Line #7 Series/Taxi


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/taxititlecard.jpg]]
2
3	->'''Elaine Nardo''': I'm only going to be working here part-time... I'm not really a taxi driver.\
4	'''Alex Reiger''': I understand. You see that guy over there? He's an actor. The guy on the phone, he's a prize fighter. This lady over here, she's a beautician. The man behind her, he's a writer. Me? I'm a cab driver. I'm the only cab driver in this place.
5	-->-- [[WelcomeEpisode Pilot]] episode
6
7	This seminal WorkCom co-created by Creator/JamesLBrooks, which aired for four seasons on Creator/{{ABC\|US}} (1978–82) and one on Creator/{{NBC}} (1982–83), was set in the grungy New York City headquarters of the Sunshine Cab Company.
8
9	The show's cast included:
10	* Divorced everyman Alex Reiger (Creator/JuddHirsch).
11	* Bombshell divorced mom and art-gallery receptionist Elaine O'Connor-Nardo (Creator/MariluHenner).
12	* Struggling actor Bobby Wheeler (Creator/JeffConaway).
13	* Perennially losing (and possibly brain-damaged) boxer Tony Banta (Creator/TonyDanza).
14	* Wide-eyed immigrant mechanic Latka Gravas (Creator/AndyKaufman).
15	* '60s survivor and uber-burnout "Reverend" Jim Ignatowski (Creator/ChristopherLloyd).
16	* Their vile toad of a dispatcher Louie De Palma (Creator/DannyDeVito).
17
18	Extremely well-acted and written, the show remains a high point in American sitcom history. As listed below, if you want to see just about any standard sitcom Trope done ''right'', this is the place to come.
19
20	The series has now a [[Characters/TaxiSeries character]] and a [[Recap/{{Taxi}} recap]] sheet under construction.
21
22	''For other works named'' Taxi, ''[[Main/{{Taxi}} click here.]]''
23
24	----
25	!!This show provides examples of:
26
27	[[foldercontrol]]
28
29	[[folder:Reiger! Tropes 0–C]]
30	* SeventiesHair:
31	** Most of the guys in the early seasons.
32	** Louie's girlfriend Zena had an afro, specially notorious in her first appeareances.
33	* EightiesHair: Simka in the last season.
34	* AbortedDeclarationOfLove: In "Simka Returns", Latka tries more than once to tell Simka "I love you" -- but he turns into Vic Ferrari before he can complete his speech. It takes her rejection of Vic in favor of Latka to free the latter from this crisis.
35	* AccidentalMarriage: John Burns gets into one of these, and it actually sticks.
36	* TheAce: Bobby [[TheCharmer when it came to women]], while Tony became this after Jeff Conaway left the show.
37	** BrokenAce: In "Blind Date", Bobby sets a date for Alex with Angela, who in spite of her voice, she turned out to be quite a sourpuss.
38	* AdviceBackfire:
39	** Once, Alex encouraged Tony to be a referee, but Tony said it was a bad idea. It gets corroborated by Latka (acting as Alex himself).
40	** During the time Sunshine Cabs was broke, Elaine worked as a secretary. There she encouraged her boss so he could take a few decisions he had thought of for some time. Those sunk the company as soon as Elaine lost her job after her boss was fired.
41	* TheAllegedCar: The company's taxis never [[EveryCarIsAPinto exploded]], but they did everything short of that. TruthInTelevision: Taxis in major cities can cover as much mileage in a few weeks as the average personal car does in a year; naturally, breakdowns are more frequent.
42	* AmbiguouslyJewish: Alex, for the most part. A couple of characters finally mentioned his being Jewish toward the end of the series.
43	* AmoralAttorney: Louie tries to be good to an elderly con artist after running her over, but the old lady says her lawyers forced her to sue him for a million dollars.
44	* AndThisIsFor: Simka slaps Latka for each family member of hers he unknowingly mocked with his jokes in "Guess Who's Coming for Brefnish" ("I hope you have a small family...").
45	* AnnoyingLaugh: James L. Brooks' famous cackle shows up in the background of most episodes.
46	* ArcWelding: The war between Latka and his alter-ego Vic Ferrari escalated in "Tony's Lady" because Vic considers that the engines are dirty because [[CaptainObvious there's grease and oil in them]]. Things got even worse in the following episode, [[TheBusCameBack "Simka Returns"]] when Latka finds out that Vic has spent the night with Simka.
47	* AreYouSureYouCanDriveThisThing: Louie doubts that Jim can drive a cab.
48	* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Jim once mentioned finding stuff that fares often leave behind: Old magazines, gloves and meat (chewy meat).
49	* AscendedExtra:
50	** It's easy to forget that Jim Ignatowski was originally ''not'' a member of the main cast. Creator/ChristopherLloyd was brought in for a one-shot role as "Reverend Jim", an apparent {{Cloudcuckoolander}} officiating Latka's wedding in Season 1. Lloyd's performance impressed the showrunners so much that he was brought back in the second season, being upped to main status (and becoming one of the most prominent characters in the series) in the process.
51	** Louie's BeleagueredAssistant, Jeff. Although he never quite made "regular" status, he did get to be [[ADayInTheLimelight the focus of one episode]] where he's accused of selling auto parts on the black market. Behind the scenes, his actor was Creator/AndyKaufman's stand-in for rehearsals, which Kaufman himself didn't attend (he got away with this due to having a photographic memory; he had lines, etc. down cold when it was time to film).
52	* AsHimself
53	** [[Series/FantasyIsland Herve Villechaize]] appeared in "Fantasy Borough: Part 1".
54	** Wally "Famous" Amos appeared to Latka in a vision at the end of "Latka's Cookies".
55	** Dr. Joyce Brothers was the one to cure Latka of his SplitPersonality in "The Wedding of Latka and Simka".
56	** Jim was set up on a date with his celebrity crush [[Series/TheBobNewhartShow Marcia]] [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Wallace]] in "The Schloogel Show".
57	** [[Series/LaverneAndShirley Penny Marshall]] was rejected as a potential tenant by the exclusive high-rise Louie was trying to get into in "Louie Moves Uptown".
58	* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: The fictional language spoken by Latka, and later his fellow immigrant/wife Simka.
59	* AsideGlance: Alex did this when Latka impersonated him, and Louie mistakes him for Alex himself.
60	* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: When Jim tries to tell Louie that he ''did'' injure a scam artist:
61	-->'''Louie:''' Ignatowski, get the hell outta here.\
62	'''Jim:''' Boss, I think there's something you ought to know.\
63	'''Louie:''' The only thing I wanna know is how fast you can get out of my sight.\
64	'''Jim:''' Boss, this is really, really important, and you know how short my memory is, so let me tell you before I forget.\
65	'''Louie:''' Okay, what is it?\
66	'''Jim:''' What's what?
67	%%* AutomobileOpening
68	* BadBadActing: Bobby's plays were plagued with this.
69	%%* BadBoss: Louie.
70	* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: When the gang goes to pay a visit to a hairstylist to unsuccessfully demand an apology for the hideous hairdo he did to Elaine, she considers dumping a bowlful of hair dye on him but decides that it wasn't necessary. But before they leave, Louie dumps the bowl over the stylist, gleefully admitting he's no better than the stylist.
71	* BaitAndSwitch:
72	** Once, Jim walked into the phone and Bobby told him that he was expecting an important call, but it turned out that Jim was actually going to the bathroom.
73	** In a later episode, it looks that [[RunningGag the giant]] [[MacGuffin cockroach]] who invaded Louie's cage has been exterminated. But it turns out (via a moving sandwich) that either the roach survived or another one took its' place.
74	** Another case overlaps with DamnedByFaintPraise after Louie watches a TV commercial in which Bobby appears:
75	-->'''Louie:''' You did a very good performance.\
76	'''Bobby:''' Thanks, Louie.\
77	'''Louie:''' I'm not talking about you, ham-hock. I'm talking about the little show your friends have put on.
78	* TheBeard: Latka once wanted to have a "paper marriage" with Elaine to stay in the US. Subverted as he wanted to sleep with her.
79	* BeardOfSorrow: Louie has grown one in a few occasions.
80	* BerserkButton: Never say to Louie the word [[spoiler:"accident"]] or make an analogy to Alex that involves [[spoiler:pelicans]]. But most of all: Never, ''ever'' [[spoiler: mention "Vic" or anything related to him, to Latka]].
81	* TheBet: When Louie made a bargain with God before an operation, Alex and Bobby made a bet regarding if Louie would genuinely change his ways. Alex is strangely optimistic, while Bob thinks that Louie will quickly revert to his old ways. Bobby finally wins, but after Louie overhears them about the bet and has a massive FreakOut.
82	* BewareTheNiceOnes:
83	** When Louie's {{Jerkass}} antics finally cause Alex to snap, he rips the front off of Louie's wire-mesh dispatcher cage with his bare hands.
84	** In "Fantasy Borough", Latka's attempt to share his fantasy with the others is cut short by Louie forcing him to go back to work. In Latka's subsequent daydream he and Louie have switched roles, costumes, and personalities, and it climaxes with Latka about to ''execute Louie by firing squad''.
85	* BigEater: Latka tended to be this. His wife Simka (portrayed by the petite Creator/CarolKane) is also described as this by Latka.
86	* BigEgoHiddenDepths: Louie is discovered to have this in "Louie Goes Too Far"
87	* BigLittleMan: In the first episode, Louie spends most of his time in the dispatcher's cage. When he exits it for the first time to yell at someone and we see how short he really is, it gets a ''big'' laugh from the audience.
88	* TheBigRottenApple/ WretchedHive: Averted, taking in mind that living in a metropolitan area during TheSeventies was compared to [[PlaceWorseThanDeath living in Hell]].
89	* BilingualBonus
90	** Latka's name is Yiddish for "potato pancake", while Simka's name means "happiness".
91	** A non-Yiddish example: The name of Latka's friend Bachi, is Polish for "grandmother".
92	* BilledAboveTheTitle:
93	** Judd Hirsch in... "TAXI".
94	** The billing was to originally have read Judd Hirsch and Creator/JeffConaway in..."TAXI", but when Hirsch found out about this, he was on the phone to his agent, who immediately contacted Creator/{{Paramount}}, and Conaway had to settle for the first billing under 'Also Starring'. [[note]] Interestingly, Jeff Conaway wasn't too annoyed about this, and freely conceded to Judd Hirsch that "I rather that top billing being on your head than mine!" which got a laugh out of Judd. [[/note]]
95	* BitingTheHandHumor: Subverted in a ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' episode hosted by Danny [=DeVito=] just days after ''Taxi''[='s=] cancellation by ABC. During his monologue he reads a letter supposedly from his mother asking God to forgive the network for canceling the show, then adding "[[TakeThat But I'll understand if you don't.]]" In a filmed sketch from the same episode, [=DeVito=] decides to blow up the ABC building while driving through NYC. (Coincidentally or otherwise, ''SNL'' network NBC picked up ''Taxi'' for one more season shortly thereafter.)
96	* BittersweetEnding:
97	** Subverted. Almost every week the cabbies lose in their attempts to fulfill their dreams and get out of the garage, but there's usually a moment of hope at the very end.
98	** "Latka's Revolting" ends with the revolution in Latka's home country destined to go down in defeat, although the narrative is more concerned with Latka deciding to stay in the US.
99	* BlindAndTheBeast: Louie and his girlfriend Judy during the last season. In a late episode, she undergoes an operation to restore her sight, horrifying Louie who thinks she will reject him. Fortunately for him, he's exactly what Judy expected, except that she thought Louie had more hair between his eyebrows (Louie plucked a few hairs of them in the meantime).
100	%%* BlindDate: The third episode centers on this.
101	* BorrowedCatchphrase: At the end of "Mr. Personalities", Alex says Latka's "T'ank you veddy much" line, down to imitate his accent.
102	* BottleEpisode: Inverted with the plane and the ClassReunion episodes, with no scenes taking place at the garage.
103	* {{Bowdlerise}}: Syndicated prints of "Men Are Such Beasts" omit a brief exchange between Alex and Bobby, when the latter jokes that with the accident he had, Alex "lost his virginity", and his (cab) bumper.
104	* TheBoxingEpisode: Tony was naturally the focus of a number of these.
105	* BoyfriendBluff: Alex having to act as "Bill Board".
106	* BreadEggsMilkSquick: In "A Full House for Christmas", Louie lists his reasons for collecting his life savings over the years:
107	--> '''Louie''': A nice house in Florida, a new car, for ''revenge''...
108	* BreakTheCutie: Bobby. He always comes closer than anyone to getting out of the garage, and always has his dreams crushed in the most humiliating way possible. Louie delights in reminding Bobby what a failure he is.
109	* BreakoutCharacter: Jim, to the point he became a regular during the second season.
110	* BreathlessNonSequitur: How Jim's girlfriend at college tried to hide from him the "secret ingredient" for some brownies.
111	-->'''Jim:''' Now come on, Heather, what's in the brownies?\
112	'''Heather:''' Sugar, eggs, chocolate, marijuana, flour, and walnuts.\
113	'''Gordon:''' ''[[ComicallyMissingThePoint You've been feeding us walnuts?!]]''
114	* BrickJoke: At the beginning of "Thy Boss' Wife", Bobby shows his fellow cabbies what he learned in a pantomime class, including a glass wall which Jim thinks its real. At the very end of said episode, Jim asks Bobby to take the glass wall out. Made even funnier taking that three days had passed since Louie was last seen after going with Mrs. [=McKenzie=] to her home.
115	%%* TheBully: Louie.
116	* TheBusCameBack: "Bobby Doesn't Live Here Anymore" was the farewell episode for Jeff Conaway as Bobby, who had actually left the show as a regular a year earlier.
117	** "Simka Returns" took place almost two years after "Guess Who's Coming For Brefnish" aired.
118	%%* ButtMonkey: Bobby.
119	* CallBack: In "What Price Bobby", Tony answers Bob's new agent Nora by saying, "Bobby doesn't live here anymore". A couple of years later, Bobby's farewell episode had that very phrase as its title.
120	* CallingYourBathroomBreaks: In the very first episode, Alex is being a wiseguy while "helping" Latka with his English lessons. "Give me a minute while I go to the can," indeed. HilarityEnsues.
121	* TheCameo: Several examples over the course of the show.
122	* CantActPervertedTowardALoveInterest: Happened to Louie when he started dating Zena.
123	* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: A single marijuana-laced brownie sent son-of-wealth-and-privilege Jim spiraling down his life-path.
124	* CaptiveDate: The second part of "Shut It Down" focuses on Elaine ''reluctantly'' having to go on a date with Louie. She even called her children for a hilariously tearful "farewell message".
125	* TheCasanova: Latka's alter ego Vic Ferrari; the former once referred to the latter as "that two-bit [[{{Malaproper}} bossa nova]]!"
126	* CasanovaWannabe: Louie acts like he's a ladies man, but women (especially Elaine) mostly find him to be a AbhorrentAdmirer.
127	* CassandraTruth:
128	** In "Crime and Punishment", when Louie admits to his boss that Jeff knew nothing about the parts he sold being stolen and that Louie is to blame, his boss thinks that Louie is just covering for Jeff because Louie thinks he'd go easier on him. While he doesn't believe this truth, [[spoiler:he does at least drop the charges and rehires Jeff, on the belief that Louie liked him enough to take the blame.]]
129	** In "Generous Iggy", Jim gives each cabby, as well as Louie, a thousand dollars to give away (ItMakesSenseInContext). Since Louie can't be trusted (but actually wants to take part in it), Louie agrees to give the money to Jeff, who has been in need of more money, so they have somebody to ask. But Jeff turns it down, believing there has to be a catch if it comes from Louie.
