Bobby, who has moved to Hollywood, comes back to the garage for a visit and announces that he's filmed a pilot for a new prime-time soap opera. During his visit, he learns that the pilot has been picked up as a series and Bobby throws a party at the Plaza Hotel to celebrate. He soon learns that although the series is a go, they no longer want Bobby to appear in it. Bobby is upset and entertains the idea of moving back to New York, until Alex convinces him to follow his dream in Hollywood.
Just shy of 80, this character-driven episode mines 36 jokes from Bobby's departure arc.
Directed by James Burrows · Written by Les Charles, Glen Charles
WAR
36.4
Wins Above Replacement
“Bobby Doesnt Live Here Anymore” ranks #38 of 114 Taxi episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 79.9 — Elite. The episode packs 36 scored jokes at 1.7 per minute, averaging 7.1 on craft and 6.9 on impact, with Louie landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Alex: If Bobby becomes a star, we'll never see each other again.
Alex: So here's to Bobby becoming a star!
Alex Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Louie: Everything you touch is a failure, Bobby. If you'd been around during the Civil War, the South would've won.
Bobby: How is that possible? I wasn't even born yet.
Louie: Exactly my point. You would've found a way.
Louie Setup/Punchline Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Louie: Congratulate Bobby? I'd rather perform open heart surgery on myself with a rusty butter knife.
Louie Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Louie: Even in mortal danger he couldn't convincingly portray nervousness
Louie Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Louie: Wait a minute... I gave a sincere speech and nobody's gonna remember it? Nobody's gonna care?
Louie: Ha ha ha ha! That's beautiful! That's beautiful!
Louie Reaction Beat Character Comedy ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 36 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Tony: Latka, I want you to guess what color this beach ball is.
Latka: Red, white, and blue.
Tony: How did you know that?
Latka: It was written on the box.
Latka Tony Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tony: Alright, Latka, I'm thinking of a number between one and a hundred.
Latka: Forty-two.
Tony: How did you do that?
Latka: Lucky guess.
Tony: Okay, okay, one more time. I'm thinking of a number between one and a thousand.
Latka: Seven hundred and thirty-eight.
Tony: That's it! How are you doing this?
Latka: In my country, we have very good schools.
Tony: Finally! You got one wrong!
Latka: No, no, I was right.
Tony: You were not right! I'm telling you, you were wrong!
Latka: Tony, I know I was right.
Latka: I'm Bobby's best friend.
Tony: I'm Bobby's best friend.
Latka: She was six feet tall!
Latka Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Unknown character: California people are strange
Jim: Hey everybody!
Tony: Bobby! Great to see you!
Louie: Welcome back, Bobby!
Jim: Actually, it's Jim.
Marty: Jim? We thought you were Bobby.
Jim: Nope, just Jim. But I'll take the welcome anyway.
Jim: Okay, okay, my name is Jim, not Bobby. Fine. I can live with that.
Jim Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Bobby: Even without those things, it's still better than the garage
Bobby Setup/Punchline Observational ★ Rewatch Louie: Welcome to my office. Please, sit down. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea? A new job somewhere else?
Louie Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Louie: What are you talking about? You didn't work when you were employed here!
Louie Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Louie: Everything you touch is a failure, Bobby. If you'd been around during the Civil War, the South would've won.
Bobby: How is that possible? I wasn't even born yet.
Louie: Exactly my point. You would've found a way.
Louie Setup/Punchline Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Louie: Even in mortal danger he couldn't convincingly portray nervousness
Louie Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Louie: When Bobby's in a play, people pay more to be able to escape quickly.
Louie Setup/Punchline Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Louie: Bobby's acting is literally nauseating
Louie: Congratulate Bobby? I'd rather perform open heart surgery on myself with a rusty butter knife.
Louie Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Louie: Congratulate Bobby? When hell freezes over!
Louie: I'll bring the salt.
Louie Wordplay/Pun Escalation ★ Rewatch Unknown character: Your salary's pretty good.
Bobby Baccalieri: Pretty good? PRETTY GOOD?! It's fantastic! You just ruined the moment by setting expectations too high.
Bobby: Guys, guys, come on. This is no way to celebrate. I'm a star now. We need champagne, we need caviar, we need something classy.
Tony: Bobby, we got beer and pretzels.
Bobby: Exactly. Beer and pretzels? That's for cabbies. I'm an actor. This is beneath me now.
Bobby Escalation Character Comedy Louie: Partying... par... parsnipping...
Louie Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy Latka: I got you a nice kashmir.
Latka Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Latka: You know, Bobby, I have to tell you something. That riddle, it took me three years to come up with it.
Bobby: Three years?
Latka: Yes. I was very proud of it. I thought nobody in the whole world could ever guess it.
Bobby: Well, I got it.
Latka: I know! That's what kills me!
Bobby: I wish I could take all of you with me.
Latka: You got a juicer?
Latka: Is okay. I go back to store, they laugh at me, they point, they say 'Hey, look at the dummy who bought the beach ball!' Is fine. I don't mind. I come back tomorrow, they laugh again. Next week, same thing. Eventually, I become part of their routine. They start a betting pool on what stupid thing Latka will buy next. I don't care. This is America!
Latka Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Bobby: I'm sexy! I have great teeth!
Bobby: I have nice hair!
Bobby: I'm tall!
Bobby: Am I sexy?
Waitress: Oh Bobby, you're the sexiest man alive! You're like a Greek god! Women swoon when you walk by! You make Adonis look like a troll!
Bobby: Well, I'm gonna let my hair grow real long, get a shopping cart, and push it around talking to myself about the government.
Bobby Dark/Subversive Escalation Jim: What do you see out the window?
Bobby: Well, there's a guy urinating on a fire hydrant, a woman going through the garbage cans, and a kid breaking into a car.
Jim: No, no, look up! See that beautiful sunrise?
Bobby: Oh, that's nice.
Bobby: I'll be on tomorrow's noon flight to California. Or the one after that.
Bobby Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Latka: You see, Bobby, I give you gift, you don't need it. So next time I give you different gift, you don't need that either. This continue forever and ever. Is cycle of life, my friend. Latka give, Bobby no need. Latka give again, Bobby no need again. On and on, until one of us is dead.
Latka Escalation Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Latka: Earmuffs, beach ball. Earmuffs, beach ball. Earmuffs, beach ball!
Latka Escalation Character Comedy Callback Louie: You know, Bobby, I gotta say something. You're a good guy. You got a good heart. You know what I mean? You're decent.
Bobby: Thanks, Louie.
Louie: Yeah, well don't thank me yet. You know what I wish? I wish I was you. I wish I could be like you, decent and good. But me? I'm stuck here. I'm trapped in this office, this job, this life. And you, you got out. You got away. So congratulations, Bobby. You're everything I'm not.
Louie Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Louie: Wait a minute... I gave a sincere speech and nobody's gonna remember it? Nobody's gonna care?
Louie: Ha ha ha ha! That's beautiful! That's beautiful!
Louie Reaction Beat Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Alex: Louie, you're going to be the least missed.
Alex Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Tony: You'll make it on TV sooner than you think.
Bobby: You really think so?
Tony: I know so.
Bobby: I'm never giving up.
Bobby Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Alex: If Bobby becomes a star, we'll never see each other again.
Alex: So here's to Bobby becoming a star!
Alex Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch