Norm MacDonald to get own show on Comedy Central

[strummer 0]

More than the Norm

 

Sun Oct 31, 8:19 PM ET

 

  Television - Variety

 

Denise Martin, STAFF

 

Norm Macdonald is reaching back to his sketch comedy roots, inking a deal with Comedy Central to exec produce and star in a half-hour pilot.

 

 

 

Project, from Macdonald and producing partner Lori Jo Hoekstra, will feature a series of sketches and standup from the comedian-thesp, who last starred in Fox laffer "A Minute With Stan Hooper."

 

Comedy Central has ordered production on the pilot, but no start date has been set. Cabler is currently out to showrunners and directors.

 

Macdonald, known for his dry, deadpan humor, said the success of Dave Chappelle prompted him to head toward the laffer net.

 

"I was mostly inspired by 'Chappelle's Show.' He was always the funniest guy, and it was so cool to see him (undiluted) on TV," he said. "My standup is a little more harder-edged than anything I've done before for TV -- Comedy Central said, 'Great!' "

 

Laffer net's senior VP of programming and development Lauren Corrao said that, like most talent that has gone through the broadcast network gauntlet, "Norm wanted to surround himself with people who get what he's about.

 

"He pokes fun at pop culture and things in the news. And he gets obsessed with weird things like death. If you watch his standup, he spends half an hour on dying -- not something your average fortysomething is concerned with," she said. "Norm also has this darker and, at times, raunchy side, which we can handle."

 

Macdonald sold the show to the network execs by enacting some bits that reminded Corrao of his "Saturday Night Live" days.

 

"Even when he was doing characters on 'SNL,' there was always some Norm in them -- that's really what made his sketches funny," she said. "He wasn't necessarily an amazing impersonator."

 

CAA-repped Macdonald produced and starred in the ABC comedy "Norm" and wrote for "Roseanne" and "SNL." Feature credits include "The Animal," "Screwed" and "Man on the Moon."

 

(Josef Adalian contributed to this report.)

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

I hope bob has some hankies around when he blows his load all over his computer screen...

[Black Lushus 0]

I'm no Norm fan, but I enjoyed Dirty Work...

[razazteca 0]

Will Fred Willard be on the show also?

[bob_barron 0]

Norm's standup is really crass and dirty. I can't wait to hear him about talk about the tragic events of 9/15

[bob_barron 0]

Some Norm standup-

 

http://www.fakenews.net/archive/transcript..._26_improv.html

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Plus, I don't know how cancer wins, ‘cause, if my uncle Phil dies, the fuckin' cancer dies. That's a draw, that's ah- ah... you know? It's not like the cancer gets up, "Ahhhh! I won! ahhh! I’m gonna take that guy’s job, fuck his wife! That’s right, I beat uncle Phil!"

[NoCalMike 0]

This rules. Norm MacDonald is hilarious.

[Mole 0]

That is the funniest thing I've read all day.

 

I knew Bob would love this.

[Slayer 0]

Minute with Stan Hooper? I already forgot about that one

[razazteca 0]

Will Norm do the David Letterman impression?

[therealworldschampion 0]

Great news, I missed Norm.

[B. Brian Brunzell 0]

Will Norm do the David Letterman impression?

You uh, you got any gum?

[Guest Brian]

Is this what they have to replace Colin Quinn's show?

[razazteca 0]

Tough Crowd got cancelled for good this time?

[bob_barron 0]

Yea- The last episode was this week

[Ted the Poster 0]

Tough Crowd was a great show that celebrated the type of comedy from people like Jim Norton, Colin Quinn and Norm MacDonald, that being "blue humor". CC barely promoted it at all, and when Jon Stewart decided he didn't like it(notice when he stopped saying "stay tuned for Tough Crowd"?), that helped put the final nail in the coffin. I just don't get why the channel promotes the hell out of shit like "Wanda Does It" and "Kid Notorious" and holds down a great show like TC. Blecch.

 

I'm keeping the last ep on my TiVo for as long as possible.