130	* CatchPhrase: "Tank you veddy much" for Latka, though it predated the show via Andy Kaufman's stage act (Latka was a redressed version of his Foreign Man persona).
131	* CelebrityIsOverrated: Subverted. "I'd like to tell you there are more important things than being rich and famous... I'd like to tell you, [[SubvertedTrope but it's a crock]]. Being famous is great." This coming from Famous Amos, no less.
132	* CelebrityStar: Subverted by the fact most of them had very little screentime and weren't vital to the plot.
133	* CharacterDevelopment: With lots of de-{{Flanderization}}s included.
134	* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Most of the core characters clearly matured during the series' five-year run.
135	%%* TheChewToy: Latka.
136	* ChildrenAreAWaste:
137	** All the male cabbies think that way after having to watch after Elaine's children.
138	** Louie declares that after knowing that Alex was not invited to his daughter's wedding.
139	* ChristmasEpisode: Seasons 1 and 5 each had one.
140	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: John Burns (Randall Carver), who was written out after Season 1.
141	* CitizenshipMarriage: Latka got this in Season 1 ("Paper Marriage", the first episode to focus on him) before finally marrying Simka in Season 4.
142	* CityMouse: Elaine sternly opposed to the idea of the guys taking a week-long retreat to the mountains.
143	** A literal city mouse appears in the tag of the episode "Jim Joins the Network".
144	* ClassReunion: Louie has Bobby attend one in his place. HilarityEnsues.
145	%%* ClipShow: "A Taxi Celebration", in Season 5.
146	* CloserToEarth: Alex, while Elaine and Simka had some traits of this towards the end of the series.
147	%%* {{Cloudcuckooland}}: Latka's homeland.
148	%%* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Jim.
149	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: When the boys go to the mountains, they find themselves without refrigeration for their food, with Bobby mentioning they'd probably be dead in a couple days in those circumstances. Cue Jim's uncontrollable laughing.
150	* TheComicallySerious: The main trait of Alex throughout the whole series.
151	* ContinuityNod:
152	** In "Reverend Jim: A Space Odyssey", Jim only remembers the time he first met the cabbies when he hears Latka speaking his own idiom.
153	** In an early episode, Alex gets shot and quits to become a waiter in a French restaurant, which was often seen on later episodes.
154	** Gary, the horse Jim once owned was mentioned in "Alex Gets Burned by an Old Flame".
155	* CourtroomEpisode: "Louie Bumps Into an Old Lady".
156	* CrappyHolidays: The Season 5 ChristmasEpisode "Get Me Through the Holidays" has Alex's ex-wife Phyllis spending the holidays with him so she doesn't have to be alone, and putting a damper on things with her [[TheEeyore relentlessly downbeat attitude]].
157	* CrazyCulturalComparison: The traditions from Latka and Simka's unnamed country.
158	* CrazyPrepared: When Latka needs a styptic pencil, Jim reveals that he's wearing one behind his ear.
159	-->'''Alex:''' Jim, why do you carry a styptic pencil behind your ear?\
160	'''Jim:''' In light of what just happened, the question is: why don't you?
161	* CreatorCameo:
162	** Assistant Director Carlo Quinterio appeared in an episode as the new husband of Alex's ex-wife, Phyllis.
163	** Also, grumpy Mr. Walters in the logo for the production company was played by co-creator/co-Executive Producer Ed. Weinberger (and yes, he spells his first name with a period, which he calls an 'affectation').
164	* CreepyCockroach: Apparently, the garage doubles as a boarding house for roaches.
165	* CulturalStereotypes: Latka and his nameless fictional [[CrapsackWorld crapsack homeland]], where postage stamps are issued commemorating barbed wire. The homeland makes its "mountain people" the butt of jokes; Latka and Simka's initial relationship in the Season 2 episode "Guess Who's Coming for Brefnish" was brought to an end by this (she's from the mountains).
166	* CutHisHeartOutWithASpoon: When Alex gets attracted to an old acquaintance of Jim, Louie does an over-the-top {{Parody}} of a soap opera narration (he even calls it "[[Series/AsTheWorldTurns As The Loser Turns]]"). Then, Alex interrupts him threatening to put the microphone down his throat.
167	[[/folder]]
168
169	[[folder:Wheeler! Tropes D–H]]
170	* DeadArtistsAreBetter: The cabbies try to no avail to buy a painting of a dying artist (whom Elaine knows) who kicks the bucket ''inmediately'' after the painting is sold to someone else.
171	* DeadPetSketch: With a pair of goldfish. The owner, Tony, can actually tell the difference between his fish and a replacement.
172	* DeadpanSnarker: Louie, and frequently Alex (especially in earlier episodes) and Elaine.
173	* DefenestrateAndBerate: Elaine had the strange habit of having the boys painting her apartment every time she broke up with some guy. It was even lampshaded in a couple of occasions.
174	* DeliveryGuy: Alex had to assist a childbirth in his cab. The child's parents wanted to call him after Alex... until he tells them his name.
175	* DemotedToExtra: John had a few [[ADayInTheLimelight episodes focused on him]] early in the series but he became less and less important by the end of the first season.
176	* DenserAndWackier/ LighterAndSofter: Seasons Two through Four stand out over the more down-to-earth seasons One and Five for this, apart from being considered the best of the series. A good example of the DenserAndWackier stuff is the story arc of Latka's multiple personality disorder in Season Four.
177	* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Most of the cabbies actually work part-time, WaitingForABreak in their ambitions.
178	* {{Determinator}}: After Zena broke up with him in "Louie's Rival", Louie expected her to "crawl back" to him. Unfortunately, this never happened.
179	* DidYouJustHaveSex: A split second after walking in the door Simka ''immediately'' yells at Latka, "You did it with another woman!"
180	* DidYouThinkICantFeel: In "A Grand Gesture," the newly-wealthy Jim decides to show the rest of the group how rewarding sharing money can be by gifting them each a thousand dollars on the condition that they immediately give it to someone else. The gang accepts, but everyone suspects that Louie will simply pocket the cash for himself, so he promises to give it to Jeff Bennett (the assistant dispatcher), who they all know. When Louie offers the $1,000 to Jeff, he immediately turns it down and says there must be some catch or trick, because Louie couldn't ''possibly'' be generous or kind. Louie is stunned by Jeff's response and angrily asks if the younger man really thinks of him as a heartless jerk with no capacity for emotion--he really does like and respect Jeff, and it genuinely pains him to hear such harsh words coming from someone he considers a close friend.
181	* DinnerOrderFlub: "He insisted on ordering the meal in French. My main course was ten pats of butter."
182	* DirtyOldMan: Alex's father Joe has some traits of a Casanova Wannabe.
183	* DisguisedInDrag: Alex, Tony and Latka went to a costume party dressed as Music/TheAndrewsSisters.
184	* DisappearedDad: Subverted. Elaine's ex-husband Doug (Nardo?) ''is'' actually mentioned, and in quite a few occasions.
185	* DisneyDogFight: Between an amoral (and abusive) showman and cabbie Alex for the showman's Great Dane that Alex took to the garage after throwing out his owner from the cab. The dog finally goes over to the man... to ''maul'' him.
186	* TheDitz: Tony, John, Jim ([[JustifiedTrope Justified]] since he used to be a drug addict), and Latka at times (although that was arguably more a case of ObfuscatingStupidity and often naivety rather than stupidity).
187	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Once Louie said he regularly inspected Elaine's locker, though he also mentioned he had the keys for ''all'' the lockers.
188	* DoorClosesEnding: The first act of "Louie's Rival" ended this way.
189	* DownerEnding: The final scene of [[spoiler:"Alex's Old Buddy"]].
190	** The ending to "Louie's Fling" can be seen as one, even though Louie deserves it. Zena breaks up with Louie after he cheats on her with her friend Emily, and then it turns out Emily was only attracted to Louie because she was drunk and is now horrified by his looks.
191	%%* DreamSequence: The "Fantasy Borough" episode.
192	%%* DrugsAreBad: Jim is pretty much a walking cautionary tale.
