Jon Benjamin Has a Van

This delightfully dark and sardonic 'on the road' style news show, with its small cast of quirky but true-to-life characters, can get away with almost any absurd or offensive bit with just one twinkle from the eyes of its lovable-jerk host, Jon Benjamin.

Jon Benjamin Has a Van is not going to be everyone's cup of cake, but for people with a taste for weird-brow humor, it will be something truly special. The guerrilla street pieces, twisted reality shows, and written sketch pieces all feature Benjamin as a borderline mean-spirited prankster, who for whatever reason is undeniably likable. Seeing what he comes up with to pull on people next and how he'll talk his way out of the trouble his mischievousness seems to lead him to makes the show worth watching.

For anyone who is a fan of Tosh.0 who does not like JBHV, that makes a great deal of sense. There are two opposing styles of humor happening in each show, and if you are partial to the slaphappy viral video style of Tosh, you are likely to turn the channel from the calculated, thoughtful, sometimes meta approach of Jon Benjamin.

The payoffs of JBHV are best absorbed after soaking in an entire episode (the sketches and short pieces juxtaposed with the unraveling news-stories). I find the re-watch value of the show tremendous-- I watched the pilot "Border" on Comedy Central's site twice in the last month after watching the premiere, and caught myself cracking up at parts I'd laughed over and subsequently missed in previous viewings.

Hoping the show gets picked up for a second season, and also that more episodes are released online so that those without cable can indulge!! A real treat if you love great comedy and killer cameos from folks on UCB, Mr. Show, The Mighty Boosh, 30 Rock, Tim&Eric, and more!

Just watched it after Tosh.O, and wow, just wow.

I didn't laugh once, not even a giggle or a chuckle.

This show was terrible, boring humor, used jokes over and over and very dry. Just not very funny.

Even though following Tosh and that's a show on just videos from the internet, you can find more amusing things going to YouTube and watching funny cat videos and kids hitting grown men in the balls, than watch this show.

Will not watch this show again and highly doubt it will last the next few weeks.

I agree with the first review, it was funny and quirky, i enjoyed it. i also did not laugh out loud at all. it is more of one of those shows where you just think in your head, yeah that was funny. it is full of a lot of actors who put on some good performances as bit players in some funny movies. i really like the big read head guy who was in old school and role models, he is consistently funny. i'm not sure but is this john benjamin guy also a voice character on the show the life and times of tim? the one skit i really enjoyed was the cash stall one, would have liked to see more of them. based on this episode i can't see this standing the test of time, but it might be one of those that are better of just having one or two great seasons and being done.

It deserves to come back. It's funnier than the shows that Benjamin voices without a doubt. At least release a blu ray please.

Jon Benjamin Has a Van is like if Mr. Show and Borat had a (somewhat) civilized, chubby, tiny, Jewish, adorable man for a baby who has the voice of John McGuirk from Home Movies.

The writing of the sketches reminds me of shows like Mr. Show, Kids in the Hall, and The Ben Stiller Show. The tone and pace of the humor is on the slower, more subtle side that reminds me of a lot of shows in which H Jon has stared in the past including Home Movies, Dr Katz (sans improv), Lucy: The Daughter of the Devil, and perhaps even shows like The Sarah Silverman Program and Arrested Development.

The humor is not slapstick, voyeur humor. It's not a show where you just sit and wait for transparent, shallow humor to entertain you. It feeds the audience the necessary resources to imagine and plot out their own versions of what funny things might happen later in the episode and then surprises the viewer with its own twisted and genius take on the scenario.

I am very surprised that H Jon has waited this long to make himself more prominent in live action shows. He's a very tiny and cute human being who's very relatable and who does adorable things while maintaining his trademark manly and raspy voice. I am sure he knows this and he knows how to work it. I am a straight man, but I would be delighted to hold his hand if I ever walk beside him on the street.

So, in conclusion, if you have even a slightly imaginative mind watch this show! It's very very funny and I await more episodes of this genius program.