Jean-Claude Van Johnson
Jean-Claude Van Johnson is an American action comedy-drama television series starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and produced by Ridley Scott with his production studio Scott Free Productions and Amazon Studios. It premiered on August 19, 2016. On January 18, 2018, the series was cancelled after one season. It received generally positive reviews from critics.
Premise
The story centers on retired martial arts and action movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme playing himself. It is revealed that the movie career and personal history of Jean-Claude Van Damme is all a cover story. He is actually a secret agent known as Jean-Claude Van Johnson, aided by his personal assistant and make-up specialist who are themselves covert operatives as well — his handler and weapons master, respectively. After being out of the spy business for five years, Jean-Claude runs into his former handler Vanessa and realizes how much he misses both their work together and the relationship they had. He decides to go back into action, tracking down a major drug lord only to later realize he has found a larger threat, that of terrorists who possess a weather control machine.The show's supporting cast includes Jean-Claude's manager Jane who is in reality his superior and in charge of his covert operations agency. Joining Jean-Claude and Vanessa on the missions is new weapons specialist Luis, a former child soldier who wishes he actually was just a hairstylist and make-up artist. Jean-Claude's new cover involves agreeing to star in Huck, a violent action film reimagining of Huckleberry Finn. This forces Jean-Claude to constantly deal with Gunnar, the movie's self-absorbed director, in between his spy work. Throughout the series, Jean-Claude runs across Filip, a fan who coincidentally shares his face, and who eventually comes to hate him.
Throughout the series, Jean-Claude's fragile ego is a running gag, as even while undercover he cannot help but reference his own films repeatedly and is constantly disappointed when people fail to recognize him. Another running gag is that Jean-Claude constantly finds himself in situations from his movies others think are unrealistic, such as being surrounded by enemies who insist on attacking him one at a time or seemingly meeting a version of himself from the future.
Cast and characters
Main
- Jean-Claude Van Damme as Johnson / Himself / Filip
- Kat Foster as Vanessa
- Moisés Arias as Luis
- Phylicia Rashad as Jane
Recurring
- Tim Peper as Gunnar
- Ian Fisher as Andrei
- Carlo Rota as Dragan
- Deren Tadlock as Victor
- Winston James Francis as Meni Mano
- Richard Schiff as Alan Morris
- Daniel Bernhardt