193	* DysfunctionJunction: Jim's family. His brother Tom is a stuffy JerkWithAHeartOfJerk while his sister is quite a sex addict.
194	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first season. Not only because of the absence of Reverend Jim, but also Alex was more of a sarcastic wisecracker and Louie had practically no redeeming qualities.
195	* EarnYourHappyEnding: The main point of Alex's farewell speech for Bobby. Though he couldn't make it at the first try, Bob has already set foot in Hollywood and he'll just relinquish his dreams and his efforts by returning to drive cabs for Louie in NY.
196	* EndOfEpisodeSilliness:
197	** The last scene of "What Price Bobby" featured Alex in a log cabin calling the rest of the gang.
198	** "Elaine's Strange Triangle" culminates with Alex getting dragged into dancing with several men at a gay bar. At first he resists, but then [[BecomingTheMask gives in and starts having fun]]. The next day we learn he actually won a prize for dancing.
199	* EpicFail: When Bobby returned for a visit, Latka at first bought a beach ball for him, but he returns it when he's told that the pilot Bobby starred in hasn't been picked up yet. Then he gives Bobby a pair of earmuffs, but he tells Latka his pilot became a series. Finally, Latka returned with the beach ball, only to learn that Bobby plans to return to NY after his part had been recast.
200	%%* EruditeStoner: Jim. ("I must have taken.. music lessons...")
201	* EverybodyMustGetStoned:
202	** The effects of Latka's cookies, which the entire main cast (except for Louie, who feeds them to Elaine to keep her interested in him) ingests before Alex learns from Jim what's in them.
203	** And this was how James Caldwell turned into Reverend Jim Ignatowski.
204	* EverybodyOwnsAFord: Subverted; the Checker A11 taxis were ''not'' supplied by the manufacturer (who, as makers of the then-memetic NYC taxi and with very low sales to the general public, had no need for the ProductPlacement publicity).
205	* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: At the start of "Shut It Down," the brakes fail on Tony's cab. Alex asks why he didn't pull the emergency brake.
206	-->'''Tony:'' That's for parking, Alex.\
207	'''Alex:'' And emergencies! Hence the name.\
208	'''Tony:'' You know, there's a logic to that.\
209	'''Alex:'' Yeah.
210	* ExtraExtraReadAllAboutIt: Bob's dismayed after the theatre critic of the fictional ''Long Island Bulletin'' declares that Bobby should have had a bad stomachache from [[LargeHam "all his scenery chewing"]]. He then says that nobody reads that paper, only to find Louie giving away ''a whole bundle'' of the ''Bulletin''.
211	* ExtremeDoormat: [[spoiler: Jim]], of all people was this in college.
212	* EyeColorChange: The boys take a while to know what color are Jim's eyes. They settle for brown.
213	* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: Of a sort; most of the characters have dreams of stardom or glory outside of the cab garage, and view driving cabs as something temporary, but it's pretty clear that ultimately they aren't going anywhere. Part of Alex being the OnlySaneMan is that he's really the only one who accepts that he's a cabbie, and not a boxer / actor / artist (and so on)-in-waiting.
214	-->'''Louie:''' Only one guy ever escaped this garage.....and that's Creator/JamesCaan! And he'll be back!
215	* FateDrivesUsTogether.
216	* FengSchwing: Latka briefly rented an apartment full of hidden appliances and furniture.
217	* FingertipDrugAnalysis: When it comes to coca leaves, Jim is a true expert, able to pinpoint their exact origin (Southern Peru, 1974, before the rains.)
218	* FirstEpisodeTwist: For most of "Like Father, Like Daughter", Louie is in his dispatcher's booth perched above the garage floor, making his usual insults and sleazy comments. When Alex announces his intent to take a cab out of town for personal reasons (and to Miami, no less), Louie decides he has to lay down the law -- and comes out of his cage, showing the audience just how short Danny [=DeVito=], then a mostly unknown theater and film actor, really was.
219	-->'''Louie:''' Hold EVERYTHING! Okay, I gotta get TOUGH with you guys!\
220	''[[BigLittleMan [He storms down the steps, revealing he's at least a head below the rest of the cast, if not more] ]]''
221	* ForgottenFirstMeeting: Jim had almost completely forgotten when he was brought for Latka's wedding.
222	* FreakOut: After knowing that Alex and Bobby gambled about if he would really change after an operation, Louie has a fit of rage and hooks Bobby (who doubted that he would really change) to a tow truck.
223	* FriendlessBackground: Louie was picked on by ''[[BullyMagnet everyone]]'' at high school.
224	* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Although the "friend" part is questionable, whenever Louie hung out with the cabbies, he was this.
225	* FriendsRentControl:
226	** Subverted in an episode where Louie considers moving into a huge, very expensive, apartment.
227	** Less dramatically, the apartments that Alex, Bobby, etc. live in seem awfully nice for somebody drawing a cabbie's pay, even given an admittedly cheaper '70s NYC.
228	** Subverted/Lampshaded by an episode in which Latka accidentally puts an unrefundable deposit on a luxury apartment (he thought it was a year's rent when it was only a month's) and the cabbies chip in to help him pay for the place in exchange for using it as a hangout.
229	** Also subverted in Jim's residence: a condemned building which eventually gets torn down.
230	%%* FunnyForeigner: Latka, Simka.
231	* FutureShadowing: When Jim is offered the "funny brownie" he objects that it would lead him to harder drugs, and guess what happened...
232	%%* TheGamblingAddict: Alex.
233	%%* GayBarReveal
234	* TheGenericGuy: According to Randall Carver himself, his character (John Burns) was practically identical to Tony, explaining why he was written out after the series' inaugural season.
235	* GetOut: Louie does this when he finds out that Jim burnt his apartment.
236	%%* GhostExtras.
237	* GilliganCut: Subverted in the form of not having a cut at all. At first, Alex refused to play the piano at "Jim's Mario's", but changes his mind after a beautiful woman sidles up.
238	* GoodFeelsGood: In one later episode, after coming into his inheritance, Jim would sometimes give money to needy people, simply because it made him feel good to help others. To prove his point, he gave each of his fellow cabbies a thousand dollars, with the stipulation that they give the money to someone they felt deserved it. By the end of the episode, the other cabbies found that they enjoyed giving the money away as well.
239	* GrandmasRecipe: After several batches of chocolate chip cookies made from his grandmother's recipe are hugely popular with the cabbies, Latka decides to sell the cookies commercially — only to find out grandma's {{secret ingredient}} was ground coca leaf.
240	* HalfArcSeason: Season four centered on Latka's multiple personalities, while the final season featured Jim figuring out what to do with the money he inherited from his father.
241	%%* HalfwayPlotSwitch: Happened constantly.
242	%%* HappilyMarried: Latka and Simka.
243	* HappyEndingOverride: The Season 3 finale "Latka the Playboy" has Latka managing to remember his original personality after Vic had a sort of HeelRealization, though there ''was'' a tease that Vic was still somewhere in him. Early in Season 4 with "Mr. Personalities", it's revealed that Latka not only didn't fully recover, but also developed a full-blown personality disorder and was now slipping into and out of Vic and other personae at the drop of a hat. Fortunately this HalfArcSeason was fully resolved by the start of "The Wedding of Latka and Simka".
244	* HeWhoMustNotBeSeen:
245	** Pretty much anyone above Louie in the Sunshine Cab business-hierarchy. Specifically, the garage's owner, Mr. [=McKenzie=], is treated like this, but actually appears (and is played by Stephen Elliott) in "Thy Boss's Wife". Oddly enough, he continues to be given the faceless treatment from that episode on.
246	** [=McKenzie's=] replacement, Mr. Ratledge (played by Allen Garfield), appears in the episode in which Louie blames Jeff for the missing parts.
