What Is HORSE? Mint Comedy's Basketball Interview Show, Explained

HORSE is a Mint Comedy original series where a comedian plays a game of HORSE against Mint CEO Brandon Henderson on the West 4th St. basketball court in New York City, with one extra rule: every missed shot comes with a question. Miss, take your letter, answer whatever Brandon asks. Spell H-O-R-S-E and you lose in front of the whole city.

Two episodes are streaming now, free: Episode 1 with Mark Normand and Episode 2 with Josh Ocean Thomas. Episode 3, with Godfrey, is coming soon.

How HORSE works

If you haven't played since 4th grade recess (Josh Ocean Thomas hadn't), here's the game: you call your shot. Make it, and your opponent has to hit the same one. If they miss, they take a letter. Collect all five and you've spelled HORSE, which means you've lost.

On this court there's one more rule. Every letter buys a question. Which is the whole trick of the show: nobody keeps their guard up mid-jumpshot. The questions land between bricks, and that's where the real answers live. No desk, no couch, no publicist within 40 blocks. Just a comedian, a ball, and whatever Brandon decides to ask next.

The episodes so far:

Episode 1: Mark Normand

It's 90 degrees in the West Village and Mark Normand calls his first shot: square corner, no backboard. What follows, between letters: New Orleans and the tourists who pay a man with a gut to tell them he's a vampire, a Caitlin Clark three-point boast that goes about as well as you'd expect, and why Mark's jokes never come from a podium.

Then Brandon asks the question the episode is secretly about: if your whole career got erased and you could keep one moment, which one? Mark's answer isn't Madison Square Garden and it isn't Netflix. It's a broke, bedbug era night in Bushwick, and it might be the most sincere thing he's ever said on camera.

The loser ends up on all fours in front of the entire city. We won't say who.

Episode 2: Josh Ocean Thomas

Josh Ocean Thomas is a San Diego kid turned New York comic who went from doing magic shows in his dad's backyard to getting passed at the Comedy Cellar. He is also, by his own admission, playing his first game of HORSE since 4th grade, and his mid-game review of the format is right there in the title: "This game sucks."

Between a lot of missed shots they get into his child magician era, growing up half Tunisian, why wearing shorts on stage would give away half his act, and what it actually feels like when Estee, the Cellar's legendary gatekeeper, sits down to watch your audition. It all comes down to a sudden death finale we're not spoiling here.

Episode 3: Godfrey (coming soon)

Godfrey steps on the court next. If you've seen him do literally any impression, you know the trash talk alone will be worth the click. Subscribe on YouTube and you'll get it the second it drops.

Where to watch HORSE

Every episode of HORSE is free to watch, no sign-up required:

• YouTube: the HORSE playlist on @RealMintComedy

• Mint Comedy: the HORSE series page at mintcomedy.com

HORSE: quick answers

• What is HORSE on Mint Comedy?
  HORSE is a short-form comedy interview series where a comedian plays the basketball game HORSE against Mint Comedy CEO Brandon Henderson in New York City. Every missed shot means taking a letter and answering a question.

• Who has played HORSE so far?
  Mark Normand (Episode 1) and Josh Ocean Thomas (Episode 2). Godfrey plays in Episode 3, coming soon.

• Is HORSE free to watch?
  Yes. Full episodes are free on YouTube at @RealMintComedy and at mintcomedy.com/series/horse.

• Where is HORSE filmed?
  At the West 4th St. basketball court in New York City. Episode 1 was shot there in 90 degree heat.

• How long are HORSE episodes?
  Short and rewatchable: roughly 6 to 10 minutes each.

• How can I find out when new episodes drop?
  Subscribe to Mint Comedy on YouTube or follow @realmintcomedy on Instagram and TikTok.