Like Father, Like Daughter is the pilot episode of the American

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

Taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...

''. It originally aired on September 12, 1978. The episode was directed by

James Burrows James Burrows (born December 30, 1940), sometimes known as Jim "Jimmy" Burrows, is an American television director. He has received numerous accolades including 11 Primetime Emmy Awards and five Directors Guild of America Awards. He was honored ...

and written by series creators

James L. Brooks James Lawrence Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American director, producer, screenwriter and co-founder of Gracie Films. He co-created the sitcoms ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', ''Taxi'', and ''The Simpsons'' and directed the films '' Terms of ...

Stan Daniels Stanley Edwin Daniels (July 31, 1934 – April 6, 2007) was a Canadian- American screenwriter, producer and director, who won eight Emmy Awards for his work on ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' and ''Taxi''. Early life Born in Toronto to Jewish p ...

, David Davis, and Ed. Weinberger.

Plot

At the Sunshine Cab Company's fleet garage in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, the cab drivers discover that the plate on the payphone is broken, allowing people to make free calls. Everyone, except Alex Rieger (

Judd Hirsch Judd Seymore Hirsch (born March 15, 1935) is an American actor. He is known for playing Alex Rieger on the television comedy series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983), John Lacey on the NBC series '' Dear John'' (1988–1992), and Alan Eppes on the CBS ser ...

), gets in line to make a call. Elaine Nardo (

Marilu Henner Marilu Henner (born April 6, 1952) is an American actress and author. She began her career appearing in the original production of the musical ''Grease (musical), Grease'' in 1971, before making her screen debut in the 1977 comedy-drama film ''B ...

) arrives and talks to Louie De Palma (

Danny DeVito Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi (TV series), Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him ...

), the dispatcher. De Palma mistakes her for a customer and is extremely polite. However, when she tells him that she is a newly hired cab driver, Louie reverts to his usual abusive self. Elaine sits by longtime driver Alex and explains she is only working there part-time. Alex cynically points out all of the other drivers who are also working there temporarily and observes that he is the only cab driver in the place. The other drivers then suggest that Alex make a call, even though he has stated there is nobody he wants to talk to. Eventually, he admits that he was considering calling his daughter Cathy. Everyone is surprised, as nobody knew he had a daughter. Alex reveals that he has not seen Cathy in 15 years, not since she was a baby. His ex-wife Phyllis remarried and moved to South America, telling Alex that if he really loved his daughter, he would not contact her, as that would create confusion. Alex admits that he now realizes that to be a mistake and decides to call after all. When Alex talks to Phyllis, he learns that Cathy is on her way to college in Portugal. As her plane will make a stopover in Miami, Alex decides to meet her there. He asks to borrow a cab for the weekend, but Louie refuses to give him one. Alex, fellow drivers Bobby Wheeler (

Jeff Conaway Jeffrey Charles William Michael Conaway (October 5, 1950 – May 27, 2011) was an American actor. He portrayed Kenickie in the film ''Grease (film), Grease'' and had roles in three television series: struggling actor Bobby Wheeler in ''Taxi (TV ...

) and Tony Banta (

Tony Danza Tony Danza (born Anthony Salvatore Iadanza; April 21, 1951) is an American actor and retired professional boxer. He is known for co-starring in the television series ''Taxi (TV series), Taxi'' (1978–1983) and ''Who's the Boss?'' (1984–1992 ...

), Sunshine mechanic Latka Gravas (

Andy Kaufman Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman ( ; January 17, 1949 – May 16, 1984) was an American entertainer and performance artist. He has sometimes been called an "anti-humor, anti-comedian". He disdained telling jokes and engaging in comedy as it was tra ...

) and bystander John Burns ( Randall Carver) take one anyway and drive non-stop to Miami. When Alex finds his daughter at

Miami International Airport Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically as Wilcox Field, is the primary international airport serving Miami and its Miami metropolitan area, surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Florida. It hosts over 1, ...

, he learns that Cathy has been told that he is living on a ranch in Montana and is considering running for the United States Senate. Alex then reveals his true situation. Cathy is curious about Alex, but is upset by his constantly referring to himself as her father, as she views her father to be the person who has raised her. When Alex reveals his memories of her first two years, however, she is touched. Just as she is about to board her plane, Cathy turns around and hugs Alex, and the two kiss briefly before she leaves. Some time later, the telephone's plate is repaired, ending the free phone calls. John arrives and announces that he has gotten his hack license and is now a Sunshine cab driver.

References

{{Taxi sitcom 1978 American television episodes American television series premieres Television episodes set in Miami Taxi (TV series) Television episodes directed by James Burrows