Welcome to a new Sitcom Tuesday! Today, we’re continuing our coverage on the best episodes from Taxi (1978-1982, ABC; 1982-1983, NBC), the smartest and best written sitcom of the late ’70s/early ’80s. I’m pleased to announce that all five seasons have been released on DVD.
A group of New York cab drivers share the ups and downs of their lives in between shifts. Taxi stars JUDD HIRSCH as Alex Rieger, JEFF CONAWAY as Bobby Wheeler, DANNY DeVITO as Louie De Palma, MARILU HENNER as Elaine Nardo, TONY DANZA as Tony Banta, CHRISTOPHER LLOYD as Jim Ignatowski, and ANDY KAUFMAN as Latka Gravas.
The third season of Taxi was plagued not only by the 1980 Actors’ Strike that delayed the start of every series by at least two months, but also the negotiations of the two highest paid stars, Hirsch and DeVito. While the latter only missed a day of rehearsal and settled his contract quickly, Hirsch’s battle was more drawn out, and hindered the start of Season Three’s production, which began well in advance of the strike and would have given the series a head start over the other shows. (As it turned out, only one episode was completed before the strike began in July.) When the strike was settled, the show managed to crank out 22 total episodes — 20 of which aired in this slightly hyphenated season. Despite the rocky start, this collection of offerings is probably the series’ best showing. Not only is the writing at its comedic peak, but the combination of characters, like the second half of Season Two, represents classic Taxi. (And the show won its third consecutive Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy!) Also, the ratio of delights to duds is never higher. Thus, even with a reduced number of choices, I could easily have compiled a list of my 15 favorites. The biggest challenge I had in making today’s list was narrowing things down; so be sure to check out the gem-fileld honorable mentions as well. But before you do that, I have picked ten episodes that I think exemplify this season’s strongest installments. For new fans, this list will give you a place to start. For seasoned fans, there might be a few surprises.
Here are my picks for the ten best episodes of Season Three. (They are in AIRING ORDER.) All episodes this season, except one (noted below), are directed by James Burrows.
01) Episode 47: “Louie’s Rival” (Aired: 11/19/80)
Louie learns that Zena has been seeing another man.
Written by Ken Estin
By the third season, Danny DeVito’s Louie has eclipsed all but Judd Hirsch’s Alex in the unspoken competition over who gets the most material, and that’s no surprise considering the high quality track record of past ‘Louie episodes.’ Like several of his stories from this season (including the marvelous “Louie’s Mother,” which I really wanted to include), the superb comedy is balanced with a desire to probe more of the character’s emotional and psychological underpinnings. In this installment, which sees the return of Rhea Perlman, Louie deals with the heartbreak of learning that Zena has been seeing another man and wants to leave Louie to pursue this other relationship exclusively. As usual, the final scene between Louie and Zena, in which he wins her back, is a tour de force — for both. Great opener.
02) Episode 48: “Tony’s Sister And Jim” (Aired: 11/26/80)
Tony objects when his sister takes a liking to Jim.
Written by Michael Leeson
Julie Kavner, whom you’ll remember as Brenda from our past coverage on Rhoda, guest stars in this Emmy winning episode as Monica, Tony’s classical musician sister whom he tries to pair up with Alex. Unfortunately, she takes a liking to the charmingly strange Jim, who bonds with her over their love of the symphony. In addition to being a well scripted and well acted episode, this installment is blessed with a menagerie of memorable (and funny) moments — chief of which is the scene in which Tony catches Jim at Monica’s place and picks him up by the back of his jeans. (Incidentally, in addition to being known by the MTM folk for her prior award winning work for them, Kavner is, and was at the time of this episode, the longtime paramour of Taxi producer David Davis.)
03) Episode 49: “Fathers Of The Bride” (Aired: 12/03/80)
Alex and Elaine crash his estranged daughter’s wedding.
