Why isn't Taxi rerun in syndication that much these days - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 02-01-2020, 03:25 AM

Not that it never aired in syndication of course. Nick at Nite also aired it sometime during the '90s.

But we also have to keep in mind that Taxi only produced 114 episodes that were spread across two separate networks. I think until recently, a program needed a minimum of 115 episodes to obtain a (successful) syndication package.

Do you think that another hindrance to Taxi is that over 40 years later, it comes across as surprisingly dated? In other words, if you watch the show in a modern context, you'll quickly realize that if you don’t know much about New York City in the 1970s, much of it doesn’t make sense.

Duster76 · 02-19-2020, 02:23 PM

A very interesting question with more than one answer.

The 1970's had many hit comedies but really only two became perennial reruns, MASH and The Jeffersons, shows like Mary Tyler Moore, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Sanford and Son, even All In The Family come and go in the world of reruns. So there's that...., but there's more (as Ron Popeil might say)

TAXI was probably the most unique sitcom in TV history up to that point in time (and may still be). Up to that time no matter what sitcom you were watching they all burst onto your screen, they have either a happy theme song or one that is uplifting, or there is an energy and sense of comradery and support as the viewer is going into the show. TAXI doesn't have that. The opening of TAXI is the lonely cab driving along as the pensive opening theme plays. The feeling that is evoked is one of longing, a sense of sadness about life, things should have turned out better. Remember the lines from the old Paul Simon song, "a good day ain't got no rain, a bad is when I lie in bed and think of things that might have been". That's a very different opening for a comedy series. So watching TAXI is complicated, it's not an easy show to deal with, very, very funny at times in ways different than any show before it, but the show is built on complexities that require the viewer to be into the flow of the series. In other words, you can't just drop in on the series and watch an episode, that would be like walking into a movie you never saw in the middle, the series requires the viewer to be fully invested in characters and their sense of being at that point in time to get the full experience.

Great show, an incredibly talented cast, maybe the most underrated show in TV history.

DEH55 · 05-24-2020, 05:36 PM

It aired recently where I live and still makes me laugh out loud. especially when Jim joins the show. It took off from there. When I was a kid I didnt watch it. I discovered it in reruns. Maybe its a age thing. I don't know if teens would like it. Hard to explain.

DJM77 · 05-24-2020, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DEH55

It aired recently where I live and still makes me laugh out loud. especially when Jim joins the show. It took off from there. When I was a kid I didnt watch it. I discovered it in reruns. Maybe its a age thing. I don't know if teens would like it. Hard to explain.

I didn't like it when I was a little kid. I was a teenager when I started enjoying it.

OH Nuts! · 05-24-2020, 08:25 PM

You got me-I really like the show.

markaleen · 09-07-2020, 01:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duster76

TAXI was probably the most unique sitcom in TV history up to that point in time (and may still be). Up to that time no matter what sitcom you were watching they all burst onto your screen, they have either a happy theme song or one that is uplifting, or there is an energy and sense of comradery and support as the viewer is going into the show. TAXI doesn't have that. The opening of TAXI is the lonely cab driving along as the pensive opening theme plays. The feeling that is evoked is one of longing, a sense of sadness about life, things should have turned out better. Remember the lines from the old Paul Simon song, "a good day ain't got no rain, a bad is when I lie in bed and think of things that might have been". That's a very different opening for a comedy series. So watching TAXI is complicated, it's not an easy show to deal with, very, very funny at times in ways different than any show before it, but the show is built on complexities that require the viewer to be into the flow of the series. In other words, you can't just drop in on the series and watch an episode, that would be like walking into a movie you never saw in the middle, the series requires the viewer to be fully invested in characters and their sense of being at that point in time to get the full experience.

You put it perfectly! I never thought of it being a show that's hard to jump in and follow along but you're absolutely right. There are definitely the classic episodes like Jim's driving test or Latka's cookies that someone might find humorous, but something is definitely lost if you don't know the characters. They're more complex than typical sitcoms from that era.

