He was such a great character, but the guy never wanted to do anything better with his life like the other cabbies. He was divorced and never really had much of a love life either.

http://www.moviemarket.com/library/photos/285/285139.jpg

He did have a sad life. In the pilot episode, we find out that he had vertually no realtionship with his daughter. Then there was "Honor Thy Father" we found out that he was basically emotionally abused by his dad, and that he treated Alex's sister much better than he treated Alex. And then there was the Episode "Mr. Personalities" Where Ladka takes on the personality of Alex and almost reveals the answer to all of Alex's problems. Then we really realize how bad his life is. To sum up Alex's life, he was a very sad man hiding all that sadness behind his comedy.

The one thing I didn't understand about the Pshychiatrist in "Mr. Personalities" is that when he seen how Alex reacted to what Ladka was saying, he should have picked up on what Alex was going through and said, "Maybe I should schedule regular appointements for you Alex. It seems your problem is as much an issue as Ladka's." But he didn't.

He did have a sad life. In the pilot episode, we find out that he had vertually no realtionship with his daughter. Then there was "Honor Thy Father" we found out that he was basically emotionally abused by his dad, and that he treated Alex's sister much better than he treated Alex. And then there was the Episode "Mr. Personalities" Where Ladka takes on the personality of Alex and almost reveals the answer to all of Alex's problems. Then we really realize how bad his life is. To sum up Alex's life, he was a very sad man hiding all that sadness behind his comedy.

The one thing I didn't understand about the Pshychiatrist in "Mr. Personalities" is that when he seen how Alex reacted to what Ladka was saying, he should have picked up on what Alex was going through and said, "Maybe I should schedule regular appointements for you Alex. It seems your problem is as much an issue as Ladka's." But he didn't.

That is such a great post! I guess Alex Reiger (Much like the actor who played him, Judd Hirsch) had a dark side.

I don't know. I think Alex was quite lonely, and really longed for a committed relationship with someone, and it's true he did have some pretty damaged relationships with his family members. But it's also true that Alex was older than all of the other cabbies so he had more time to mess things up. In twenty years, Tony or Elaine or Bobby might well have been dealing with some of the same damaged relationships as Alex was.

As far as "doing something better with his life", Alex said in the first episode he was the only cabbie there, that everyone else was an actor or a fighter or an art student or whatever Elaine was, etc. He was at peace with his professional life, and didn't define himself through it as a lot of people (unfortunately) do. I don't think that part of his life was sad at all. Could he have done some more lucrative? Almost certainly. But he made his choice knowing that he'd sacrifice financial security, possibly in favor of other things. Maybe he didn't want to leave his neighborhood, maybe he found himself in pursuits other than his job. Or maybe he just liking being a cabbie.

I don't know. I think Alex was quite lonely, and really longed for a committed relationship with someone, and it's true he did have some pretty damaged relationships with his family members. But it's also true that Alex was older than all of the other cabbies so he had more time to mess things up. In twenty years, Tony or Elaine or Bobby might well have been dealing with some of the same damaged relationships as Alex was.

As far as "doing something better with his life", Alex said in the first episode he was the only cabbie there, that everyone else was an actor or a fighter or an art student or whatever Elaine was, etc. He was at peace with his professional life, and didn't define himself through it as a lot of people (unfortunately) do. I don't think that part of his life was sad at all. Could he have done some more lucrative? Almost certainly. But he made his choice knowing that he'd sacrifice financial security, possibly in favor of other things. Maybe he didn't want to leave his neighborhood, maybe he found himself in pursuits other than his job. Or maybe he just liking being a cabbie.
He seemed happy enough. Nobody is happy all the time. If he likes driving a cab and can make a living out of it, what's wrong with that?