Written by Barry Kemp
The casting of Louise Lasser as Alex’s overweight ex-wife is one of the series’ smartest, for, like the man playing her fictional former husband, Judd Hirsch, Lasser is a brilliant performer who imbues all of her material with startling realism and believable comedy. Their scene alone near the end of the installment is one of this season’s highlights, and another fantastic episode for our protagonist. Storywise, it’s wonderful to see Alex’s relationship with his daughter, a thread introduced way back in the premiere episode, and the continuity is both rewarding for longtime viewers and memorable for fans of Alex, whose character, once again, is explored intricately in intimate detail — as only this series is able to do. A beautifully written episode with great performances and big laughs. A gem.
04) Episode 50: “Elaine’s Strange Triangle” (Aired: 12/10/80)
Elaine’s new boyfriend is bisexual and likes Tony.
Written by David Lloyd
Burrows won an Emmy for his directing of this groundbreaking installment that has the distinction of using a most original premise. The story has Elaine going out with a man who only approached her because he was after Tony. Bisexuality was still a taboo topic for primetime television at the time of this airing, and not only is it treated without any preaching or “very special episode” moments, but the inherent comedy in the situation posed for our regular cast is well played. Of course, the best scene occurs when Alex goes to a gay hang-out to talk to Elaine’s beau and ends up dancing on the bar at the request of the jubilant crowd. But there is continual comedy in this marvelously constructed offering, and it’s easily among the series’ best — and probably my favorite from this truly excellent season.
05) Episode 51: “Going Home” (Aired: 12/17/80)
Jim takes Alex along as he reunites with his wealthy family.
Written by Glen Charles & Les Charles
In theory, my preference is for episodes that make a concerted effort to make plenty of time for each member of the ensemble, but a lot of the funniest shows involve one or two characters in a separate location. This installment is an example of the latter, as Jim brings Alex along when he goes home to meet his eccentric rich Southern family, which includes a brooding brother, a horny sister, and Victor Buono as his rotund father. Naturally, this Jim episode is brimming with an inordinate amount of laughs, but most enjoyable about this script is all of the new stuff we learn about Jim and his upbringings. For although we saw more of his emotional side in episodes last year, he (like Latka early on) was primarily being used for comedy only. With this one, Jim becomes fully realized.
06) Episode 53: “The Call Of The Mild” (Aired: 01/21/81)
Alex, Tony, Bobby, and Jim are stranded in a mountain cabin.
Written by Katherine Green
My sentiments regarding this episode have wavered back and forth over the years. Initially, I very much enjoyed this installment, enjoying the change of scenery and the freshness of the proceedings. In subsequent viewings, I found myself disappointed that the episode was never as funny as I seemingly anticipated it to be. But the past few times I’ve seen this outing, I’ve been able to appreciate all of the individual character moments, especially the stuff given to Jim, whose prayer over the dead bird is, like last season’s “Jim Gets A Pet,” a profound moment for the character and for the series. So I’m back to understanding why this is a very highly regarded episode, and although it’s not among my absolute favorites (nor do I think it deserves its reputation), I really do watch with unqualified enjoyment.
07) Episode 54: “Latka’s Cookies” (Aired: 02/05/81)
Latka’s grandma’s special cookies have cocaine in them.
Written by Glen Charles & Les Charles
As Taxi slowly begins moving away from the total realism that seemed in play during most of the first two seasons, we find the show going broader, with highly original stories that are designed to contain a lot of large comedy. (In this season, the episodes usually succeed.) This installment, which takes its humor from the fact that all the cabbies get high off of Latka’s grandma’s cocaine-laced cookies, is one of this season’s unashamed funniest. Although much of this can be attributed to the premise rather than any nuances in the script (after all, the story isn’t driven by character), I am blown away by the delicious creativity of having Famous Amos himself visit Latka in a withdrawal-induced hallucination. It’s a beautifully bizarre moment in a beautifully bizarre — and very amusing — episode.
