Bobby is fed up after losing an acting gig to an inferior actor with the right look, which he explains to be like Tony. Tony decides he wants to capitalize on this and give acting a try, and asks Bobby to be his manager. Reluctantly, Bobby agrees and soon, despite a terrible audition, Tony gets a major role in a movie. Bobby is soon regretting his decision to take Tony under his wing, though, since he's resentful that Tony (whose acting is not improving, despite Bobby's coaching) could get a part so easily. Bobby feels vinidicated, however, when Tony is eventually cut from the film because of his lack of skills.
Escalation-driven character comedy sustains 79.9 score despite no landmark jokes.
Directed by James Burrows
WAR
36.9
Wins Above Replacement
“The Ten Percent Solution” ranks #37 of 114 Taxi episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 79.9 — Elite. The episode packs 38 scored jokes at 1.8 per minute, averaging 7.0 on craft and 6.9 on impact, with Tony landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Tony: Who is it?
Louie: It's for you.
Tony: Well, who is it?
Louie: If I knew who it was, I would've told you who it was. The fact that I don't know who it is is why I'm telling you it's for you, so you can find out who it is. If you don't want to find out who it is, then it's not for you.
Louie Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Tony: So you're telling me that my failure is going to inspire other actors?
Tony: Great. Now I'm responsible for their careers too.
Tony Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Tony: This Tennessee Williams, he's heavy stuff. 'A Streetcar Named Desire'... 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'... 'The Glass Menagerie'...
Tony: You know, Disney should make a musical out of one of these.
Tony: 'Cinderella,' but with Blanche DuBois.
Tony Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Bobby: I can't go on like this anymore. Every day I wake up and the pain is unbearable. My life has become a prison of regret and broken dreams. I don't know how much longer I can endure this suffering.
Tony: Yeah, well, my shift starts in ten minutes.
Tony Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Bobby: My acting career is dead.
Alex: Well, we'd better put it out of its misery.
Alex Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 38 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Louie: We have a Code Red! I repeat, Code Red! There's a cockroach in sector 7!
Unknown driver: Should we call in the exterminator?
Louie: Negative! This is a full tactical operation. I want checkpoints at every corner of the garage. Nobody gets in or out without proper decontamination!
Unknown driver: Louie, it's just a bug.
Louie: Just a bug?! That insect could be carrying classified intelligence! We treat this with the utmost military precision or New York City falls!
Louie: You think that's a big cockroach? That ain't nothing. I seen cockroaches in this garage so big, they got their own union rep.
Louie: I seen one cockroach so big, it mugged a pigeon for its bread crumbs.
Louie: There's a cockroach in the back room right now that's got a contract with Orkin. He's their top salesman.
Louie: I hit that cockroach with a newspaper and it just looked at me like, 'Is that all you got, pal?'
Louie: The thing dusted itself off and walked away. Didn't even have the courtesy to die.
Louie Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Louie: You thought you could defeat me, but I am eternal. I will return again and again, more powerful each time. You cannot stop me.
Louie Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Jim: I'm just going to make a short call.
Bobby: Sure, go ahead.
Jim: I meant I'm going to the bathroom.
Tony: You're gonna be great, Bobby. I mean, you might not get the part, but you'll definitely go in there and read the lines.
Tony Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Elaine: Tony, you need to stop being so negative. Look on the bright side for once.
Tony: The bright side? Elaine, there is no bright side. We're all just slowly dying, our dreams are illusions, and nothing we do matters.
Elaine: See? That's exactly what I'm talking about. You know what? At least you have a job. At least you have your health.
Tony: For now. But eventually my health will fail, I'll lose my job, and I'll spend my final years alone in a rent-controlled apartment, watching my pension disappear.
Elaine: Well, when you put it that way, being pessimistic doesn't seem so bad.
Elaine Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Latka: I'll have the... uh... Bleviticus Maximus with a side of Florbengarten.
Waiter: I'm sorry, what?
Latka: You know, from my country. The Bleviticus Maximus. And maybe some Schmendrickle sauce on top.
Latka Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Latka: Could have just ordered a combo number
Latka Misdirection Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tony: Who is it?
Louie: It's for you.
Tony: Well, who is it?
Louie: If I knew who it was, I would've told you who it was. The fact that I don't know who it is is why I'm telling you it's for you, so you can find out who it is. If you don't want to find out who it is, then it's not for you.
Louie Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Bobby: You see, being this good-looking, it's actually a curse. People don't take me seriously as an actor. They just see the face.
Alex: Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. It's the same problem I have.
Bobby: You know what? I think I finally figured out what kind of part I'm right for.
Bobby: I'm the guy. You know, the guy who comes in, says one line, gets a big laugh, and leaves.
Tony: Bobby, that's perfect for you!
Tony: You should go for it. You should definitely go for that.
Bobby: Yeah?
Tony: Yeah! In fact, they should name that part after you.
Tony Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Bobby: My acting career is dead.
Alex: Well, we'd better put it out of its misery.
Alex Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Tony: Bobby, you gotta talk to me. What's wrong?
Bobby: I don't wanna talk about it, Tony.
Tony: You know what your problem is? You hold everything inside. You need to express yourself.
Bobby: I said I don't wanna talk!
Tony: Alright, alright. So don't talk. But you gotta communicate somehow. I got an idea - you grunt once for yes, twice for no.
Bobby: That's ridiculous.
Tony: See? You're talking already! My system works!
Tony Character Comedy Absurdist Tony: I'm playing Rip Van Winkle's friend. It's a small part, but I'm approaching it with total method acting. I've been sleeping for three weeks to prepare.
Louie: Tony, that's just you being lazy.
