Jon Benjamin Has a Van

2011
Jon Benjamin Has a Van

Seasons & Episodes

  • 1

EP1 Border Jun 14, 2011

After pushing his producer (Matt Walsh) over the border of Mexico a year ago without his passport to get back in America, Jon visits him and manages to push the man over the border of Guatemala. Some time after, arriving to interview an infamous drug cartel leader, Jon learns his producer became the cartel leader prior to the Guatemalan government storming the complex. In a heated chase, it ended with the producer pushed over the border of El Salvador and having Jon's passport on him as Jon is taken away to experience Guatemala's justice system. Also included is "You Can't Shoot Here", in which Jon gets a glimpse of some of New York's most elusive filming locations.

EP2 Little Italy Jun 15, 2011

During an investigative report on Italian communities in New York, Jon finds himself in a feud between Little Italy and Little Little Italy, a tiny town in the back room of a Little Italy establishment full of Italians only inches tall. Complicating things, Jon strikes up a romantic relationship with the daughter of the Don in Little Little Italy. Also includes "Jon Takes On Gay Marriage," in which Jon half-heartedly attempts to find what people really think of the hot button issue, and an interview with an interviewer who survived interviewing a hideously mangled man.

EP3 Star Door Jun 22, 2011

While doing a report on Area 54, a secret area inside of Area 51, Jon and his Crew are sent through a van-shaped dimensional gateway by a scientist (Chris Parnell) who notes that their van is the perfect vessel for the portal. When he accidentally kills two alien children upon exiting the gateway, Jon finds himself in court and facing a possible death sentence. Now Jon only his lawyer (Tim Heidecker) to help save his life as the bereaved father (Eric Wareheim) calls for blood. Also included is "Shame on Me" with Edward Sheath (Rich Fulcher).

EP4 Breakdown Jun 29, 2011

Jon's van breaks down while looking for a "Poor Farm," where rich people go to pretend to be poor for a week each year. While looking for help, Jon's sound guy Nathan is kidnapped. Jon has an hour to raise $10,000 to save Nathan, now without audio to go with the footage. Also includes "Do You Have a Minute?", which features exactly 60 seconds between Jon, New York pedestrians and a microphone, and an interview with a crippled man whose wheelchair guns were taken away after a child stole them and went on a homicidal rampage.

EP5 Road Rage Jul 06, 2011

Jon has a violent physical encounter with Jewish motorist on the road that ends with him bitten and becoming an Orthodox "Were-Jew," resulting in Jon waking up confused with a Jewish wife and a new home. Things get worse when, just as he is learning to accept his new life, he is bitten by a homosexual motorist. Also features another "Shame on Me" segment and interview with the founder of a father/baby half Ironman triathlon, and "Switch-A-Roo", in which a rich country child switches places with a rich city child.

EP6 Suicide Jul 13, 2011

While interviewing the mayor of a town famous as a final retreat for those who are considering taking their own lives, Leo is found dead at the bottom of a bridge. Initially assumed just another suicide, a knife in Leo's back indicates foul play. As Jon and the others are suspected of murder they quickly turn on each other, revealing their darkest secrets and attacking each other's character to avoid suspicion. Also includes another "Shame on Me" and a sketch in which Jon helps people more closely resemble their pets.

EP7 Van Scheme Jul 20, 2011

After ditching work to go on a bender, Jon and the crew claim black Satanists stole the van threw acid on Jon's face. Though Jon's missing van garners sympathy and support from the van loving community as well as taking his fame to new heights, things get complicated when real black Satanists begin to target Jon. Also includes "Consensual," in which Jon attempts to find in various relationships are consensual, and Jon Benjamin's new 911, in which people call Jon so he can call 911 for them.

EP8 The Curse Jul 27, 2011

While doing a story on the dangers of driving while receiving oral sex, Jon runs over an old gypsy woman. Her angry husband bestows the "Curse of the Terrible Episode". Initially incredulous, when he awakes to find he has a wife and young child and soon even switches bodies with him, Jon realizes the curse is real and he must endure every cliche in the book. Also includes Jon's attempt to shoplift from a surveillance shop, and a segment in which Jon examines how families are effected by having babies in comas, "Hang Up on Them!", in which Jon talks to cell phone users in New York and "Reaction Jackson," Jon's escapades with an over-the-top friend.

EP9 House on the Lake Aug 03, 2011

While interviewing a Broadway producer (Patton Oswalt), whom pioneered the new hit play "House on the Lake," in which cell phone use by the audience is not only not banned but encouraged, Jon finds that his van has been repossessed while in the care of Jon's own producer, Dave. What the rest of the crew don't know is that Dave has been embezzling money to fund his own Broadway show called "Secrets! Do Not Enter". Now "Secrets" needs to be a hit or Jon's own show will be over. Also includes a tragic look at the life of a prominent phrase-maker who created and crumbled under a legacy, as well as "Jew Them Up!" in which two Orthodox Jews (Jon and David Cross) attempt to dispel Jewish stereotypes.

