Taxi (TV series)

[ClassyCo]

Taxi was a popular television comedy. It launched the careers of many of its cast members. It was an award-winning series that was popular in the Nielsen ratings for several years. I have the entire series on DVD and I binge it when I'm in the right mood.

Any thoughts?

 

[Crimson]

I like TAXI and suspect, were I ever to compile my Top 10 Favorite Sitcoms, it would round out the list. Like WKRP, it was something of an outlier of its era; while most of the sitcoms of the late 70s were intentionally kind of dumb (LAVERNE & SHIRLEY; THREE'S COMPANY -- both of which I kind of like, mind you), TAXI and WKRP called back to the smarter sitcoms from earlier in the decade, most notably MTM. And, of course, the folks behind TAXI went onto create CHEERS and FRASIER, thus continuing the lineage for another 2 decades.

Whereas all of the characters on WKRP were funny (except Andy, presumably meant to be the calm center), TAXI was more balanced. The leads (Alex, Elaine, Tony, Bobby) weren't really that funny, but they were likable and relatable; the supporting characters (Louie; Rev. Jim; Latka and Simka) were broad and hilarious.

 

[ClassyCo]

I like TAXI and suspect, were I ever to compile my Top 10 Favorite Sitcoms, it would round out the list. Like WKRP, it was something of an outlier of its era; while most of the sitcoms of the late 70s were intentionally kind of dumb (LAVERNE & SHIRLEY; THREE'S COMPANY -- both of which I kind of like, mind you), TAXI and WKRP called back to the smarter sitcoms from earlier in the decade, most notably MTM. And, of course, the folks behind TAXI went onto create CHEERS and FRASIER, thus continuing the lineage for another 2 decades.

Whereas all of the characters on WKRP were funny (except Andy, presumably meant to be the calm center), TAXI was more balanced. The leads (Alex, Elaine, Tony, Bobby) weren't really that funny, but they were likable and relatable; the supporting characters (Louie; Rev. Jim; Latka and Simka) were broad and hilarious.

I think that's a primary reason why I'm drawn to Taxi and WKRP in Cincinnati because they are atypical of television comedies in the late 1970s. More sophisticated and topical shows, like The Mary Tyler Moore Show and All in the Family, had done been cancelled or were bordering on the "jump the shark" moment that's next to impossible not to reach.

I like both shows and I occasionally get into the right mood and I want to binge them. They both have relatable characters, that might not be the funniest of the batch, but yet work together to make a good ensemble. I find these shows especially witty and smart in their execution. They tackled issues but weren't too preachy.