Tony: No, it's character research. Rip sleeps for twenty years, so my character needs to understand the sleep process intimately.
Tony Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Bobby: I'll call my agent, he can represent you too.
Tony: Bobby, your agent doesn't represent you. Your agent is a guy who answers a phone in a hallway.
Tony: I'm telling you, I got the looks. Women go crazy for me.
Bobby: Yeah, Tony. They go crazy. Crazy to get away from you. Besides, even if you looked like a movie star, there's a whole city full of guys who look like movie stars. You'd be competing with thousands of them.
Tony: This Tennessee Williams, he's heavy stuff. 'A Streetcar Named Desire'... 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'... 'The Glass Menagerie'...
Tony: You know, Disney should make a musical out of one of these.
Tony: 'Cinderella,' but with Blanche DuBois.
Tony Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Louie: You know, I'd hire a cockroach. They're loyal, they work cheap, and they don't complain.
Bobby: Louie, a cockroach can't drive a cab.
Louie: So? Half my drivers can't either. At least the roach wouldn't call in sick.
Louie Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Louie: You think you're so funny? I'm gonna set you up on a date with that cockroach.
Elaine: Oh please, Louie, he's not even my type.
Louie: Not your type? He's got six legs, he can carry fifty times his own weight, and he doesn't talk back. He's perfect for you!
Louie Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Callback Tony: Look at these headshots! Professional quality, real photographer, studio lighting.
Tony: You know how much I paid? Five bucks.
Tony: The guy said, 'Tony, I've never charged so little.' I said, 'Why?' He said, 'Because I've never done it before.'
Tony Character Comedy Visual Gag Latka: I want agent! I want agent!
Tony: Latka, what are you talking about?
Latka: You say you need agent for acting. I do acting!
Latka Character Comedy Escalation Latka: In my village, there was a man who loved a woman, but she was promised to another. One day, he stood at the edge of the cliff and he cried out her name... 'MARGAAAAARET!' And the wind, it carried his voice across the mountains, and she heard it, and she knew... she knew he would never see her again. And he jumped.
Latka: But as he was falling, a large bird—a very large bird, like an eagle made of clouds—it caught him! And carried him away to a magical castle where time had no meaning, and he lived forever, watching her from the towers, always watching...
Latka: *breaks down* She never knew. She waited by the window every night of her life. Every night! And he was right there... in the castle made of sky... watching her... waiting...
Latka Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Bobby: Listen, I just closed a deal for my client with Steven Spielberg. We're talking eight figures, full creative control, the works.
Bobby: Yeah, Spielberg was nervous at first, but once I explained my vision for the project, he just signed right there on the spot.
Bobby Character Comedy Escalation Bobby: Yeah, Jane Fonda and I, we go way back. We work out together at the same gym.
Bobby Character Comedy Escalation Callback Casting Director: Tell me about yourself.
Tony: Oh, that's very nice of you to ask, but I'd rather not. Thank you though.
Tony Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Casting Director: We need someone eager, innocent, and slow.
Tony: Eager, innocent, and slow? That's a tough one. Let me see if I can do it.
Bobby: I can't go on like this anymore. Every day I wake up and the pain is unbearable. My life has become a prison of regret and broken dreams. I don't know how much longer I can endure this suffering.
Tony: Yeah, well, my shift starts in ten minutes.
Tony Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Tony Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Callback Bobby: Wait, you're hiring Tony as an actor? Tony can't act!
Casting Director: Can't act? Half the people in this town can't act. That's not a requirement.
Bobby: You know, I'm tired of this! Tony's all wrong for this part. He can't act, he can't remember lines, and frankly, he's a liability!
Casting Director: Wait, wait... who are you?
Bobby: I'm his agent! And let me tell you, if you hire this guy, you're making a huge mistake. He's difficult, he's unreliable, and—
Casting Director: Hold on. You're brilliant! That passion, that conviction! How would you like to read for the lead?
Tony: I saw the most incredible thing today. I was walking down the street, and I saw Al Pacino. Al Pacino! Right there! I almost fainted.
Tony: And then I got home and found out I didn't get the part. The callback I've been waiting for all week—they gave it to someone else.
Tony: But you know what? I'm not even upset. I saw Al Pacino. That's a win.
Tony Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Tony: They said I was 'let go.' Then they said I was 'terminated.' Then they said I was 'released from my obligations.' Finally, the boss just looked me in the eye and said, 'You're fired, you bum! Get outta here!'
Tony Escalation Character Comedy Bobby: You know, Tony, you've been an inspiration to so many actors in this city. The way you carry yourself, the dignity, the commitment to your craft. Guys come up to me all the time and say, 'Bobby, how does Tony do it?' You've changed lives, Tony.
Tony: I drive a cab.
Bobby: Exactly! See? That's what I'm talking about!
Tony: So you're telling me that my failure is going to inspire other actors?
Tony: Great. Now I'm responsible for their careers too.
Tony Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Louie De Palma: I got a plan to get rid of these cockroaches once and for all. First, I'm gonna dust the entire place with this industrial-strength pesticide. Then I'm gonna seal up every crack and crevice with caulking. After that, I'm gonna bring in a guy with a flamethrower.
Louie Dark/Subversive Escalation Callback Louie: What's wrong with you people? This roach, he's got feelings. He's got dreams. He wants things out of life just like you do.
Louie: Last night I saw him looking at a picture of a lady roach. He's in love! He's got hopes, he's got aspirations.
Louie Escalation Absurdist Callback Louie: This isn't just any roach. This roach has character. This roach has dignity. This roach has been to night school.
Louie Absurdist Character Comedy Callback