Recap / Taxi

Season 1 (September 12, 1978 to May 15, 1979)

Note: This is the only season with Randall Carver as John Burns.

1. Like Father, Like Daughter: Alex approaches a broken phone paywall to get in contact with his estranged daughter.
2. One-Punch Banta: Guest star Carlos Palomino challenges Tony for a match.
3. Blind Date: Alex tries a hand on blind dates with the girl at the other side of the phone.
4. Bobby's Acting Career: Bobby's self-imposed three-year deadline to get his big break is about to expire, and he scrambles for work.
5. Come As You Aren't: Elaine has the chance of having an art meeting, but she's hesitant about inviting her fellow cabbies.
6. The Great Line: Bobby helps John with "the perfect line" to pick up girls, but John ends up married.
7. High School Reunion: It's Louie's 20th high school reunion, and he uses Bobby to impersonate him in front of his class.
8. Paper Marriage: Latka is about to face deportation, so the cabbies fix a Citizenship Marriage for him. First appearance of Jim Ignatowski.
9. Money Troubles: Alex tries to help John and his wife with a loan.
10. Men Are Such Beasts: Tony wants to get rid of his new girl, but she now works at the garage to spend more time with him.
11. Memories of Cab #804 (two-parter): The gang reminisces about their experiences aboard cab 804 (which is wrecked by John) while Latka attempts to fix it.
12. A Full House for Christmas: Louie's scheming brother Nick comes home for the holidays, and Louie wants to get back at him on a card game.
13. Sugar Mama: Alex gets acquainted to an old lady passenger.
14. Friends: Bobby accidentally kills Tony's pet goldfish, and their friendship gets into a jeopardy.
15. Louie Sees the Light: Louie resolves to make amends with God after "surviving" an exploratory operation.
16. Elaine and the Lame Duck: The cabbies set up a nerdy Congressman (Jeffrey Tambor) with Elaine as a joke. However the date is a surprising success.
17. Bobby's Big Break: Bobby lands a role in a soap opera and quits the garage.
18. Mama Gravas: Latka's mom Greta comes to America and has a romance with Alex.
19. Alex Tastes Death and Finds a Nice Restaurant: After being robbed at gunpoint, Alex quits driving cabs and ends up working as a waiter.
20. Hollywood Calling: The garage is chosen as the location for a movie.
21. Substitute Father: The cabbies have to look after Elaine's son as he has an spelling bee while she's out of town.

Season 2 (September 11, 1979 to March 13, 1980)

1. Louie and the Nice Girl: Louie makes friends with Zena, the new candy machine replenisher. However, it might be that Louie is taking a liking to her.
2. Honor Thy Father: Alex's father has a heart attack and is hospitalized, but he doesn't seem to care at all.
3. Reverend Jim: A Space Odyssey: The gang finds Reverend Jim wandering around, so they resolve to make him a cabbie.
4. Nardo Loses Her Marbles: Elaine begins to behave erratically as a result of overwork.
5. The Reluctant Fighter: Tony is challenged by a top fighter, but he is hesitant to accept.
6. Wherefore Art Thou, Bobby?: Bobby decides to coach a young actor who has just arrived at the garage.
7. The Lighter Side of Angela Matusa: Alex meets his former "blind date" Angela after a few months, only to find she has lost a lot of weight.
8. A Woman Between Friends: A pretty girl strains the friendship of Bobby and Tony.
9. The Great Race: Louie challenges Alex to see who of them gets more money in one night.
10. The Apartment: Latka mistakenly rents a very expensive penthouse, so the cabbies help him with a "rent party".
11. Alex's Romance: Alex begins a romance with a failed actress. First episode with Jim as a regular.
12. Latka's Revolting: Latka faces a call for arms as his homeland is torn by a civil war.
13. Elaine's Secret Admirer: Elaine has been getting some letters lately, and she wants to find the author.
14. Louie Meets the Folks: Louie visits Zena's parents looking for their approval.
15. Jim Gets A Pet: Jim buys an aging racehorse who hasn't won a single race.
16. Tony and Brian: Tony seeks to adopt a child, but he has to compete with a wealthy couple.
17. Guess Who's Coming For Brefnish: Sparks fly when Latka meets Simka, a native from his country who applies as secretary for Mr. McKenzie.
18. What Price Bobby?: Bobby might have his shot at fame when he becomes involved with a famous talent agent.
19. Shut It Down (two-parter): The cabbies strike over Louie's unfair treatment. He agrees however to compromise with the condition he has a date with Elaine.
20. Alex Jumps Out of an Airplane: After spending a week at a ski resort, Alex realizes he hasn't lived life at its fullest and decides to do parachute jumping.
21. Art Work: The cabbies decide to bid for art at an auction.
22. Fantasy Borough (two-parter): After Tony picks up Herve Villechaize as a passenger, the gang share their wildest dreams, from Latka switching places with Louie to Elaine dreaming of a Busby Berkeley-style musical number.