Taxi is definitely underrated in general. I would love to see it have a proper re-run on TV. While dated in some aspects I think there's room for a new generation to appreciate it. I started watching it around 16 and have considered it my favorite show ever since. I don't see an appeal in it for kids which is probably what hurts them. Something like I Love Lucy or Andy Grifith makes for good family viewing. Most of Taxi would be over kids' heads. It's quite sophisticated for a sitcom (and especially for it's time).

TVFactFan · 09-21-2020, 08:40 PM

Taxi returns to syndication on Oct 5th

hoosierelvisfan · 03-30-2021, 02:37 PM

I watched Taxi when it was originally on TV. I enjoyed it then and I enjoyed it now. In my opinion, the viewers got to know the different characters and the episodes were based on particular happenings with each character. e.g., Bobby has an audition coming up that he is worried about or Tony has a fight, etc. I always thought it was ironic that the main character in the cast--Alex--he was the character that was known the least about him. He was just Alex. But all the other characters depended on Alex, trusted Alex. I thought that Reverend Jim really added something to the show and the cast. I have been watching the Taxi reruns on Hulu. I discovered that not all of the episodes are shown on Hulu. The one episode where Reverend Jim gets his license is not included. I do not understand why not all of the episodes are shown. But anyhow I really enjoy Taxi. It still continues to be one of my all-time favorites. Not all shows hold up over time. Even personally, not every single show which I liked to watch when I was younger I don't necessarily like watching it now that I am older. Happy Days, for example, I can not watch this show forty years later. All in the Family is another show that I do not like now but I used to watch it when I was younger. Other shows such as Taxi, Sanford and Son, Wild Wild West, for example, I have always enjoyed watching and still do.

TMC · 09-14-2021, 05:15 AM

I also wonder if just like Newsradio (another workplace sitcom with a cult following), Taxi was one of those shows where you can argue that many of the cast members are more recognized to the general public for other things that they did.

For example, I personally associate Tony Danza with Who's the Boss more so that I do with Taxi. Likewise, I first think of Christopher Lloyd as Doctor Emmett Brown in Back to the Future than I do as Reverend Jim Ignatowski. I know Jeff Conaway more as Kenickie in Grease than as Bobby Wheeler.

And I always think of Danny DeVito for his subsequent films that he did post-Taxi like Romancing the Stone, Throw Momma from the Train, Ruthless People, The War of the Roses, or his turn as Penguin in Batman Returns. Heck, Danny DeVito is probably more known now (at least to the younger generation) for his role on It's Only Sunny in Philadelphia than as Louie DePalma.

SarahBellum · 09-14-2021, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMC

I also wonder if just like Newsradio (another workplace sitcom with a cult following), Taxi was one of those shows where you can argue that many of the cast members are more recognized to the general public for other things that they did.

No, I don't think so. The Andy Griffith Show is still very popular despite many of its cast members being more recognized for other things they did - Andy as Matlock, Don Knotts in movies and in Three's Company, Ron Howard in Happy Days.

02-01-2020, 03:25 AM	#1
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 125,255	Why isn't Taxi rerun in syndication that much these days Not that it never aired in syndication of course. Nick at Nite also aired it sometime during the '90s. But we also have to keep in mind that Taxi only produced 114 episodes that were spread across two separate networks. I think until recently, a program needed a minimum of 115 episodes to obtain a (successful) syndication package. Do you think that another hindrance to Taxi is that over 40 years later, it comes across as surprisingly dated? In other words, if you watch the show in a modern context, you'll quickly realize that if you don’t know much about New York City in the 1970s, much of it doesn’t make sense.
	Last edited by TMC; 02-20-2020 at 07:21 AM.

