- Director Judd Apatow is creating a Netflix documentary about the late comedian Norm Macdonald. He’s asking fans to submit interviews, favorite moments and rare videos to help tell Macdonald’s story.
- Macdonald, best known for his time on “Saturday Night Live,” passed away in 2021 after a private nine-year battle with cancer.
- Apatow has a history of making documentaries about comedians, including “The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling” and “George Carlin’s American Dream,” both of which won Primetime Emmy Awards.
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Director Judd Apatow is working on a new film about the late comedian Norm Macdonald. He’s asking fans to help bring the story to life.
In a recent Instagram post, Apatow shared a photo of Macdonald and announced that he’s creating a Netflix documentary. The caption includes an email address where fans can submit anything that might help tell Macdonald’s story. Apatow is looking for interviews, favorite moments and rare videos that may not have been widely seen.
Point phone camera here
Macdonald passed away in 2021 after privately battling cancer for nine years. He was best known for his time on “Saturday Night Live.”
In 2022, Macdonald received a Primetime Emmy nomination and won a Critics Choice Award for his Netflix special, “Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special.” With venues closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Macdonald recorded the special in his living room, capturing his signature deadpan humor in one take.
Apatow’s focus on comedians
Apatow has a history of creating documentaries that spotlight comedians. This film will be his third in the genre.
In 2018, he directed “The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling,” a two-part HBO series exploring the life of comedian Garry Shandling. The series, which included personal diaries and interviews, won a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding documentary or nonfiction special.
More recently, Apatow directed “George Carlin’s American Dream” in 2022. The two-part documentary explored Carlin’s evolution from a clean-cut comic to a counterculture legend and also won a Primetime Emmy.
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‘Saturday Night Live’ tribute
During the “Saturday Night Live” 50th-anniversary special on Sunday, Feb. 16, the show honored Macdonald’s five years as a cast member. The tribute featured clips of his infamous O.J. Simpson jokes, which contributed to his firing.
[KENNEDY FELTON]
Director Judd Apatow is working on a new film, and he’s asking for your help to make it happen.
In a recent Instagram post, Apatow posts a photo of Norm Macdonald and says he’s making a Netflix documentary about the late comedian. The caption includes an email address where Apatow is inviting fans to submit anything that could help tell Macdonald’s story—whether its interviews, favorite moments, or rare videos that may not have been widely seen.
The “Saturday Night Live” alum passed away in 2021 after a private nine-year battle with cancer. In 2022, Macdonald received three Primetime Emmy nominations and won a Critics Choice Award for his Netflix special “Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special.” With live venues shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, Macdonald recorded the special in one take from his living room—alone but still delivering his signature deadpan humor.
“I went in and said, ‘Hey doc, I got this thing, I’m real tired.’ He says, ‘Sounds like chronic fatigue syndrome to me.’”
Apatow seems to have a soft spot for comedians—as this will be his third documentary focused on one. In 2018, he directed “The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling,” an HBO two-part series that explored the late comedian’s life through personal diaries and interviews. The series won a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding documentary or nonfiction special.
“He turned to Buddhism but it’s not because he’s zen. It’s because he was in desperate need of being zen.”
And more recently in 2022, Apatow directed “George Carlin’s American Dream,” which also won a Primetime Emmy. Viewers got a peek into Carlin’s evolution from clean-cut comic to counterculture icon.
“He’s the Beatles of comedy.”
During the “Saturday Night Live” 50th-anniversary special Sunday, the show paid tribute to Macdonald’s five years on the cast, including a nod to his infamous O.J. Simpson jokes that contributed to his firing.
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