Season 3 (November 19, 1980 to May 21, 1981)

1. Louie's Rival: Louie discovers that Zena is dating another man.
2. Tony's Sister and Jim: Jim becomes friends with Tony's recently-divorced sister, to Tony's chagrin.
3. Fathers of the Bride: Alex discovers he wasn't invited to his daughter's wedding.
4. Elaine's Strange Triangle: The cabbies set Elaine up with a handsome businessman, who in fact is more interested in Tony.
5. Going Home: Alex joins Iggy to Boston where his father wants to discuss inheritance matters,
6. The Ten Percent Solution: Bobby trains Tony to be an actor.
7. Call of the Mild: Alex, Tony, Bobby and Jim decide to spend a week in the woods, but a series of misfortunes have them scrambling for food.
8. Latka's Cookies: Latka inherits a recipe for cookies from his late grandmother, the cookies becoming very popular among the cabbies, who get quite perky. However, he is unaware of the secret ingredient.
9. Thy Boss's Wife: Mrs. McKenzie decides to get back at her husband by spending the night with no one other than... Louie.
10. The Costume Party: The cabbies become autograph hounds, and decide to crash a yacht party allegedly attended by celebrities.
11. Elaine's Old Friend: Elaine has Alex pose as her boyfriend to impress a high school friend of hers.
12. Out of Commission: Tony is forced to hang up the gloves for good as he risks brain damage.
13. Zen and the Art of Cab Driving: Iggy discovers his full potential as a cab driver.
14. Louie's Mother: Louie sends his mother to a retirement home, but he soon begins to miss her.
15. Bobby's Roommate: Elaine moves in with Bobby when she becomes unable to pay the rent for her home.
16. Louie Bumps Into an Old Lady: An old lady sues the garage after Louie runs her over. However, Alex recognizes her as a con artist.
17. Bobby and the Critic. Bobby confronts a newspaper critic who wrote a scathing review of him.
18. On the Job (two-parter): The Sunshine Cab Co. goes under, so the gang is forced to get work elsewhere. One month later, they reunite at Mario's to tell their stories.
19. Latka the Playboy: Unable to talk to women, Latka decides to create an alter-ego, an arrogant playboy who calls himself Vic Ferrari.

Season 4 (October 8, 1981 to May 6, 1982)

Note: Bobby appears in only three episodes, two held over from season three.

