The '80s were filled with sitcoms about family values, including popular series like The Jeffersons and Growing Pains, but there were a few series that dared to break the mold of the family orientated shows. Taxi was one of those brave sitcoms to start a new path in the world of television. It dared to be a bit darker and feature a rag-tag group of misfits instead of the white-picket-fence family next door.
Taxi ran for five seasons from 1978 to 1983 and launched the careers of several cast members, including Danny DeVito and Tony Danza. Even though the series was short-lived, it left its mark in a big way.
10 Tony Banta Was Almost Phil Ryan
Tony Danza was discovered for the part of Tony Banta during his gym workout at Gleason's. Producer, Stuart Sheslow, visited the boxing gym looking for a boxer to play a part on a new sitcom series. Sheslow liked the look of Danza and got his contact information which lead to several executives attending one of Danza's fights.
Originally, the executives wanted the character to be Phil Ryan, an Irish boxer who was a little too acquainted with alcohol. But fans can all agree that Danza was the right man for the job of portraying the dimwitted but lovable cab driver by night and aspiring boxer by day.
9 Danny Devito Got His Part In True Louie Fashion
Not too many people would get offered a job after throwing the script down and yelling profanities. But Danny DeVito is no ordinary actor. DeVito was determined to get the role of Louie De Palma and he was willing to take a risk in order to succeed.
When DeVito entered the audition room he went into full Louie mode. He threw the script down and yelled, "One thing I wanna know before we start - who wrote this sh*t?!" His risk paid off as the producers not only laughed, but they all agreed he was the perfect fit to play the cranky dispatcher.
8 The Series Was Inspired By A Magazine Article
Taxi was no run-of-the-mill sitcom. It was a fresh idea filled with new Hollywood faces. So how did the creators of the series come up with the idea to create a sitcom based on cabbies?
On September 22, 1975, there was an article published in New York magazine titled "Night-Shifting for the Hip Fleet." The article focused on night shift cab drivers who all had their own hopes and dreams that they pursued during the day, except one. When this one man was asked what his aspirations were, he simply answered, "I'm a cab driver," thus inspiring the Alex Reiger character. Inspiration can truly hit you at any moment.
7 Christopher Lloyd Provided His Own Costume
Christopher Lloyd is his own brand of kooky talent. Not many people would show up to an audition without shaving or washing their hair and wearing a dirty denim jacket that they found in shrubs. But it worked for Lloyd who portrayed the dazed and confused Reverend Jim.
Not only did Lloyd have the dingy style down with his unkempt hair and faded jean jacket, which he wore for two seasons, but he also nailed the facial expression. Lloyd stated in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter in 2018 that his brother was the inspiration for Reverend Jim's consistent zoned out expression.
6 Latka Almost Didn't Appear On The Show
Wouldn't it be nice to only work two days a week and still be a fan favorite? Andy Kaufman, who played his "foreign man" character Latka Graves, had a particularly sweet deal. While the rest of the cast and crew of Taxi were on set 5 days a week, Andy only had to make an appearance twice a week.
Kaufman was a quirky performer and sometimes difficult to work with, but no one could deny his comedic genius. And the creators of Taxi were determined to cast him. Kaufman was a hard catch as he wanted no part of being on a sitcom. In order to secure the "foreign man," the executives agreed for him to only work a couple days a week and appear on only 14 episodes per season.
5 Winner Of Multiple Emmy's
No other sitcom has been able to duplicate Taxi's unique comedy style and no one ever will be. Taxi might have only lasted for five seasons, but it changed the course of sitcoms. During its five seasons, Taxi earned not one, not two, but three Emmy's for Outstanding Comedy Series.
These three Emmy's are not Taxi's only achievements. The series earned several Emmy's for film editing, directing, and writing. Not only was the crew recognized for their hard work and talent, but so were the actors. Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Carol Kane, and Judd Hirsch each earned an Emmy or two for their performances.
4 Tony Clifton Had His Own Contract
Andy Kaufman was an unbelievably talented comedian and actor, but he had his quirks. The executives agreed to let Andy play his alter ego Tony Clifton as Louie's brother. Tony Clifton was Andy Kaufman, but you might not know that as there were separate contracts for the characters, and no one was allowed to address Andy as Andy when he was Tony Clifton.
If the cast and crew thought Andy was difficult to work with, he was nothing compared to Tony Clifton. Clifton brought hookers to set, rewrote the script, and fought with others on set. In fact Tony Clifton behaved so poorly that they had to fire him, but Andy was still hired. Andy never openly fessed up that he was Clifton and he even called his own alter ego an asshole and agreed he should be fired.
3 Elaine Could Have Been A Completely Different Character
Elaine Nardo, played by Marilu Henner, was the sweetheart of the garage as she could hang with the boys, but she also the nurturing friend they could turn to for dating advice. Her vibrant hair and compassionate nature won over the hearts of fans. But she could have been a completely different character.
Originally they wanted the character to be a mid 30's Italian New Yorker with a teenage daughter. But thanks to Joel Thurm, Taxi's casting director, Henner got the role even though she didn't fit the description at all as she was Polish-Greek and from Chicago. Even though she wasn't what they originally wanted, she proved she was exactly what they needed.
2 Judd Hirsh Didn't Want To Commit To A TV Series
There would be no Taxi without the voice of reason, Alex Reiger. And there would be no Alex Reiger without Judd Hirsch. But there was almost no Judd Hirsch. Hirsch wasn't interested in being a sitcom star due to the time commitment, and he was already a successful stage actor.
After reading the script, Judd knew the series would last at least three seasons, and he didn't want to be tied up that long as he wanted availability to do plays and films. Hirsch told his manager to offer the producers an outlandish deal he knew they wouldn't accept. But the producers weren't going to let him walk away from the role, and they accepted his offer. The creators of Taxi knew who they wanted to cast, and they wouldn't take no for an answer.
1 Their Parties Were Legendary
If there's one thing these cabbies liked to do more than play cards and eat at Mario's, it was throwing a party. The cast and crew of Taxi knew how to party and they showed off this skill set every Friday night after filming. Everyone would pitch in for their weekly parties which attracted other sitcom stars to join such as the cast of Happy Days, Mork & Mindy, and Laverne and Shirley.
They threw these parties simply for the fact that they wanted to spend more time together. Everyone on set genuinely enjoyed each other's company and didn't want to say goodbye even if it was just for the weekend. They might not have been real cab drivers, but they were real friends.
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