EP10 Smoking Aug 10, 2011

After visiting a church that believes Jesus Christ smoked a pipe (and Metallica's guitarist owns one of them) Jon takes up smoking. He joins in with a gang of smokers which leads him to fall in love with a woman who speaks only french (and he likes the sound of it). Sadly she is in love with another man and leaves him after a scene in black and white. Also includes: Jon visits a cult leader that has predicted the end of the world as TODAY, even though he has falsely predicted the end of the world 17 times AND new segment: YOU GOT BURNED.
7.6| 0h30m| en| More Info
Released: 14 June 2011 Canceled
Producted By:
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/jon-benjamin-has-a-van/index.jhtml
Synopsis

Jon Benjamin Has a Van is a live-action television comedy series that aired in the summer of 2011 on Comedy Central. The series stars Jon Benjamin as a reporter who tours around in a van to deliver uninteresting news to the viewers and to unsuspecting people while utilizing scripted scenes for narrative reasons. The series' cancellation was announced in April 2012. Special guests include Patton Oswalt, David Cross, Jon Glaser, Eric Wareheim, Tim Heidecker, Matt Walsh, Ian Roberts, Jay Johnston, Bob Odenkirk, Chloé Dumas, Jerry Minor, Andy Richter, Larry Murphy, Rich Fulcher, Chris Parnell, Brendon Small, and Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett.

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Reviews

O2D Like so many other great shows, Comedy Central decided this wasn't good enough to run in the 2 hours a day they're not playing South Park or Futurama. If you can find this, watch it.
MakoSucks I might be biased because I'm a Home Movies fan, but Jon Benjamin Has A Van is probably one of the funniest shows on Comedy Central, and I've only seen the first two episodes.It's a spoof on shows like Dateline and 60 minutes, except the second half switches to spoofing dramas. I was laughing from the first sarcastic opening montage, with the obligatory news team dramatically walking together scene, to a close up zoom of the van, that zooms into a picture of the van that's on the van to infinity. Once you see that, you should pretty much get what the show is gonna be about.The first episode was hilarious. It starts off with a short interview with a guy who they mistaken for a post traumatic stress victim, who is actually a pre traumatic stress victim, who lost his voice screaming while thinking about going to war in basic training.The second half of the show was a follow up to a story that they show you before the actual follow up, of their trouble at the border story.It has little to do with the topic of illegal immigration or drug wars and more to do with the joke of pushing his producer over the border and leaving him stranded without a passport. Jon screams, "I SAID NO! ROB, IM NOT GETTING IT!" than he smiles and drives away, with the van's signature airbrushed ass on the rear doors.The follow up is a year later, so now the producer speaks in a Mexican accent and misinterprets American sayings. In a way to apologize for the joke, Jon re-hires him as an interpreter since they replaced him with someone better. As they approach the border to Guatemala, he does the joke again and pushes him over the border without a passport, leaving his newly established family without a father. HAHA idiot!in between each story are little quick sketches like Cash Stall, a game show that takes place in the bathroom, and if you answer all the questions right you get 100 dollars, but everyone just assumes he's propositioning them for sex so he never gets a chance to ask any questions. There's You Can't Shoot Here, where Jon goes to unauthorized locations to shoot... people until they say, "You can't shoot here." He literally tells them that he's shooting for "You Can't Shoot Here" and they pause and try to understand the concept and say ...well you can't shoot here, and Jon just tells them yes I know. or Thanks for being on You Can't Shoot Here!There were a lot of shows on Comedy Central that tried to be witty, but most fell flat because they tried to run with these witty concepts without actually being funny. Like most comedy central shows, it would probably either be complete unwatchable crap and be canceled after the first season, or comedic genius and have a long life span. Jon Benjamin Has a Van is hilarious because instead of just sticking with a witty concept, it goes around it and makes fun of it with more funny archetypes that wouldn't of been involved with the original concept, so it makes it even more funny. BORDER!!!!!!!!!
Mikesw0315 I like Jon Benjamin's other work. I wanted this to be a good show, but it really fell flat. There were a lot of dry, boring jokes. I hardly even cracked a smile while watching it. Another person compared it to Tim and Eric, i would agree that it's the same kind of humor, but a much quieter and duller version. A lot of what makes Tim and Eric funny is over the top situations and loud, annoying noises and screaming, and those aren't present here, making for a fairly boring show.On paper, I'm sure this seemed very funny. He starts to interview a man and then ignores him to talk on his phone? Hilarious... except it's been done before, ans was dragged out for far too long, to the point where even I was annoyed that he was still on the phone. The Little Little Italy sketch simply wasn't funny, I smirked when the tiny present exploded in the man's hand, but overall it was like a joke without a punchline.I sincerely hope the rest of the series is a lot better than this.
cclp7980-81-535572 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.