03-30-2021, 02:37 PM	#8
hoosierelvisfan Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 16, 2003 Location: I do not like TV Land any longer!!!!! Posts: 467	I watched Taxi when it was originally on TV. I enjoyed it then and I enjoyed it now. In my opinion, the viewers got to know the different characters and the episodes were based on particular happenings with each character. e.g., Bobby has an audition coming up that he is worried about or Tony has a fight, etc. I always thought it was ironic that the main character in the cast--Alex--he was the character that was known the least about him. He was just Alex. But all the other characters depended on Alex, trusted Alex. I thought that Reverend Jim really added something to the show and the cast. I have been watching the Taxi reruns on Hulu. I discovered that not all of the episodes are shown on Hulu. The one episode where Reverend Jim gets his license is not included. I do not understand why not all of the episodes are shown. But anyhow I really enjoy Taxi. It still continues to be one of my all-time favorites. Not all shows hold up over time. Even personally, not every single show which I liked to watch when I was younger I don't necessarily like watching it now that I am older. Happy Days, for example, I can not watch this show forty years later. All in the Family is another show that I do not like now but I used to watch it when I was younger. Other shows such as Taxi, Sanford and Son, Wild Wild West, for example, I have always enjoyed watching and still do.
	__________________ 24; Andy Griffith Show; A-Team; Avengers; Baretta; Battlestar Galactica (Original); Beverly Hillbillies; Bewitched; Bob Newhart; Charlie's Angels; Columbo; Dallas; Dark Shadows; Dukes of Hazzard; Green Acres; Kojack; Kung Fu; Law and Order; Mary Tyler Moore Show; MAS*H; Monty Python; New Avengers; Planet of the Apes; Prisoner; Reno 911; Sanford and Son; Simpsons; Sopranos; Starsky and Hutch; SWAT; Taxi; Three's Company; UFO; Waltons; What's Happening; Wild Wild West; Wonder Woman; Xena

02-19-2020, 02:23 PM	#2
Duster76 Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 01, 2008 Location: New jersey Posts: 1,641	A very interesting question with more than one answer. The 1970's had many hit comedies but really only two became perennial reruns, MASH and The Jeffersons, shows like Mary Tyler Moore, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Sanford and Son, even All In The Family come and go in the world of reruns. So there's that...., but there's more (as Ron Popeil might say) TAXI was probably the most unique sitcom in TV history up to that point in time (and may still be). Up to that time no matter what sitcom you were watching they all burst onto your screen, they have either a happy theme song or one that is uplifting, or there is an energy and sense of comradery and support as the viewer is going into the show. TAXI doesn't have that. The opening of TAXI is the lonely cab driving along as the pensive opening theme plays. The feeling that is evoked is one of longing, a sense of sadness about life, things should have turned out better. Remember the lines from the old Paul Simon song, "a good day ain't got no rain, a bad is when I lie in bed and think of things that might have been". That's a very different opening for a comedy series. So watching TAXI is complicated, it's not an easy show to deal with, very, very funny at times in ways different than any show before it, but the show is built on complexities that require the viewer to be into the flow of the series. In other words, you can't just drop in on the series and watch an episode, that would be like walking into a movie you never saw in the middle, the series requires the viewer to be fully invested in characters and their sense of being at that point in time to get the full experience. Great show, an incredibly talented cast, maybe the most underrated show in TV history.

05-24-2020, 05:36 PM	#3
DEH55 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 19, 2020 Posts: 319	It aired recently where I live and still makes me laugh out loud. especially when Jim joins the show. It took off from there. When I was a kid I didnt watch it. I discovered it in reruns. Maybe its a age thing. I don't know if teens would like it. Hard to explain.

05-24-2020, 08:25 PM	#5
OH Nuts! Member Forum King Join Date: Feb 15, 2005 Posts: 133,383	You got me-I really like the show.

09-21-2020, 08:40 PM	#7
TVFactFan Member Forum Junkie Join Date: Aug 17, 2002 Posts: 99,007	Taxi returns to syndication on Oct 5th

09-14-2021, 05:15 AM	#9
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 125,255	I also wonder if just like Newsradio (another workplace sitcom with a cult following), Taxi was one of those shows where you can argue that many of the cast members are more recognized to the general public for other things that they did. For example, I personally associate Tony Danza with Who's the Boss more so that I do with Taxi. Likewise, I first think of Christopher Lloyd as Doctor Emmett Brown in Back to the Future than I do as Reverend Jim Ignatowski. I know Jeff Conaway more as Kenickie in Grease than as Bobby Wheeler. And I always think of Danny DeVito for his subsequent films that he did post-Taxi like Romancing the Stone, Throw Momma from the Train, Ruthless People, The War of the Roses, or his turn as Penguin in Batman Returns. Heck, Danny DeVito is probably more known now (at least to the younger generation) for his role on It's Only Sunny in Philadelphia than as Louie DePalma.