Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special (2022)

May 30, 2022 6:44 AM

In his final comedy special, Norm Macdonald ponders casinos, cannibalism, living wills and why you have to be ready for whatever life throws your way. It was shot by the late comedian in 2020 in his living room during COVID lockdown and is now being released posthumously. Macdonald, who passed away in September 2021 from cancer, self-taped the hour-long set, reportedly in one take.

Norm Macdonald had one last secret by Geoff Edgers, The Washington Post (MSN non paywalled link)

He was stage-ready and planning to tape a pair of performances in Los Angeles. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, shuttering entertainment venues across the nation. At almost the same time, Macdonald’s monthly visit to the hospital revealed that the original cancer, multiple myeloma, had metastasized into myelodysplastic syndrome, which can often lead to acute leukemia. The diagnosis left Macdonald and Hoekstra spinning and unsure of the next steps. Except for one thing: Whatever happened, Macdonald wanted to make sure his material was shown.

And it will be. “Nothing Special,” which he named before he died this past September at 61, of complications from cancer, begins streaming Monday on Netflix. It includes footage of a group of friends and admirers — David Letterman, Dave Chappelle, Molly Shannon, Conan O’Brien, David Spade, Adam Sandler — discussing the comedian on camera after watching his final creation together.

posted by riruro (4 comments total)

Is it any good? Or did he progress to the point of Chappelle's punching down "assholery"?

(A couple days ago, I wasted far too much time on Ricky's new Netflix special and began to wonder - why is Netflix shoveling this shite?)
posted by rozcakj at 7:45 AM on June 1, 2022

If you liked his last stand-up special, you'll probably like this one.
posted by skewed at 11:20 AM on June 1, 2022 [1 favorite]

I didn't find it very funny, but I think it is probably really hard to do something like this alone in front of a computer.
posted by snofoam at 1:18 PM on June 1, 2022

I really enjoyed listening to the comedians talk about him after the special.
posted by jeoc at 2:26 PM on June 2, 2022