08) Episode 55: “Thy Boss’s Wife” (Aired: 02/12/81)
The boss’ wife targets Louie in her scheme to make her cheating husband jealous.
Written by Ken Estin
Eileen Brennan, one of my favorite comediennes, guest stars in this episode as the wife of Louie’s philandering boss. As Louie explains at the start of the first act, each time Brennan catches her man fooling around, she picks one of the cabbies with whom she can have sex and make her husband jealous — always at the expense of the poor sap’s job once she confesses. After walking in on her husband again, this time she chooses Louie (figuring that this will hurt her husband the most). It’s a very amusing moment, but much of the comedy comes from Louie’s simultaneous desire to bed her and practice self-control to avoid getting fired. It’s a marvelous showcase for DeVito, and Brennan, playing an incredibly lowdown and nasty character, becomes one of the show’s most memorable guest stars.
09) Episode 59: “Zen And The Art Of Cab Driving” (Aired: 03/19/81)
Jim is determined to be the best cab driver he can possibly be.
Written by Glen Charles & Les Charles | Directed by Will Mackenzie
Episodes centered around Jim are now, with regularity, starting to become some of the series’ most pensive and ponderous, as the character’s spaced out charm makes him a fine candidate for espousing and exploring deeper and more metaphysical themes. This unique installment finds Jim earning record fares in his desire to become the best cab driver that he can be. But the cabbies later learn that this goal was for another purpose — to purchase a whole wall of television and video equipment. Jim’s poetic wonder at all the beautifully mundane and trivial things television has to offer (including the debate about Delawarians and Delawarites) is a commentary on the country’s fascination on the medium. Is television really happiness? It is for Jim… and probably for us as well. Unparalleled.
10) Episode 66: “Latka The Playboy” (Aired: 05/21/81)
The gang is concerned when Latka develops an obnoxious alter ego, Vic Ferrari.
Written by Glen Charles & Les Charles
The show’s kookiest performer, Andy Kaufman, has a field day in this installment, which introduces to the series Latka’s first alter ego, Vic Ferrari, a parody of the obnoxious American swinger — with all his arrogance and self-centeredness. (It’s not too far off from Kaufman’s own alter ego, Tony Clifton.) Needless to say, the incorporation of this character, especially in contrast to Latka, coupled with the rest of the cast’s reactions to him, help earn this episode the honor of being another one of the season’s (heck, even the series’) top-tier funniest. The final scene where Alex tries to get the old Latka back is probably the most satisfying, but rest assured that we’ll be seeing Vic (and another alter ego) in the next season. It’s a fantastic, albeit broad, end to the show’s unquestionable strongest season.
Other notable episodes that narrowly missed the list above include: “The Ten-Percent Solution,” in which Bobby becomes Tony’s manager when the boxer wants to take a stab at acting (a rare standout for fans of both characters), “Elaine’s Old Friend,” in which Alex poses as Elaine’s boyfriend on a date with her snobby high school friend (this is one that I really wanted to include; it’s great for Alex/Elaine fans), “Louie’s Mother,” in which Louie puts his mom in a nursing home, but then soon regrets the decision (an offering good enough to have made the above list, truly — I really wanted to spotlight this one and am almost pained that I had to bump it), and “Louie Bumps Into An Old Lady, in which Louie contests a woman’s claim that she has whiplash from his hitting her with a cab. This season’s “pick-up” two-parter is also worth mentioning, with Louie’s segment in Part II being my favorite.
*** The MVE Award for the Best Episode from Season Three of Taxi goes to…..
“Elaine’s Strange Triangle”
Come back next Tuesday for the best from the fourth season! And tune in tomorrow for a new Wildcard Wednesday post!
