‘Happy’s Place’ Sets ‘Taxi’ Reunion

Happy’s Place is setting the stage for a Taxi reunion.

Friday’s episode of the Reba McEntire-led sitcom will feature appearances by Christopher Lloyd and Carol Kane.

The duo starred on ‘70s and ‘80s sitcom as Reverend Jim “Iggy” Ignatowski and Simka Gravas, respectively. Lloyd guest starred in the first season and was promoted to series regular for Season 2 onward. Kane, meanwhile, joined as a guest in Season 2, and while she didn’t appear in Season 3, she returned in a recurring role for Season 4 and was promoted to series regular for the fifth and final season. Now they are reuniting for Happy’s Place.

In the episode, “Izzy and the Professor,” airing tonight at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, “When Isabella starts dating again, Bobbie can’t wait to meet her new man until she learns Isabella is dating her professor. Gabby and Steve obsess over a lost phone Takoda finds in the men’s room.” Lloyd will play Clive, a gentleman who has lost his phone at the tavern and comes back to retrieve it. Kane, meanwhile, will play Theresa, a free-spirited woman in pursuit of justice, excitement, and her husband, Clive.

Happy’s Place star Melissa Peterman told TV Insider that filming with the TV legends “was really surreal.” She noted that the day the episode was filmed, “was where everybody on the lot who had any sort of tie to the show decided to stop by because it was the legendary Christopher Lloyd and Carol Kane.” She continued, “In real life, [Kane and Lloyd] are really close good friends and so it’s wonderful to watch them together and how much they care for each other, make each other laugh, and obviously have a long relationship.”

Created by James L. Brooks, Stan Daniels, David Davis, and Ed. Weinberger, Taxi also starred Judd Hirsch, Jeff Conaway, Danny DeVito, Marilu Henner, Tony Danza, Randall Carver, and Andy Kaufman. The series premiered in 1978 and ran for four seasons on ABC before moving to NBC for its fifth and final season, officially ending in 1983. Taxi focused on the everyday lives of a handful of New York City taxi drivers and their abusive dispatcher. To this day, it’s regarded as one of the greatest television shows of all time, having won 18 Emmy Awards throughout its run.