247	* HeelFaceDoorSlam: Louie tried to turn over a new leaf after suffering a heart attack and praying that he'd pull through, promising to be "the best man he could be if his surgery went okay. He did, and amazingly, he did start acting nicer. Unfortunately, Bobby made a bet with Alex, thinking Louie couldn't keep it up. Even after Bobby played hardball by telling Louie the one word that's usually ''guaranteed'' to make him blow his top ("accident") Louie didn't get mad. But then Louie found out about the bet, and ''then'' he blew his top, worse than he ever did before. He did get a bit of comfort from Alex later, when he was worried about going back on what he had promised to do in a prayer; Alex said that he had claimed [[ExactWords to be "the best man he could be"]], so "maybe the best man you can be is... a rat?"
248	* HenpeckedHusband: Averted with Latka, even if Simka is much more sensible than him.
249	* HitMeDammit: When Tony breaks Jim's relationship with his sister Monica, he asks Jim to punch him, however in spite of Tony's insistence, Jim ''kisses'' him.
250	* HopeSpringsEternal: Zig-zagged. As seen in the fantasy episode, everybody but Alex wants to get out from the garage, which is (for them) a literal CrapsackWorld.
251	* HorribleCampingTrip: "The Call of the Mild" combines this with SnowedIn.
252	* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Jim in regards to Louie, to the point of [[HeroWorshipper considering him as one of his heroes]].
253	[[/folder]]
254
255	[[folder:Nardo! Tropes I–M]]
256	* IDoNotLikeGreenEggsAndHam: Alex watches ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' to get Jim to quit pestering him for not seeing it. In spite of not liking sci-fi movies, he admits to have liked the movie.
257	* IJustWantToHaveFriends: In "Reverend Jim, A Space Odyssey", Iggy is clearly desperate to find a friend.
258	** It's implied that Louie has been this since he was in high school, though he usually acts as if he was better off as a loner.
259	* IResembleThatRemark: One of the {{Trope Codifier}}s. Actually series co-creator/co-executive producer/writer/director Stan Daniels [[TropeNamer gave his name to an]] [[AuthorAppeal alternative denomination for this]], the "Daniels' Turn".
260	** A famous example/subversion happened when Alex called his ex-wife after she didn't invite him to their daughter's wedding. Then the unheard voice of hers (of at least her secretary) tells Alex he's yelling even if he just raised his voice, he then repeatedly rebuffed that he wasn't yelling, even if he ''was'' yelling at the end.
261	* IWorkAlone: In an early episode, Louie says he doesn't like to fraternize with his employees. [[ComedicSociopathy Alex responds by saying that the cabbies themselves decided that]].
262	* IdiotBall: Jim is prone to be this from time to time.
263	* IfYouTauntHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim: Subverted by Louie in an episode where he avenges Elaine's shabby treatment at the hands of an arrogant hairdresser: "''She'' may be better than you, but ''I'' ain't!"
264	%%* ImmigrantPatriotism: Latka.
265	* ImmuneToDrugs: Jim, though it's really more a case of them having had a permanent effect on him that is indistinguishable from any further ingestion.
266	* InstrumentalThemeTune: Bob James's "Angela", originally written for a character of that name in the Season 1 episode "Blind Date" before being [[BootstrappedTheme bootstrapped]] for the series itself.
267	** An [[ThemeTuneExtended extended version]] of the tune was included on James's 1979 album ''Touchdown''.[[note]]The title track of which was originally planned as the ''Taxi'' theme before the producers decided they liked "Angela" better.[[/note]]
268	* InsultBackfire:
269	-->'''Louie:''' Ignatowski, why don't you try renting out that vacant lot between your ears\
270	'''Jim:''' Okey-doke.
271	* IntelligibleUnintelligible: While he doesn't understand what Latka says, Tony knows about what Latka's talking about.
272	* IntoxicationEnsues:
273	** Latka's cookies turn out to have a very special extra ingredient.
274	** Another time Alex is given uppers as a headache remedy before being summoned to see the boss.
275	** Yet another time Jim slips something into Louie's coffee.
276	---> '''Alex''': Hey, hey, hey, I saw that! What did you put in his coffee?\
277	'''Jim''': Well... it's either a tranquilizer or a Chiclet.\
278	''[In the middle of giving out cab assignments, Louie falls asleep, snoring loudl]'')\
279	'''Alex''': I think we can rule out a Chiclet.
280	* IsThatAThreat: After Alex rips the front of Louie's cage.
281	-->'''Louie:''' Are you threatening me with physical violence?\
282	'''Alex:''' ''[growls]''\
283	'''Louie:''' I'm not sayin' it won't work! I'm just askin'!
284	* IvyLeagueForEveryone: Jim once attended Harvard.
285	* JerkAss: Louie is among the archetypal examples, although we're occasionally given hints that it's at least somewhat of a facade.
286	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Very rarely, Louie would show traits of this. As an example, he once helped Elaine after she got an ugly makeover, so she could confront the hairdresser.
287	* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: Louie in regards to Bobby.
288	** Jim's brother Tom, although he gets sort of a redeeming moment at the end of "Jim's Mario's" when he finally believes his brother has accomplished something.
289	* JustFollowingOrders: In "Crime and Punishment", Louie had Jeff sell parts under the pretense that it was for the company as opposed to Louie. When Louie finally confesses that he was behind it all, he says that Jeff was just following orders.
290	* KarmaHoudini: Louie in "Crime and Punishment". He convinces Jeff to take the blame for illegally selling car parts (which he did, but he didn't know that Louie was keeping all the profits for himself), but after Jeff gets arrested, Louie decides to confess that he did it. [[spoiler: the boss doesn't believe him and laughs hysterically over his confession, though he does agree to rehire Jeff and drop charges. Not only does Louie get away with embezzling, but the experience also earns him a chance to play golf with the boss. As Louie says after thinking about what's happened, "crime pays!"]]
291	** The closest to Louie getting any retribution in the episode comes at the very end when [[spoiler: Alex takes away the ladder Louie climbed to get to his secret safe,leaving him stuck all night.]]
292	%%* KnightInSourArmor: Alex.
293	%%* LargeHam: Jim.
294	* LastNameBasis: Louie only calls the cabbies by their last name.
295	** Inverted with Jeff. Actually, Louie doesn't remember his last name.
296	* LastSecondWordSwap:
297	** Louie: (to Latka) "You dumb fffff... foreigner!"
298	** Also, "No, now is the time for you to kiss my ''yaktabe''."
299	* LateToThePunchline: Sort of. Once, Louie made some flattering jokes about Bobby, with Jim being the only one laughing besides Louie himself. The problem, Jim was laughing at his previous joke.
300	* LimitedWardrobe: Louie and Jim are rarely seen without their usual outfits. Louie's case is lampshaded in a late episode.
301	* LineOfSightAlias:
302	** Alex ends up having to pretend to be named "Bill Board" when Elaine desperately makes up a name for an imaginary boyfriend.
303	** Better that than Carman Gea.
304	** Alex later jokes: "Well, I'm better off than my brothers: Switch and Clip."
305	* LivingProp: Jeff was this at the beginning.
306	* LocalHangout: Any time the cabbies aren't at the station, they're at Mario's restaurant. "Of Mice and Tony" ends with Alex and Tony [[ThrowTheDogABone getting $5000 each for a fighter's contract]], and they decide to celebrate by having the greatest meal of their lives... at Mario's, the only restaurant they know.
307	* LogoJoke: For the {{Christmas Episode}}s the VanityPlate was changed to the young lady saying "Merry Christmas, Mr Walters!", but she still got the grumble in response.
308	* LongList: In one episode Latka starts to tell the other characters how there's only one thing you need in life to make you happy, and that's friends...but then he remembers that you also need food and clothes...and a nice car...and a home...with a pool...and a beautiful woman "to make you foam at the mouth"...and finally concludes that if you have all that other stuff, "the friends would only get in the way."
309	* LovesMyAlterEgo: Happens to Latka in "Simka Returns" where Simka sleeps not with him but with his suave alter ego Vic Ferrari.
310	* {{Malaproper}}: Latka.
311	--> '''Alex''': Latka, what your mother and I did was indiscreet.\
312	'''Latka''': You mean not even indoors?