While I haven’t watched this series much, I’ve seen a few episodes that are funny, including one from a different season where Louie was trying to be nice to Zena. I’d love to see the episode w/ Victor Buono as Jim’s father. This appearance may break the record (at least as far as I know) held by Roger C. Carmel & Jerry Fogel on “The Mothers-in-Law” for actors playing father & son being closest in age, as Buono (who always looked much older than he actually was) was only 8 months older than Christopher Lloyd. I’ve also enjoyed a couple episodes from next season which I can comment on next week.
Hi, Jon! Thanks for reading and commenting.
“Going Home” (along with most, if not all, TAXI episodes) can be viewed in full, as of this writing, on YouTube.
You’re right, Season 3 is replete with classic episodes. But I would have to replace the Vic Ferrari episode (I never liked the self-indulgence of the later Andy Kaufman split personality episodes) with “Louie Bumps into an Old Lady,” an episode whose climactic courtroom scene is so shocking in its mean-spirited payoff that it stands out to me as one of the series’ funniest scenes. And, as in “Reverend Jim: A Space Odyssey,” the humor in the big final scene is compounded by drawing the joke out through unabashed repetition (bump, bump, bump-bump-bump).
Yea I was surprised that Louie Bumps into An Old Lady wasnt on there. To me that episode best describes his character
Hi, Track! Thanks for reading and commenting.
You can check out what I wrote to Guy below regarding “Louie Bumps Into An Old Lady.”
Stay tuned next week for my thoughts on the best from Season Four!
Hi, Guy! Thanks for reading and commenting.
We’ll have to agree to disagree about “Latka The Playboy,” which I think is both a funny and unrecognizably controlled showcase for Kaufman. However, I do agree about the series’ growing self-importance, which begins next season and actualizes in the final, once CHEERS had siphoned off some of the creative team. But I don’t think this comedy-suppressing style manifests itself in the Latka episodes until the return of Carol Kane. The aforementioned episode, along with the next Vic installment, still have comedy as their prime ambition.
I also feel that comedy is paramount in “Louie Bumps Into An Old Lady,” another marvelous episode that, along with “Louie’s Mother,” could have easily made today’s list. If there’s any minute reason as to its downgraded placement, it is for the premise, which I think is routine and writer-driven. Fortunately, however, most of the laughs do come from character, and I appreciate that. But as I said above, it wasn’t an easy call; too many classics!
My favorites here are Elaine’s Strange Triangle (a series 10-best), Latka’s Cookies (shades of the Barney Miller hash episode), Louie’s Mother, Latka the Playboy (I can’t hear Elvis Costello and not think of Vic Ferrari) and On the Job, particularly the second half which has great stuff for Louie, Bobby and Alex, and a couple of great guest stars in Michael McGuire and Al Lewis.
Hi, Jake! Thanks for reading and commenting.
Lots of great episodes this season — the second half of “On The Job” was another installment I closely considered including.
Stay tuned next week for my thoughts on the best from Season Four!
I hate those Latka / split personality episodes. Never thought it was particularly funny the first time around, and found it less and less so each subsequent time they did it. But then, Kaufman was probably my least favorite of the TAXI regulars, anyway.
Hi, James! Thanks for reading and commenting.
Again, we’ll have to agree to disagree about the Latka episodes. I find the character wonderfully bizarre and, in the early seasons especially, a great source of comedy (not unlike Jim, who functions similarly, but probably ends up a bit more humanized by series end). In contrast, I always view the Tony and Bobby episodes either comedically lacking or narratively uninteresting. It’s difficult to find episodes for their respective characters that really work in the same way that a lot of Alex, or Louie, or Jim episodes do.
But I think my disfavor for installments centered around some characters, and other commenters’ dislike of episodes centered around others, speaks to one of TAXI’s major weaknesses: the fact that not all members of the ensemble are as humorously ripe or narratively well developed as others. In fact, this is one of the many reasons that I think CHEERS illustrates Burrows and the Brothers Charles taking what they learned on TAXI and ironing out the kinks. As always, some may regularly get better stories, but the CHEERS characters are each beautifully developed and all consistent suppliers of comedy. There’s an equity of enjoyment among the cast that doesn’t always exist with TAXI, no matter how well written most of the scripts manage to be.
