David Letterman, Drew Barrymore, M. Night Shyamalan and Judge Judy are among the celebrity guests who pop up in the trailer for Netflix’s Norm Macdonald Has a Show. The streaming service’s latest attempt at a talk show features former SNL regular Macdonald interviewing various celebs in what is sure to be incredibly irreverent and perhaps even provocative fashion.
Macdonald has become involved in a variety of entertainment endeavors over the course of his career, starting as a stand-up before moving on to SNL for a very controversial tenure, then to movies and sitcoms. In recent years Macdonald has taken his talents behind the desk for various incarnations of his own podcast/talk show, proving himself to be a highly unconventional and sometimes hilarious interviewer along the way. After a run on YouTube, Macdonald now moves over to Netflix, whose record with the talk show format has proven to be spotty at best.
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In the first trailer for Norm Macdonald Has a Show, Netflix teases the big-name celebrities set to sit down with - and perhaps square off against - the always unpredictable Macdonald. Macdonald’s old pal David Letterman is among the celebs set to be featured (of course Letterman has his own successful Netflix interview show). Judge Judy, Drew Barrymore, Chevy Chase and Michael Keaton also pop up in the new trailer which can be seen in the space below.
Some of the celebs set to be featured are fairly predictable, especially Letterman who has a long relationship with Macdonald. But others are somewhat surprising, including director Shyamalan and beloved TV personality Judge Judy. Chase is also an interesting addition to the roster of guests, considering his connection with Macdonald via SNL, and also the fact that Chase has become a legendarily cranky figure in his later years. Iconic movie star Jane Fonda too is set to appear with Macdonald. Previous reports said SNL creator Lorne Michaels would sit down on the show as well, but he is not featured in the trailer.
Format-wise this looks to be a fairly typical talk show effort, with Macdonald and his podcasting sidekick Adam Eget chatting with celebs. But of course, any time Macdonald is involved with anything, it’s safe to assume there will be some subversive and even off-putting elements mixed in along the way. Macdonald has a unique interviewing style that tends to be more free-flowing than what viewers normally get via late night hosts like Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel, leading to some bizarre conversations.
The big question is, will Norm Macdonald Has a Show catch on with Netflix viewers and lead to a long run of seasons? Netflix has made a charge into the world of talk shows in 2018 but the results have not been terrifically successful. David Letterman’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction and Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee have done well for the network in generating buzz, but talk show efforts by Michelle Wolf and Joel McHale were met with much less enthusiastic receptions. It’s possible the Netflix format just doesn't work for traditional talk shows.
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Source: Netflix