Norm Macdonald joins the unstoppable Netflix train with his own talk show Norm Macdonald Has a Show. Macdonald had previously hosted his own YouTube show, featuring the comedian interviewing celebrity guests. Macdonald follows his pal David Letterman, who recently debuted his own Netflix show, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman. Netflix also recently gave Daily Show correspondent Hasan Minhaj his own show.
Macdonald began his illustrious (and somewhat bizarre) career in the '80s as a stand-up comic. Later, Macdonald joined SNL as host of Weekend Update, in a stint that led to loads of controversy (and a pretty unrelenting stream of O.J. Simpson jokes). Macdonald tried breaking into movies with 1998's Dirty Work, a comedy that today enjoys a very small cult following. He later scored his own sitcom Norm, which lasted three seasons. Various and sundry projects ensued for Macdonald, including his recent weird gig as the voice of a pigeon on Mike Tyson Mysteries. Over the years Macdonald has written for numerous shows, including the soon-to-be-revived Roseanne. Macdonald has also made multiple notable (and sometimes very uncomfortable) talk show appearances with the likes of David Letterman and Howard Stern.
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The ever-unpredictable and often hilarious Macdonald can now say he has his own show on Netflix. The streaming service announced Macdonald will star in Norm Macdonald Has a Show, which like his YouTube series, will feature the comedian interviewing one celebrity per episode. Macdonald's YouTube sidekick Adam Eget follows him to Netflix. In addition to interviews, the show will offer jokes and a look behind-the-scenes of Macdonald's life. Macdonald's fellow Netflix star David Letterman will serve on the show as "location scout." The streamer has ordered ten episodes.
Calling Norm Macdonald's style quirky would be an understatement. As a stand-up, Macdonald always had a very particular delivery, a severe deadpan that bordered on the psychotic. His material was also always razor-sharp and often brutally observant. Macdonald brought some of that strange sensibility to his YouTube show, which saw him interviewing such luminaries as Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah Silverman, Mike Tyson and Jim Carrey. What stood out about that show was the host's incredibly laid-back, conversational approach. It was literally just Macdonald having a chat with his guest. The second notable thing about the show was a strange camera style that often randomly zoomed in on the guest 60 Minutes-style. The camerawork seemed like a typical Norm Macdonald touch: off-beat and weirdly compelling.
Not everything Norm Macdonald does ends up good. And goodness knows his style isn't to everyone's taste. But Macdonald is clearly a smart man who wants to try things. So his Netflix series is certain to at least be interesting, even if like so many of his past projects, it winds up being somewhat disappointing. As for Netflix, they just keep growing their library of comedy aimed at people over 35. Recently, the service debuted a new stand-up special by Chris Rock. Last year the streamer dropped two new stand-up specials by Dave Chappelle.
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Source: Netflix