Tosh.0: Deep V's [Blu-ray Review]

Daniel Tosh and his writers are pretty funny guys. They are also willing to say almost anything on television, regardless of how un-PC, mean-spirited, or offensive it is. That makes Tosh.0, a show based on a somewhat dumb and seemingly short-lived premise--making fun of videos found on the Internet--actually entertaining at times. I cringe at the idea of a Rosie O’Donnell or Jay Leno watching the same clips Tosh does on his weekly show and what ineffective comment would come out of their mouths. Tosh goes for the comedy jugular with a smirk and a willingness to put up with any gasp or collective “oooooh” his studio audience will throw at him. Most of the time it works because it’s funny. Sometimes it’s not so funny.

The Blu-ray set titled, Tosh.0: deep v’s (he's not big on capitalization), contains16 episodes from the show that aired in Season 2 between June and September in 2010. The show features homemade Internet video clips projected behind host Tosh as he makes jokes about what misfortune has befallen the subject of the clips. They run the gamut from accidents on skateboards, bikes, and cars, to weathermen, salesmen, or TV preachers who fail miserably at speaking. If there is a humiliating or painful video on the Net, Tosh’s gang will find it and play it with Tosh’s mocking commentary.

When Tosh and the clip come together, it’s a beautiful thing. He will say any hilarious thing that comes to mind and this turns watching the clip into more of a comedy event rather than a pathetic personal moment for some person who had the misfortune to screw up in front of camera. He even allows those who reached some sort of fame for screwing up big time to have a “Web Redemption” each show, which is basically an interview in a surprisingly sympathetic manner of the people in the videos, letting them succeed where they previously failed. A few smirky comments aside, it’s a nice gesture in show that is primarily pretty condescending and full of jerk comments at times.

In addition to the “Web Redemption” segment, Tosh has a few regular features like the “Video Breakdown” segment that looks at a clip more in-depth, allowing Tosh more time to make jokes. During the “20 Seconds” bit, he throws out as many one-liners as he can about a certain shocking clip in 20 seconds (or thereabouts.) These segments show Tosh at his funniest, but he is limited by the clips themselves, as well as the fact that a guy falling down or knocking himself out by some stupid stunt or clumsiness is only going to generate so many jokes. Additionally, the rapid fire delivery requires more than the writers can regularly churn out. So, there are more hits than misses in each 22-minute episode, but there are a good amount of misses.

The worst segment is the “Viewer Video,” in which viewers are encouraged to send in staged comedy bits. They suck. I mean, really suck. I’m not sure if these are the best bits sent in or if maybe Tosh gets paid to put them on his show. They all seem to be from comedy troupes or sites, but they are uniformly terrible. Well, there is one about Rosa Parks that is pretty good, but the rest are awful.

The episodes do suffer a bit being more than two years old. It’s not that the clips are topical, but Tosh does make jokes that reference current events and some of them were really of the time. They don’t have the same impact in 2012-2013 as they did back in mid-2010.

Since the show is based on clips, some rather old and from Internet video sites, the HD majesty of Blu-ray is not a key element. This is a show that can easily be watched on DVD without losing what makes it good--the clever writing and Tosh’s delivery. The set, which covers two discs, does not include all of Season 2, just the second half. If you want all of Season 2, you have to buy an earlier set, as well.

The extras are limited, but presented in a very odd way. Simply numbered with no title or explanation, they primarily consist of the full “Web Redemption” interviews. The interviews with the subjects of the videos are heavily edited for the show, but here you see the whole thing, which, again, shows Tosh as a very good interviewer. The other extra (also with no explanation or title) is a 25-minute description of the plot of the movie Human Centipede, which is probably the best thing on the disc. It’s hilarious and gives Tosh’s sarcasm room to work. There is also about five minutes of the comedian realistically analyzing which celebrities he could beat up and running into the writers room shouting for a bit concerning things you wouldn’t want someone to run into a room and say. All the extras are just extended versions of bits from the show, and there is no commentary or behind-the-scenes fodder, but for this type of show, those would probably be a waste of time, anyway.

Tosh.0 is not a show for everyone. It clearly appeals to the young male demographic, but I find it pretty fun and I’m not young. It is pretty offensive, though, so don’t grab this set unless you are familiar with the show and already a fan. If you are, then it’s a decent set, as you get 16 episodes and the full Human Centipede riff, which are pretty good.

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