313	* MateOrDie: Almost leads to the end of Latka and Simka's marriage: Latka sleeps with a female cabbie to stay warm in a snowstorm; according to their reverend, to right this infidelity Simka has to have sex with one of the male cabbies. When Alex refuses, they divorce - but then [[spoiler: Jim asks why they can't ''just remarry'']]...
314	* MessyHair: Jim's hair is hardly combed.
315	* MexicanStandoff: Bobby faced a burglar trying to rob him with a gun. Bobby then pulls a larger gun he had in the cab, after some eight hours both exchange guns. Then, the thief reveals his gun was unloaded. Bobby then proceeds to stick them by their cannons and charges $48 to the robber (Bobby had left the taximeter running), who gets out after paying them.
316	* MoodWhiplash: For such a humorous show, Jim's horse eulogy is quite touching. Lampshaded by Louie, who asks Jim to do that same speech once his mother dies.
317	--> '''Louie''': You won't even need to change that many words.
318	* MoralityPet: Latka is often this for Louie.
319	* MotorMouth: The most visible effect of the "uppers" on Alex.
320	* TheMovie: The Creator/AndyKaufman biopic ''Film/ManOnTheMoon'' featured scenes recreating memorable ''Taxi'' segments with most of the original surviving cast, who unfortunately looked 20 years older, especially when contrasted with Creator/JimCarrey as Kaufman.
321	** And Danny [=DeVito=] is forced to be HeWhoMustNotBeSeen as he played another role in the film.
322	** Tony Danza doesn't appear in the film either due to scheduling conflicts.
323	** Some time ago, [=DeVito=] said his intentions to make a movie adaptation.
324	* MrImagination: Latka and Jim (though he sees himself as a "down-to-earth" man).
325	** Averted with Alex, who in his opinion, his fantasies [[GoneHorriblyWrong end]] ''[[GoneHorriblyWrong really]]'' [[GoneHorriblyWrong bad]].
326	* MushroomSamba: Latka sees Famous Amos when trying to recover from cookies his grandmother sent him that turned out to have coca leaves (the basis for cocaine).
327	[[/folder]]
328
329	[[folder:Banta! Tropes N–S]]
330	* NaiveNewcomer:
331	** John Burns in Season 1.
332	** Elaine, sort of, in the pilot episode.
333	* TheNapoleon: Louie.
334	* NeverTrustATitle: "Alex Gets Burned By An Old Flame" is misleading as the "old flame" is actually Jim's.
335	* NewOldFlame: Latka and Simka initially dated in the latter's first appearance (with Latka blowing it with a few inadvertently-offensive jokes). Some time later, both begun a serious relationship that led to marriage.
336	* NiceGirl: Zena, specially taking Louie's notorious flaws. Even if he (involuntarily) cheated on her, she ended up inviting him to her wedding.
337	* NiceGuy: Jim, Latka, and John.
338	* NoBisexuals: Averted: Elaine dates a man who is more interested in Tony then her, unfortunately, but the episode makes very clear he's Bi, not gay.
339	* NoIndoorVoice: Louie enjoys to use the microphone he has on his cage.
340	* NoPeriodsPeriod: "Simka's Monthlies" reveals her PMS is so crippling that it's enough to cause her to miss an appointment with the immigration board that she must appear at in order to become an American citizen. Edges into VerySpecialEpisode territory; Simka even asks Alex why, if it's such a common problem, there hasn't been a movie of the week about it.
341	* NonSpecificallyForeign: It's implied that Latka and Simka come from Eastern Europe, but "the old country" is never mentioned by name.
342	* NoodleIncident:
343	** Tony's years at [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar Vietnam]].
344	** Once Simka told Louie that he wouldn't be welcome anymore in the Gravas residence, but she doesn't give a clear explanation.
345	* NotListeningToMeAreYou: Becomes a RunningGag in "Alex Tastes Death and Finds A Nice Restaurant" after Alex gets shot in one of his ears
346	* ObfuscatingDisability: Subverted when Louie thinks a woman in a wheelchair is scamming him and pushes her down a flight of stairs. It turns out she wasn't faking this time.
347	* TheOldCountry: Details about Latka's fictional homeland are kept vague for the sake of comedy.
348	* OnceAnEpisode: During the first three seasons, whenever Latka appeared, there would be always a joke about his culture/language or naivete, even ''both''. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Latka himself, as he said everybody thought that he was just "that cute little foreigner"; his attempts to become something more desirable lead to him developing the Vic Ferrari alter ego at the end of Season Three (in "Latka the Playboy") and from there a full-blown multiple personality problem that bedevils him over the course of Season Four.
349	* OnceMoreWithVolume: Used in one episode when [[CloudCuckooLander Reverend Jim]] was taking the test to get a driver's license ...
350	-->'''Jim:''' Psst! Bobby! What does a yellow light mean?\
351	'''Bobby:''' Slow down.\
352	'''Jim:''' What, does, a, yellow, light, mean?\
353	'''Bobby:''' Slow down!\
354	'''Jim:''' What ... does ... a ... yellow ... light ... mean?\
355	'''Bobby:''' ''Slow down!!''\
356	'''Jim:''' Whaaaat ...... dooooeeeess ...... aaaaa ...... yeeellllllooowww ......
357	* OneWordTitle: The series is simply called ''Taxi''.
358	%%* OnlySaneMan: Alex.
359	* OverlyLongGag: Jim's famous "What does a yellow light mean?"
360	* PacManFever: The subplot of "The Unkindest Cut" involved Iggy becoming addicted to the TropeNamer after Louie installs the console in the garage. Actually an aversion, as ''VideoGame/PacMan'' debuted only a couple of years before.
361	* PaperThinDisguise: Jim goes to a costume party without a disguise other than a pair of novelty glasses. Nobody at the party notices, however.
362	* ParentalAbandonment: According to Alex, his ex-wife Phyllis told him that if he really loved his daughter Cathy, he should lose all contact with her.
363	* ParentalNeglect: Alex's father Joe was more busy chasing girls than caring for his own family.
364	* ThePollyanna: PlayedForLaughs with Latka, who maintains this attitude despite growing up in a miserable homeland.
365	* PreciousPuppies: The focus of two {{Very Special Episode}}s: The subplot of "Bobby's Acting Career" involved Alex stealing a dog from his abusive owner, while "Alex's Old Buddy" centered on Alex and his old dying dog.
366	* PrettyInMink: The characters would pick up a few rich ladies as customers.
367	* PrivateDetective: Mr. Caldwell hired one to find Jim.
368	* ProductPlacement: Tony (perhaps improbably for a boxer of his status) occaisonally fought at Madison Square Garden, an asset which was also owned by Paramount's then-owners Gulf + Western.
369	* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Christopher Lloyd (Season 2), Carol Kane (Season 5).
370	* PropheticFallacy: One memorable episode featured Jim predicting Alex's death. Namely, that right before it happened, he would do the cancan while wearing a green shirt and a baseball catcher's mask. Alex actually does it to show he's not afraid of Jim's 'prediction,' [[TemptingFate and then the doorbell rings...]]
371	-->Did you see it, Reiger!? It was hideous!!
372	* PutOnABus: Jeff Conaway left the show after the third season, so for most of Season 4 Bobby's only appearances were in leftover episodes produced for Season 3. Eventually he [[TheBusCameBack returned]] for a departure episode where he moved away to try his luck in Hollywood.
373	* TheQuietOne:
374	** Jeff (not counting when he was a LivingProp)
375	** Latka was often this early on.
376	* QuirkyGirlQuirkyTux: An episode had Elaine have an ImagineSpot where all the characters including herself were dressed in tuxedos and performing "The Lullaby of Broadway". Her tux is not quite the fishnet variety. Her tights are more sheer with sequins.
377	* RandomEventsPlot:
378	** Occasionally, an episode will be this, with each of the main characters getting their own scenes. Various two-part episodes focusing on everybody's flashbacks or fantasies would count.
