Featured TV on DVD Review: Tosh.0: Hoodies

June 10, 2012

Tosh.0: Hoodies - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray

Tosh.0 stars Daniel Tosh, who is a stand-up comedian and I've reviewed a relatively recently stand-up concert DVD of his. Tosh.0 was part of a group of shows that featured commentary on the internet that all started around 2009 and after three years, its the only one to remain. This week, the first DVD release for the show, Hoodies comes out on DVD and Blu-ray. So did it outlast its competition because it is the best?

The Show

I've mentioned numerous times that I dislike reviewing stand-up comedy DVDs. I like watching them, but reviewing them is hard, because it is nearly impossible to describe the jokes without ruining them. This is the case here. The TV show I'm reminded of the most is Yo Gabba Gabba. Bear with me on this one, as it seems like a really strange comparison at first. There is no real plot to this show, but instead there are a series of recurring bits. For the most part, Daniel Tosh merely shows video clips, pictures, tweets, craiglist ads, etc. that went viral and talks about them. Occasionally he will do something more in-depth. For instance, "Video Breakdown" will look at a specific video with a lot more focus. "Web Redemption" takes a look at an embarrassing viral video, and tracks down the person in it so they can redeem themselves. "20 seconds on the clock" has him riffing on one picture for 20 seconds, so you get a lot of rapid fire jokes. "Is it Racist?" and "Is it Gay?" are pretty self-explanatory, as is "Guess What Happens Next". Daniel Tosh also gets involved in a number of sketches performing famous internet challenges, like the Cinnamon Challenge, for instance. On a side note, I've done that challenge. It's easy.

This show is really hit and miss, which is an inevitable result of its format. The jokes depend so heavily on the videos and there are so many different types of videos featured that obviously not all of them will appeal to all viewers. For instance, I'm not a big fan of embarrassment videos, because I just don't like laughing at the misfortunes of average people, and that's a lot of humor that's found on this show. I did like the "Web Redemption" as a result, as it showed these people in a much better light, for the most part. Also, like I mentioned in my review, I sometimes find Daniel Tosh's delivery a little too calculated. He tries a little too hard to be offensive to get laughs. The final complaint I have is that I've seen way too many of these videos already. This is a peril of working online. You can spend an entire day surfing YouTube and ICanHasCheezBurger.com and it looks like you are working. On the other hand, while there are many jokes that miss over the ten episodes found here, there are even more very funny moments, even if you feel a little bad laughing at some of them.

On a side note, I wonder how many fans of Tosh.0 remember a show called Internet Slutts. If you've never heard of Internet Slutts, I'm not surprised. It was a Canadian show that was ahead of its time, literally. The show focused on two puppets who spent their time surfing the web whenever they ran into a problem they needed help with. It ran for one season for 2000-2001 when the World Wide Web was still finding its legs. In 2000, there were roughly 300 million people online worldwide. Today, there are more people with YouTube accounts. I really want that show to be released on DVD, but I really doubt that will ever happen.

The Extras

Extras on the DVD and the Blu-ray are limited to eleven outtakes / extended scenes / alternative scenes / deleted scenes. That's not a lot, especially since this is essentially a split-season release. The audio and video quality vary greatly depending on the source material. Lots of the video clips are obviously substandard, while the stuff shot for the show is usually very sharp. The audio is rarely exciting, but at least the dialogue is always clear. The list price for the Blu-ray is just 15% higher than the DVD, but over on Amazon.com, it's actually $1 cheaper.

The Verdict

Tosh.0: Hoodies is the first half of the first season of the popular show. And if you like spending your time on YouTube laughing at the people on the viral videos, then it is worth checking out. There are not a lot of extras on the DVD or the Blu-ray, but the latter is a good deal if you are interested in purchasing.


- Submitted by:

Filed under: Video Review