Comedian Norm Macdonald will be returning to TV soon with all-new material that he had recorded two years ago after learning he might not have long to live.
The former “Saturday Night Live” cast member died in September at the age of 61. He had been fighting a long and undisclosed battle against cancer.
Macdonald’s health had been faltering the year before his death, which prompted him to prepare what amounts to a final one-hour show, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The comedy special will be released May 30 on Netflix.
“His test results were not good, so during the heart of COVID-19 pandemic and literally the night before going in for a procedure, he wanted to get this on tape just in case — as he put it — things went south,” Lori Jo Hoekstra, Macdonald’s producing partner, told the Hollywood Reporter.
“It was his intention to have a special to share if something happened,” she said.
Macdonald had the special filmed in his living room in one take, Hoekstra said.
“He looks great and the material’s fantastic,” she said
Macdonald made it through his medical issues in 2020, and the video of his self-produced show was set aside.
The comedian remembered its existence not long before his passing, Hoekstra said.
“He ended up getting sicker last August and September, and he remembered he had shot this and asked me to find it so he could watch it,” she said. “He ended up watching it before he passed away.”
The self-deprecating title of the show, “Nothing Special,” was suggested by Macdonald, Hoekstra said.
She said the show is unique in being filmed by a comedian to be released after his death.
“From the various conversations I’ve had within our circle of friends in comedy and producing, no one has heard of any comparison to this [situation] — not even close,” she said.
In addition to Macdonald’s material, the Netflix show will feature Adam Sandler, Conan O’Brien, Dave Chappelle, David Letterman, David Spade and Molly Shannon sharing thoughts about the legendary comedian.
“It makes me so happy that I can share it, but also so sad that we can’t share it with him,” Hoekstra said.
“He didn’t do this for the shock that it exists. He shot it because he loved his material and was so proud of his material,” she said. “He worked so hard and it really would’ve bothered him to have done all that work and not been able to show everybody. He did it for the stand-up.
“I just hope people appreciate that he did this.”
Norm Macdonald Shot Secret Final Netflix Stand-Up Special Before Passing https://t.co/d5SdAoyAbF
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 12, 2022
Macdonald was a mainstay on “SNL” from 1993 to 1998. He served as the host of the “Weekend Update” segment, giving a comedic take on the week’s most notable events.
In addition to his stand-up comedy shows, Macdonald went on to create two shows of his own: “The Norm Show” ran on ABC from 1999 to 2001, and his single-season Netflix talk show “Norm Macdonald Has a Show” aired in 2018.