379	** In "A Substantial Gift", after learning that Jim regularly gives large sums of money from his inheritance to the needy because it makes him feel good, Alex objects and threatens to call his estate, but Jim makes a deal to give everybody in the garage two thousand dollars that they must give to somebody by the end of their shift, and if any one of them does not feel good from the experience, then he will stop. The only real running plots involve Alex planning to give his money to a passenger with a down-on-their-luck story (but like the other cabbies, this only takes up one scene, before the end), and Louie, who had wanted to take part to show Jim that he won't feel good about giving that kind of money away, trying to give the money to Jeff, who rejects it because he does not trust Louie.
380	* ReactiveContinuousScream: Happens at the end of "Jim the Psychic" between Louie and [[spoiler: Death]].. well, actually Louie and [[spoiler:a Girl Scout.]]
381	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Many episodes had Tony being annoyed by Latka. These developed from a real life dislike Tony Danza had for Andy Kaufman that ultimately lead to Danza refusing to cameo as himself in the 2000 biopic ''Film/ManOnTheMoon'' (although he was also busy with the Broadway production of ''Theatre/AViewFromTheBridge'').
382	* ReunionRevenge: Actor-cabbie Bobby attends Louie's class reunion as Louie.
383	* RunningGag: Louie's eternal war against the cockroaches who often invade his "cage".
384	* {{Ruritania}}: Latka and Simka's homeland resembles the mostly rural Central and Eastern Europe.
385	* SanitySlippage: Jim was quite straight-laced before tasting that fateful weed-laced brownie. Subverted if taking in mind he's fairly informed about many things (He even rounded out how many Brazilians are served by said South American nation's postal service)
386	** In addition, Alex sure acted strange when he was given the "uppers".
387	** Then there's Latka; see SplitPersonality below.
388	* SarcasticConfession: In "Crime and Punishment", after [[spoiler: the boss not only doesn't believe Louie's confession, but laughs hysterically at it, he decides to invite Louie to play golf with him, at which Louie sarcastically confesses that he cheats at the score. In fact, while Louie confessing was not meant to be a sarcastic confession, after his boss agrees to rehire Jeff and drop charges and it becomes clear he won't believe that Louie is really behind it, Louie has fun confessing over and over again.]]
389	* SdrawkcabName: The main reason Jim took Ignatowski as a second name was because he thought that was "Star Child" spelled bacwards.
390	* SecretTestOfCharacter: Latka and Simka's wedding ceremony climaxes with a set of questions they have to answer correctly. When Latka gets the last one wrong, Simka declares she will marry him anyway even if she has to defy their religion. Thus, they pass the true test of the strength of their love.
391	* SeinfeldianConversation: Briefly happens when the drivers are trying to figure out who their shop steward is in "Shut It Down."
392	-->''Bobby'': I thought that was Jim Petti.\
393	''Alex'': Jim Petti is the back up goalie for the Rangers.\
394	''Louie'': Just what I was afraid of. They're getting organized.
395	* SeriesFauxnale: The two-part/hour-long episodes "On the Job" (Season 3, when the Sunshine Cabs Co. goes bankrupt and the cabbies look for other jobs) and "The Road Not Taken" (Season 4, when Elaine gets a job offer in Seattle) were filmed as provisional series finales just in case the show wasn't picked up for renewal. (The Season 2 two-parter "Fantasy Borough" could probably be considered one of these, as well, given how the ratings dropped that year.) Ironically, the show ended [[LeftHanging with a relatively normal episode]] ("Simka's Monthlies").
396	%%* TheSeventies
397	* SexinessScore: In "A Woman Between Friends", Tony asks Elaine to rate him OnAScaleFromOneToTen where "[[AbhorrentAdmirer Louie's]] one and Creator/RobertRedford's number ten." Elaine then jokes that there are much more than nine numbers between those two.
398	* ShaggyDogStory: "Crime And Punishment", centering on Jeff being arrested after Louie accuses him of stealing car parts which Louie had stolen himself.
399	* ShoutOut: Louie references Phil Donahue in a few episodes.
400	** Music/TheBeeGees were mentioned in a couple of occasions.
401	** ''Series/ILoveLucy'' and ''Series/TheHoneymooners'' were the most popular shows in Latka's homeland when he left for America. Also doubles as ParentalBonus.
402	** The 1981 noir movie ''Body Heat'' gets mentioned by Louie in "Simka Returns".
403	** "A [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack Yoda puppet]] .... For a beautiful lady."
404	** In Season Five Jim is obsessed with ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' (which came out the previous summer), even wearing an ''E.T.'' button on his jacket. One episode even has a B-plot in which Jim busies himself convincing Alex, who isn't into science fiction, to finally see the movie!
405	** Alex once said that his dog complained that there were too many commercials during ''Late Night with Creator/DavidLetterman''.
406	** In one of the earlier episodes, Louie calls out the name Belson during the call-out for cabbies. Jerry Belson was to have been part of the production team, but dropped out before the series started.
407	** The names Nardo and Banta were taken from Pat Nardo and Gloria Banta, a team of writers for Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow, on which most of Taxi's creative team got their start.
408	* SillyRabbitCynicismIsForLosers: Alex's general pessimism abouth things is often frowned upon, being also a plot point in "Nina Loves Alex".
409	* SillyRabbitRomanceIsForKids: Louie considers himself the only person alive that knows the true meaning of love: "Love is the end of happiness!".
410	* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: In her re-encounter with Latka, Simka tells she was [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal "used and thrown away like and old shoe"]] when referring to the relationships she had after the events of "Guess Who's Coming For Brefnish".
411	* SitcomArchNemesis: Louie and Stanley, his high school's JerkJock and [[TheBully his main abuser]]. However Bobby (disguised as Louie) gets a hold of him by dancing with the class' AlphaBitch (who was Louie's teenage crush and implied ex-wife of Stanley, as he promptly ran off sobbing after seeing them).
412	* SitcomCharacterArchetypes
413	** Alex: Square and Sage
414	** Louie: Bully
415	** Latka, Jim, and Tony: Goofball
416	** Bobby: Charmer
417	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Generally, the series is quite optimistic (especially by late-'70s standards); Seasons 1 and 5 are a touch more cynical, with some dramatic themes in the latter especially.
418	* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Elaine, at least until Simka became a semi-regular in Season 5 (which coincided with Latka making fewer appearances).
419	* SnowedIn: "The Call of the Mild" has the gang attending a wilderness retreat and getting trapped in their cabin by a blizzard.
420	* SpeakingSimlish: Latka speaks in a gibberish language interspersed with broken English.
421	* SpiritedCompetitor: {{Discussed\|Trope}} in "One Punch Banta", when Bobby, Alex and Elaine go to watch Tony's boxing match with the champ, not expecting him to win, but just thinking the experience with a better fighter might make him better.
422	-->'''Bobby:''' He looks pretty good in there, huh?.\
423	'''Alex:''' Yeah! Almost not embarrassing.\
424	'''Bobby:''' Hey, you know, I bet you it's like who you're in there with, you know? I mean, like, when I act with a real pro, I get better.\
425	'''Alex:''' Yeah, it's the same with tennis. When I play with an "A" player, I get better.\
426	'''Elaine:''' Yeah, it's the same with sex.\
427	{{beat}} ''[Alex and Bobby look on [[DistractedByTheSexy distracted]]]''\
428	'''Alex:''' ...You get better?\
429	'''Elaine:''' ''[[SexGoddess They]]'' do.
430	* SplitPersonality: In the last episode of Season 3, Latka reinvents himself as suave-but-smug Vic Ferrari to be more attractive to women. Eventually, Vic finds it hard to remember who he once was. While Alex helps Latka out of this, this becomes the basis of a HalfArcSeason in Season 4 as Latka struggles with multiple personalities, climaxing in "Simka Returns" when Latka has to fight Vic for her affections. From there, Latka is cured and free to propose to her. One notable personality Latka develops (in "Mr. Personalities") is that of Alex himself -- not only is it a dead-on imitation (props to Andy Kaufman), but Alex finds out Latka lives his life better than he does!
