Taxicab Confessions
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Taxicab Confessions is a long-running series of documentaries that have aired on the cable television network HBO since 1995. Set in taxi-friendly cities, such as New York City and Las Vegas, the series features a cast of regulars, who are both producers, taxi drivers and show hosts.
When a passenger hails the taxi and enters, they are recorded with several small hidden cameras located within the taxi. The producer then engages the passenger in staged discussions about their past and/or present life. Much of what goes on in the taxi is verbally or visually graphic, including very explicit sexual discussions and even live sex acts performed in the back seat. At the end of the taxi ride, passengers are asked to sign waivers allowing the hidden camera footage to be used on the program, and footage of this is sometimes seen during the show's closing credits.
Separating the segments are short video montages showing life in the city, incorporating quick cuts of club interiors and strippers, flashing signage and street life with homeless individuals. The series originated in New York, moved to Las Vegas and in recent years returned to New York. The first episode won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Special.
The show was parodied by comedian Chris Rock on The Chris Rock Show in 1999. The Goo Goo Dolls spoofed the show in their video for the single, "Sympathy." The Simpsons also made a reference to the show in an episode in which Homer gets caught complaining about his family and job in a television program titled Taxicab Conversations.
