Netflix released a new comedy special, Norm MacDonald’s final performance before he passed away. The feature also includes a discussion about the late comedian from some of his celebrity friends.
Norm MacDonald sadly passed away last September after a lengthy battle with cancer, but not long before he died, he put in one more comedy routine filmed at his house.
David Letterman, Adam Sandler, and more appear on the last Norm MacDonald special
Norm MacDonald: Nothing Special is now streaming on Netflix and begins with a piece of text stating, “we are honored to bring you Norm MacDonald’s last special, followed by reactions and commentary from a few of his special friends.” These friends include the likes of David Letterman and Adam Sandler.
More text explained that the 61-year-old Canadian had been planning a Netflix special until COVID-19 shut everything down. However, in the summer of 2020, he decided to film this routine at home. He was due to undergo a medical procedure and “didn’t want to leave anything on the table in case things went south.”
According to Netflix, Norm filmed his routine in one take. His routine lasts about 50 minutes, and then we get about half an hour of chat from Letterman, Sandler, Conan O’Brien, Dave Chappelle, Molly Shannon, and David Spade.
These huge comics were all friends and colleagues of Norm, and they speak very fondly of the late comedian and talk about his strengths and ability to hold an audience. They also reminisce about Norm and analyze his routine. Letterman spoke about how “the audience was his [Norm’s] partner.”
Norm MacDonald performed a classic routine
According to CNN, Norm’s performance was not morbid or maudlin; he did not dwell on his illness but instead gave a well-rounded and typically Norm MacDonald routine with a wide variety of topics. However, it was clear that he had lost a lot of weight, and he did not appear to look as well as he did in the past.
Among Norm’s themes were airplane crashes followed by cannibalism in the Andes and gambling at Native-American casinos. He also touched on the controversies surrounding some comedians, such as Dave Chappelle, about what comics should and shouldn’t be able to say.
The filming could be described as a bit basic; there is a barking dog and Norm’s cellphone rings at one point, but, as per CNN, it still came across as an accomplished performance. His producing partner, Lori Jo Hoekstra, said, “he left this gift for all of us.”
Norm MacDonald: Nothing Special is currently streaming on Netflix.