Scripted series · NBC
Taxi
It's off the laugh meter!
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Judd Hirsch
Alex Reiger
114 eps
Jeff Conaway
Bobby Wheeler
69 eps
Danny DeVito
Louie De Palma
114 eps
Marilu Henner
Elaine O'Connor-Nardo
114 eps
Tony Danza
Tony Banta
114 eps
Andy Kaufman
Latka Gravas
114 eps
Randall Carver
John Burns
22 eps
Christopher Lloyd
Reverend Jim 'Iggy' Ignatowski
84 eps
Carol Kane
Simka Gravas
27 eps
Suzanne Kent
Angela Matusa
2 eps
Talia Balsam
Cathy Consuelos
2 eps
J. Alan Thomas
Jeff Bennett
66 eps
Paula Victor
Mrs. Hazeltine
2 eps
Ellen Regan
Suzanne Burns
2 eps
Rusdi Lane
Rudy
2 eps
George Reynolds
Cab Driver
2 eps
Susan Kellermann
Greta Gravas
3 eps
Rhea Perlman
Zena Sherman
5 eps
Jack Gilford
Joe Reiger
2 eps
T.J. Castronovo
Tommy Jeffries
18 eps
Michael Mann
Businessman #2
2 eps
Marc Anthony Danza
Brian Sims
2 eps
John Petlock
Chairman of the Board
2 eps
Gene LeBell
Referee
4 eps
Jill Jaress
Sally
2 eps
Louise Lasser
Phyllis Bornstein Consuelos
3 eps
Carmine Caridi
Lou-Lou Pantusso
2 eps
Julia DeVito
Gabriella De Palma
2 eps
Dick Miller
Ernie the Waiter
2 eps
Charles Thomas Murphy
Customer
2 eps
Andrea Marcovicci
Emily
2 eps
Walter Olkewicz
Tom Caldwell
2 eps
Ian Praiser
Dr. Harmon
2 eps
Jimmy Lennon Sr.
The Ring Announcer
4 eps
Vincent Schiavelli
Reverend Gorky
3 eps
Peter Elbling
Mascha
2 eps
Wendell Wright
Sam
2 eps
Ed. Weinberger
Suicidal Man (uncredited)
3 eps
Melanie Gaffin
Jennifer
3 eps
Gary Quinn
The Toy Soldier
2 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How Taxi actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
Taxi reads strongest on Character Depth, Humour and Emotional Weight.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
The story
What it's about
Louie De Palma is a cantankerous, acerbic taxi dispatcher in New York City. He tries to maintain order over a collection of varied and strange characters who drive for him. As he bullies and insults them from the safety of his “cage,” they form a special bond among themselves, becoming friends and supporting each other through the inevitable trials and tribulations of life.
The run
Seasons
5 seasons · 114 episodes.
Season 1 · Complete
Season 1
197822 episodes
6.9IMDbThe first season of Taxi aired on ABC from September 12, 1978 to May 15, 1979.
Best episode · S01E07 High School Reunion
Season 2 · Complete
Season 2
197924 episodes
7.6IMDbThe second season of Taxi aired on ABC from September 11, 1979 to May 13, 1980.
Season 3 · Complete
Season 3
198020 episodes
6.7IMDbThe third season of Taxi aired on ABC from November 19, 1980 to May 21, 1981.
Best episode · S03E04 Elaine's Strange Triangle
Season 4 · Complete
Season 4
198124 episodes
7.5IMDbThe fourth season of Taxi aired on ABC from October 18, 1981, to May 6, 1982.
Season 5 · Complete
Season 5
198224 episodes
7.6IMDbThe fifth and final season of Taxi aired on NBC from September 30, 1982 to June 15, 1983.
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E05
Come as You Aren't
Elaine invites Alex to her party for art dealers for moral support, but asks him to lie about his occupation.
- Directed by James Burrows
- Written by Glen Charles, Les Charles
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
James L. Brooks
Creator
- Photo unavailable
Stan Daniels
Showrunner
- Photo unavailable
Ed. Weinberger
Creator
- Photo unavailable
David Davis
Creator
Earl Pomerantz
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Katherine Green
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Ken Estin
Writer
Glen Charles
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Barry Kemp
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Michael J. Leeson
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Ian Praiser
Writer
Glenn Gordon Caron
Writer
David Lloyd
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Danny Kallis
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Barry Rubinowitz
Writer
Howard Gewirtz
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Les Charles
Writer
Sam Simon
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Ruth Bennett
Writer
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- James L. BrooksExecutive Producer
- Ken EstinProducer
- Glen CharlesProducer
- Ian PraiserProducer
- Stan DanielsExecutive Producer
- Ed. WeinbergerExecutive Producer
Writing
- Earl PomerantzWriter
- James L. BrooksWriter
- Katherine GreenWriter
- Ken EstinWriter
- Glen CharlesWriter
- Barry KempWriter
Direction
- Michael ZinbergDirector
- Danny DeVitoDirector
- Noam PitlikDirector
- Joan DarlingDirector
- Howard StormDirector
- Stan DanielsDirector
Cinematography
- Kenneth PeachDirector of Photography
- Kenneth Peach Jr.Director of Photography
- Edward E. NugentDirector of Photography
Music
- Bob JamesOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Paramount Plus PremiumStreaming
- Paramount Plus EssentialStreaming
- Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel Streaming
- Paramount+ Amazon ChannelStreaming
- Paramount+ Roku Premium ChannelStreaming
If you liked this
Similar Series
Series that share this one's texture, not just its genre tags.
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Character-driven drama · Sharp comic writing
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1978
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Sharp comic writing · Similar storytelling style
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Sharp comic writing · Similar storytelling style
Where to go from here
Watch Next
Our editors' suggestion for the show you should start tonight — and why.
Friends
1994
Need something lighter afterwards? Start here.
Castle
2009
Watch this next if you like protagonists you can't quite defend.
The Rookie
2018
A crime story told with the patience of a novel.
Flinderella
2004
A palate cleanser with real writing behind the jokes.
American Dad!
2005
Need something lighter afterwards? Start here.
Rick and Morty
2013
If the world-building is what held you, this is the next map to walk.
Never stop watching
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