1. Jim the Psychic: Jim finds out he has psychic powers... and one of his predictions involve something terrible happening to Alex. Held-over episode.
2. Vienna Waits: Elaine invits Alex to tour Europe with her. First episode without Bobby.
3. Mr. Personalities: Latka begins to develop even more personalities, so Alex decides to seek a therapist for him.
4. Jim Joins the Network: Iggy lands a job on television thanks to his psychic abilities.
5. Louie's Fling: Louie has reconciled with Zena, but her friend/roommate manipulates him into having an affair.
6. Like Father, Like Son: Alex and his father tangle over a young woman.
7. Louie's Mom Remarries: Louie is furious when his mother announces her engagement to a Japanese man.
8. Fledgling: Elaine helps an artist with agoraphobia. Held-over episode.
9. Of Mice and Tony: Tony returns to the boxing scene by taking a promising young fighter under his wing.
10. Louie Goes Too Far: Elaine catches Louie peeping on her, getting him fired.
11. I Wanna Be Around: Louie locks himself and the cabbies in a "bunker" for a nuclear drill.
12. Bobby Doesn't Live Here Anymore: In his final appearance, Bobby pays his former colleagues a visit as he is set to appear on a prime-time soap.
13. Nina Loves Alex: A young cabbie develops a crush on Alex, and tries to loosen him up.
14. Tony's Lady: Tony takes a second job as a chauffeur, and he end up having a fling with the woman he works for.
15. Simka Returns: Simka decides to have a second chance with Latka, but is torn between him and his alter-ego.
16. Jim and the Kid: Iggy befriends a wayward kid who squats at his place.
17. Take My Ex-Wife, Please: Alex finds out that his ex has been dumped... and now she is dating Louie.
18. The Unkindest Cut: The gang decides to avenge Elaine after she gets an ugly hairdo.
19. Tony's Comeback: Tony attempts to become a boxer again, in spite of medical advice.
20. Elegant Iggy: Elaine reluctantly takes Jim as an "escort" to an upscale party. Meanwhile, the conflict between Latka and Vic continues to escalate.
21. The Wedding of Latka and Simka: After Dr. Joyce Brothers finally frees Latka from Vic, he is now ready to marry Simka. But first they need to prove their love, according to their national customs.
22. Cooking for Two: After Jim's apartment is torn down, Louie reluctantly takes him as a boarder. Things quickly go up in flames—literally...
23. The Road Not Taken (two-parter): Elaine gets a job offer from Seattle. The other cabbies reflect on their own missed chances. Last episode broacast by ABC.

Season 5 (September 30, 1982 to June 15, 1983)

Note: The show switches to NBC.

1. Love, Un-American Style (The Shloogel Show): Latka and Simka pair their fellow co-workers with blind dates.
2. Jim's Inheritance: Iggy's father dies, leaving him with a large inheritance... which will be managed by his straitlaced brother Tom.
3. Alex Goes Off the Wagon: After a weekend in Atantic City, Alex is bitten again by the gambling bug.
4. Scenskees from a Marriage (two-parter): Latka and Simka's marriage hits the rocks when Latka sleeps with a female cabbie to keep from freezing. In accordance to tradition, Simka now has to spend one night with another man.
5. Crime and Punishment: Louie accuses Jeff of stealing parts, although Louie is the actual culprit.
6. Alex the Gofer: Alex gets a job as a gofer under a couple of arrogant producers. Louie sees him facing such humiliation... and defends him.
7. Louie's Revenge: Louie plans to get back at the girl who broke up his relationship with Zena.
8. Travels with my Dad: Tony decides to join his fisherman father for some "quality time", getting to know him better.
9. Elaine and the Monk: Elaine falls for Simka's cousin, a monk who has one week off from his vow of silence.
10. Zena's Honeymoon: Louie is devastated when Zena announces her marriage. It's up to Alex to convince him to bury the hatchet.
11. Get Me Through the Holidays: The gang has to endure Alex's ex-wife, who gets more depressed than usual around Christmastime.
12. Louie Moves Uptown: Louie considers moving to a co-op... which rejected Penny Marshall as a tenant.
13. Alex's Old Buddy: Alex reunites with his aging dog, which hasn't too much time left.
14. Sugar Ray Nardo: Elaine's son becomes interested on boxing, in spite of Elaine's opposition.
15. A Taxi Celebration (one-hour): Danny DeVito hosts a compendium consisting of the series' most notable moments.
16. Alex Gets Burned by an Old Flame: Alex begins a fling with an old girlfriend of Jim's.
17. Louie and the Blind Girl: Louie panics when his blind girlfriend undergoes surgery to regain her sight.
18. Arnie Meets the Kids: Elaine's boyfriend Arnie is not well accepted by her kids, so he decides to bribe them.
19. Tony's Baby: Just when he is about to make his comeback, Tony gets the news that his girlfriend is pregnant.
20. Jim's Mario's: Iggy decides to buy the cabbies' hangout with permission from his brother. However, he runs into trouble when he tries to sell alcohol without a license.
21. A Grand Gesture: Jim decides to give one thousand dollars to every one in the gang, on the condition they give it to someone they feel needs it.
22. Simka's Monthlies: Simka is about to become an American citizen, but her pre-menstrual syndrome begins to mess with her.