roles as taxi drivers. Despite receiving critical acclaim, including fourteen Emmy Awards in just five years, "Taxi" struggled with inconsistent viewership and faced cancellation by two different networks. The show's writing is celebrated for its wit and depth, evoking a range of emotions from the audience. "Taxi" is often associated with the 1970s and serves as a precursor to later popular sitcoms, influencing the evolution of television comedy in the following decades. Its legacy endures through reruns, showcasing its lasting impact on American television culture.
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Subject Terms
Taxi (TV)
Identification Television situation comedy
Date Aired from 1978 to 1983
Taxi introduced a harder-edged form of comedy than other Mary Tyler Moore (MTM) Productions shows of the same era, and as such, it served as a harbinger of future television trends. It also helped to elevate several of its cast members to star status, including Judd Hirsch, Danny DeVito, Tony Danza, and Andy Kaufman.>
Premiering on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) during a time of economic strife and an unsettled state of foreign affairs, millions of television viewers came to look forward to their weekly visit to the fictional Sunshine Taxi Company. Taxi featured an array of eccentric characters who nevertheless possessed a certain charm that fans found endearing. These characters included a strange immigrant mechanic (played by Andy Kaufman), whose perplexing accent did not seem to be of earthly origin. Only the character portrayed by Judd Hirsch seemed to accept his fate maturely and sadly acknowledge that he was a “cabby” and likely to remain one. The taxi drivers were supervised by a dispatcher played by Danny DeVito, a figure so devoid of basic human decency and kindness that the viewer was reluctantly bemused. Unlike earlier comedies that seemed to be perpetually upbeat and positive, the overall tone of Taxi was often surprisingly somber. These individuals were going nowhere fast, and they and the viewers understood that fact.
Excellent writing and the vividness of the characters made Taxi fascinating to its stalwart fans. The dialogue was alternately witty, sarcastic, thoughtful, and often incredibly funny. These people seemingly did not recognize the constraints of polite and civil behavior. Perhaps another explanation for the program’s charm was the feelings and reactions it aroused from its audience. The typical viewer would most likely experience an array of emotions, including disgust and amazement, while watching a single episode.
There were many paradoxes associated with the program. Although very popular with the critics—it won an incredible fourteen Emmy Awards in only five years—it never succeeded in maintaining consistently high ratings. Despite the loyal support of its core audience, it often was assigned undesirable times and nights and eventually suffered the embarrassment of being canceled by two different networks.
Impact
Although appearing late in the decade, Taxi is closely associated with the 1970’s. The brain-damaged character played by Christopher Lloyd was often referred to as a victim of the drug culture of the late 1960’s and topical references to current events were not infrequent. Taxi also served as a link between the popular MTM comedies of the early 1970’s—The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Bob Newhart Show, for example—and the more sophisticated Thursday night “must-see” comedies of the 1980’s and 1990’s, including Cheers, Seinfeld, and Friends. Although its network run was relatively short, it continued to appear in reruns, and its influence remained in later decades.
Bibliography
Maltin, Leonard. Leonard Maltin’s Movie Encyclopedia: Career Profiles of More than Two Thousand Actors and Filmmakers, Past and Present. New York: Penguin Books, 1995.
Zehme, Bill. Lost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman. New York: Delacorte Press, 1999.