The Checklist: Jean-Claude Van Johnson (Season 1)

In August of 2016, Amazon Prime presented the pilot for a new series starring action movie legend Jean-Claude Van Damme titled Jean-Claude Van Johnson. In the show, Van Damme plays washed up movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme, who in reality is black ops agent Jean-Claude Van Johnson. Van Johnson uses his cover as Jean-Claude Van Damme to get the starring role in the movie Huck (a reimagining of Mark Twain’s classic Huckleberry Finn). The movie is shooting in Bulgaria, where not so coincidentally a major drug kingpin resides.

The role was unlike anything I had seen Van Damme do before and I fell in love with the pilot episode and was anxiously awaiting the news that the show was going to be picked up for a full season. When the news hit that a full season was coming, the countdown was officially on…

After binge watching the entire six episode season of Jean-Claude Van Johnson, I decided to put the entire season to The Checklist test…

1. Are there references to some of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s classic action films?

Timecop got the most love of any of the movies from Jean-Claude Van Damme’s glory days, but Jean-Claude Van Johnson manages to work in references to Hard Target, Nowhere to Run and Universal Soldier too. But my favorite was the epic nod given to Van Damme’s star making role in Bloodsport! 1/1

2. Do we get Jean-Claude Van Damme at his self-deprecating best? 

The most appealing thing about Van Damme’s character in the pilot episode was Van Damme’s willingness to poke fun at himself and put himself in scenarios that made him look like anything but the action movie icon many of us grew up with. Whether he was slipping and sliding all over the floor as he tried to put out a burning Pop Tart, showing up for a drift race wearing a ridiculous disguise and driving a piece of crap car with an after market spoiler on the back or cleaning the bird shit off his own statue in his native Brussels.

More often than not the Van Johnson character comes across as the weak link in our trio of heroes that includes the lovely and determined Vanessa (Kat Foster) and the diminutive but highly effective Luis (Moises Arias). This not only made the Van Johnson character more sympathetic and endearing, it also put the spotlight Vannessa and Luis and made them strong supporting characters that I found myself emotionally investing in as my Jean-Claude Van Johnson marathon went on. 2/2

3. What about the action?

As much fun as it is seeing Jean-Claude Van Damme not take himself so seriously, he is still JCVD and as a fan I want to see him mix it up! Jean-Claude Van Johnson works in some pretty explosive action both literally and figuratively. The best fight scene takes place in the third episode, after Van Johnson’s cover is blown and some guys come looking to kill him while he is still on the set of Huck. Van Damme starts kicking some ass like it was 1988 again, Gunnar (Tim Pepper), the aloof director of Huck, has no clue why the fighting is taking place or concern that guys are actually being killed by his star but at least Gunnar was smart enough to film it all.

In addition to some fight scenes and things blowing up, Jean-Claude Van Johnson also works in another action entertainment staple… the training montage! After things go south in Bulgaria, Van Johnson and Vanessa go into hiding in the one place nobody has looked for Jean-Claude Van Damme in 20 years… an abandoned Blockbuster Video. It is at the now defunct video store where Van Johnson prepares Vanessa for the final showdown that takes place in the season finale. 3/3

4. Were there any notable guest stars?

With only six episodes I understand there not being a need for a cast of thousands, but I would have absolutely loved if a Dolph Lundgren, Donald Gibb or a Michel Qissi popped up in a cameo, to further honor Van Damme’s past. With that said they did work in the penguin mascot from Sudden Death!

Phylicia Rashad was back as Van Johnson’s agency boss Jane in four additional episodes (her first appearance was in the pilot). Richard Schiff appeared in two episodes as the man behind the curtain at the agency, Alan Morris. Action fans may not recognize Schiff’s name but may recognize his face from movies like Young Guns II, Rapid Fire, The Lost World: Jurassic Park or the 1997 television version of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three where he played Mr. Green. 4/4

5. Was it worth the wait?

I’m not going to lie, having to wait for over a year for the first full season of Jean-Claude Van Johnson really built up my anticipation for the show. Anticipation can be a blessing or a curse for any television show or movie. Fans have been known to build something up so big in their minds that by the time they actually sit down and watch the actual product, there is no way that it could live up to their expectations.

I am happy to say that was not the case with Jean-Claude Van Johnson. The series is clever and unique and features action with a strong sense of humor and was definitely worth the wait. Now the question turns to… when do we get Season Two?!?!

• Final Score = 5/5 (100%) I will echo my thoughts from when I first reviewed the Jean-Claude Van Johnson pilot… If you are a fan of Jean-Claude Van Damme and are not an Amazon Prime subscriber, THIS is the excuse you have been waiting for to become one. Jean-Claude Van Johnson is the real deal and as a fan of JCVD, I am thrilled that he is getting the opportunity to be in the spotlight once more and show how he has grown as a performer.