TMC
03-03-2022, 04:56 AM
http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2022/03/remembering-taxi.html
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSlHUJ7tkqAbb6jrx3aPQaoF2po0f0N7DOJUmXCXfNnkQN4vqSre8eSLuxMxUbsvhQMnyDDjDJBz7OCMnW2XejDtOaX2P-dC28iZcaW4IjxzqhoOZlQ1l4TX_qKE2oW-hP6VobKYl8VuL_qV_FaVnBGIgUiF1a0pmdDOc4l-WpJr9i5wvA3w=s320
Here's a shocker: One of the greatest sitcoms in the history of television is 44 years old.
But that's not the shocker.
The shocker is most people have never heard of it.
Time really does march on. It won the Emmy for Best Comedy three years in a row. You think it'd be famous.
TAXI (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125202/http://www.jumptheshark.com/t/taxi.htm) was created and run by James L. Brooks and the fine folks that brought you THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW. Among the writers were the Charles Brothers (CHEERS), David Lloyd, and Sam Simon (THE SIMPSONS). The director was the incomparable James Burrows. What a staff!
The all-star cast included Judd Hirsch, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Marilu Henner, Tony Danza, Jeff Conaway, Randall Carver, Carol Kane, and Andy Kaufman. It was set in the garage of a Manhattan cab company. Most had dreams and were biding their time. The stories were hilarious, smart, and deeply human. One or two of the streaming services are featuring it. Treat yourself.
One of the reasons it has sunk under the radar is that only 114 episodes were made. The show lasted a mere five seasons. The first four were on ABC. They gave it bad time slots and canceled it after four years (despite winning Emmys every year -- now they'd KILL for a prestigious show like that) and NBC picked it up for a fifth season. Unfortunately, that was the period when NBC was in the toilet. TAXI (https://web.archive.org/web/20140402220152/http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/topic/3119763-taxi/?view=getnewpost) was paired with a brand new show called CHEERS. Between the two the ratings were awful. CHEERS won the Best Comedy Emmy that year and survived. TAXI didn't.
When my son Matt was a teenager we took a trip to Hawaii. Early in the morning one of the local stations was showing TAXI. He had never seen it. So I put it on. He loved it, was laughing out loud. Every morning we watched TAXI. If you're not familiar with it, I invite you to discover it as Matt did. I bet you'll have the same reaction.
The Hollywood Reporter did an article a few years ago interviewing a lot of the principals. You can find it here (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/taxi-turns-40-a-wild-ride-down-memory-lane-cast-creators-1139168/).
People always ask me what shows I wish I had written for. Tops on my list is always TAXI. I've been saying it for 44 years.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSlHUJ7tkqAbb6jrx3aPQaoF2po0f0N7DOJUmXCXfNnkQN4vqSre8eSLuxMxUbsvhQMnyDDjDJBz7OCMnW2XejDtOaX2P-dC28iZcaW4IjxzqhoOZlQ1l4TX_qKE2oW-hP6VobKYl8VuL_qV_FaVnBGIgUiF1a0pmdDOc4l-WpJr9i5wvA3w=s320
Here's a shocker: One of the greatest sitcoms in the history of television is 44 years old.
But that's not the shocker.
The shocker is most people have never heard of it.
Time really does march on. It won the Emmy for Best Comedy three years in a row. You think it'd be famous.
TAXI (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125202/http://www.jumptheshark.com/t/taxi.htm) was created and run by James L. Brooks and the fine folks that brought you THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW. Among the writers were the Charles Brothers (CHEERS), David Lloyd, and Sam Simon (THE SIMPSONS). The director was the incomparable James Burrows. What a staff!
The all-star cast included Judd Hirsch, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Marilu Henner, Tony Danza, Jeff Conaway, Randall Carver, Carol Kane, and Andy Kaufman. It was set in the garage of a Manhattan cab company. Most had dreams and were biding their time. The stories were hilarious, smart, and deeply human. One or two of the streaming services are featuring it. Treat yourself.
One of the reasons it has sunk under the radar is that only 114 episodes were made. The show lasted a mere five seasons. The first four were on ABC. They gave it bad time slots and canceled it after four years (despite winning Emmys every year -- now they'd KILL for a prestigious show like that) and NBC picked it up for a fifth season. Unfortunately, that was the period when NBC was in the toilet. TAXI (https://web.archive.org/web/20140402220152/http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/topic/3119763-taxi/?view=getnewpost) was paired with a brand new show called CHEERS. Between the two the ratings were awful. CHEERS won the Best Comedy Emmy that year and survived. TAXI didn't.
When my son Matt was a teenager we took a trip to Hawaii. Early in the morning one of the local stations was showing TAXI. He had never seen it. So I put it on. He loved it, was laughing out loud. Every morning we watched TAXI. If you're not familiar with it, I invite you to discover it as Matt did. I bet you'll have the same reaction.
The Hollywood Reporter did an article a few years ago interviewing a lot of the principals. You can find it here (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/taxi-turns-40-a-wild-ride-down-memory-lane-cast-creators-1139168/).
People always ask me what shows I wish I had written for. Tops on my list is always TAXI. I've been saying it for 44 years.