Since your coverage of the 70s are done, what is your fav sitcom from the decade
No, my coverage of the ’70s is not done and won’t be until mid-December (once THE JEFFERSONS moves into the ’80s).
But picking the best of the decade has never been difficult. THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW, particularly the ’72-’76 era, is the decade’s gold standard. After that, not surprisingly, I would mark the ’71-’74 years of ALL IN THE FAMILY as some of the most exhilarating material in TV history. Both shows are classics (deservedly), spawned many other wonderful shows, and set the templates for almost everything that followed. There’s no competition in my mind.
I meant almost done. Sorry for the typo
No worries — just wanted to clarify that we’ve got some more time here! I think the ’70s is the most bountiful decade for quality situation comedy.
Good picks, but, for me, The Ten Percent Solution rates the list. Brilliant writing – funny, poignant – a giant cockroach….
Hi, Jake! Thanks for reading and commenting.
I enjoy that episode as well, but I do feel that there are stronger offerings this season, which I maintain (even now, as I’m making my selections for the best from the Diane years of CHEERS, arguably some of the best material in sitcom history) has been the hardest year EVER from which to choose the best — because there are so many worthwhile entries.
Thanks. My old man wrote the winner. Very kind of you to say.
Hi, No Name McGinty! Thanks for reading and commenting.
Your father is well-respected by this author and by many of the readers here. Much of his work has been highlighted on this blog as some of my favorite episodes of television ever produced (chief of which, as you know, is the unforgettable “Chuckles Bites The Dust”), a sentiment I wouldn’t be alone in expressing. I hope he knew how much joy he brought through his exceptional body of work. He made a deep impact on television comedy and a deep impact on the lives of many — mine included. We’ll forever be in his debt.
“Elaine’s Strange Triangle” has always frustrated me. For all its goodness (and it is very funny), I can never get over its story flaws. First, the script tosses Elaine into a wonderfully original and deliciously complicated mess — and then writes her out. In fact, Marilu Henner is light in the episode and does not appear at all after we learn the full extent of her predicament. The writers work hard to contort the story to make it about Alex (who is the series lead, granted) and then resolve Elaine’s problem in a single line of dialogue from her bisexual paramour (“Oh yeah, Elaine and I talked, and everything is cool. Same with Tony.”) So much for story basics.
Then — and this surprises me coming from writers of TAXI’s caliber — the hilarious Act 2 scene wherein Louie tricks Tony into revealing his juicy troubles serves absolutely no story purpose whatsoever. Remove that scene, and you’ll never miss it. It reveals nothing that we don’t learn elsewhere in the episode and has no bearing on anything that follows. It’s there only because its funny; it’s also superfluous.
Still, a fresh premise loaded with good jokes (“Not bicycles. I’m talking about bisexuals.”) in the hands of Burrows and a skilled cast can’t help but make for good sitcom. But TAXI would do better.
Hi, Red Herring! Thanks for reading and commenting.
I too don’t appreciate the story’s abandonment of Elaine, who should have remained at the center of the action in some form. But one of TAXI’s inherent weaknesses was both the inequitable construction and usage — as a result of said construction — of its regulars. (CHEERS certainly benefited from lessons learned here). So this particular installment’s decision to redirect its attentions onto a character it felt could be used better (Alex) is not unique to this entry, nor is the gratuitous Louie sequence, a common additive tactic to shoehorn laughs into an episode that might have otherwise needed a boost. (However, I’d argue that this episode actually didn’t need one, so the motives are less justifiable, and indeed more gratuitous.)
And yet ultimately, since the offering is the most comedically rewarding of the season, the plotting problems are mitigated in favor of both the volume of laughs and the simple fact that, yes, Alex is a better designed character whom we’d prefer to anchor the story — even if it’s seemingly designed for Elaine (and Tony).