431	* StagedPedestrianAccident: "Louie Bumps Into An Old Lady" dealt with one.
432	* StalkerWithACrush: Tony is dismayed when he finds out that Denise (the girlfriend he wants to get rid of) got a job as a cabbie, just to be close to him. Tony is so desperate that he puts [[spoiler: Louie]], of all people, as the hypotenuse in a bogus love triangle.
433	* StalkerShrine: Somehow the cabbies think that Louie's pasting of a photo of Zena's face over a bikini-clad calendar girl seems to be quite weird (that's how Jim knows of Zena in "Louie Meets The Folks").
434	* StockFootage: Most of the interstitials were filmed in 1978, however between then and when the show ended in 1983, New York changed very little.
435	%%* StraightMan: Alex fits this trope to a T.
436	* StrawCritic: Bobby tangles with one in "Bobby and the Critic".
437	* StrawLoser: Tony. In fact, Louie has built his ''whole'' living room by betting against him, to the extreme of pointing out what he bought with the money he won from which fight he bet on. (Inverted in the same episode, "The Reluctant Fighter", when Tony actually wins, shattering Louie's wishes of having a 23-inch color TV.)
438	* StudioAudience
439	* StylisticSuck: The soap opera Bobby was hired for starred an actress known for crying at every possible occasion.
440	* SuperstitionEpisode: "Jim the Psychic". Reverend Jim had a strange dream involving Alex doing some odd things which culminate in him dying, Alex laughs off his concerns, and Louie spends the rest of the episode pointing out how all of the events happening to him match what Jim dreamed of. The climax of the episode involved Alex TemptingFate by donning a weird costume (including a catcher's mask) and dancing around his apartment, when the doorbell rings. They open the door, revealing the dread spectre of a....Girl Scout selling cookies.
441	[[/folder]]
442
443	[[folder:Iggy! Tropes T–Z]]
444	* TakeOurWordForIt: Louie's cage was a frequent source of lampshading.
445	* ThatsAllFolks/ VanityPlate: "Good night, Mr. Walters!" [grumbles]
446	%%* TokenMinority: Jeff.
447	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Louie always wants to be the first to taste Baby Ruth chocolate bars every time the vending machine is refilled.
448	* TrueCompanions: The ensemble, especially in later seasons. The Official Fan's Guide even says that most of the cast was like this off the set, too. The key exception was Creator/AndyKaufman, who had to be pressured into doing the show. Due to his shy {{Cloudcuckoolander}} nature and special contract provisions, he befuddled and/or annoyed the other cast members, especially during the first season when his AlterEgoActing persona Tony Clifton derailed the "A Full House for Christmas" shoot and had to be fired ''and'' escorted off of the Paramount lot. The climax of this struggle was when Jeff Conaway physically assaulted Kaufman at a post-Golden Globes party in early 1979, whereupon Kaufman never attended cast events again. That said, he was a ConsummateProfessional on set and the other cast members came to appreciate him in their way. After his death in 1984, Carol Kane attended his funeral service in Great Neck, Long Island while the others attended a Los Angeles memorial service, and 15 years later most of them appeared [[AsHimself as themselves]] in the Kaufman {{Biopic}} ''Film/ManOnTheMoon''. The key exceptions were Tony Danza because he had a stage commitment at the time, and Danny [=DeVito=] because ''he was already playing Kaufman's agent George Shapiro, the film's key secondary character''.
449	* UnableToCry: When his father died, Jim was quite upset for not crying yet. Then he realised he ''was'' crying all along.
450	* UnexpectedKindness: One episode has a newly-rich Reverend Jim teach the rest of the crew about charity by granting each of them one thousand dollars on the condition that they immediately spend it on or share it with someone else. The cabbies agree, but suspect that [[BadBoss Louie]] will just keep his $1,000, so Louie offers to give it to Jeff, his junior dispatcher, who they all know. When Louie presents Jeff with the money, though, he refuses to take it, saying that it's obviously a trick because Louie isn't capable of genuine kindness. Louie's [[DidYouThinkICantFeel genuinely hurt by this]] and declares that he really did want to do something nice for Jeff, who he truly views as a friend.
451	* TheUnfavorite: Alex considered himself to be this, explaining why he didn't want to see his father after he had a heart attack.
452	* UnresolvedSexualTension: A couple of episodes suggest that Alex and Elaine might have a thing for each other, but the series was unfortunately cancelled before anything came of it.
453	* VerySpecialEpisode: "Like Father, Like Daughter" (pilot episode), "Blind Date", the subplot of "Bobby's Acting Career", "Men Are Such Beasts", "Tony and Brian", "Elaine's Strange Triangle", "Louie Goes Too Far", "Jim and the Kid", "Jim's Inheritance", "Alex Goes Off The Wagon", "Alex's Old Buddy", "Louie and the Blind Girl", "A Grand Gesture" and probably as mentioned above "Simka's Monthlies" (the last aired episode).
454	* VignetteEpisode: The two-part "Memories of Cab 804," which consists primarily of flashbacks to each of the driver's having an usual experience in the titular car.
455	* VitriolicBestBuds: Alex and Louie. Subverted with Louie and Jim in the final season.
456	* WaitingForABreak:
457	** Bobby, the aspiring actor who spends the series driving a cab while waiting to get a (in-universe) StarMakingRole.
458	** Most of the cabbies except Alex claim that they're only driving to support themselves until they get a break in their dream jobs (boxing, art).
459	* WelcomeEpisode: Although Alex is the closest thing the show has to a central character, the first episode is Elaine's first day at the company.
460	* WhamEpisode: "Coming Home" revealed that Jim comes from a wealthy family from Boston.
461	* WhamLine: "Could I please just say one word in my defense? [[spoiler: SELTZER!]]" ("Jim's Mario's")
462	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse:
463	** Tony gets to adopt Brian after he initially chose a wealthy couple, but it's never seen thereafter.
464	** Who ends up with Hamlet, the abused dog from "Bobby's Acting Career"? Presumably Alex takes him until he can find him a better home.
465	* WhenItAllBegan: This was the first time Creator/JuddHirsch starred on a TV series produced by Creator/{{Paramount}} Television. He would later go on to star in the American remake of ''Series/DearJohn'', ''Series/GeorgeAndLeo'', and ''Series/{{NUMB3RS}}'' (a Paramount production only in its first two seasons) for the studio.
466	%%* WholeEpisodeFlashback: "Memories of Cab 804", "On the Job", "The Road Not Taken"
467	%%* WhosOnFirst: "What does a yellow light mean?"
468	* WhoWouldWantToWatchUs: In "Hollywood Bound", the movie director who comes to Sunshine Cab for research on a film feels that Alex's stories about his job are more appropriate for television.
469	%%* WideEyedIdealist: Latka.
470	* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: Latka's dialect. It's supposedly a mix between gibberish and broken English.
471	* WhiteAndGreyMorality: Sort of, while Jim, Latka and John are some of the most naive guys in the taxi business, most of the antagonists (specially Louie) are just amoral and not genuinely evil.
472	* WomenAreWiser:
473	** Simka often stood up to Louie for Latka
474	** Elaine to Alex in regards to his gambling addiction.
475	* WorkCom: Which of course involves TheTaxi.
476	* WrittenInAbsence: Judd Hirsch had to miss one episode ("What Price Bobby") due to his role in the film ''Literature/OrdinaryPeople''. It's explained that Alex is [[WrittenInAbsence away on a skiing trip]].
477	* YoungerThanTheyLook: Louie looked like he was in his early forties (he graduated from high school around 1959) though Danny [=DeVito=] was some ten years younger, even if he [[OlderThanTheyLook inverts]] this nowadays.
478	* YoureNotMyFather: Subverted with Cathy telling it to Alex, her natural father.
479	[[/folder]]
480
481	----
482
483	->[[VanityPlate "Goodnight, Mr. Walters!"]]\
484	"''[[VanityPlate Ugh...]]''"
485

Context Series / Taxi