The passing of Norm Macdonald in 2021 was a blow to those of us who were particular to his impish and often intelligent brand of comedy. If that’s you and you’ve already watched Dirty Work a dozen times and all of his famous talk show and SNL appearances on YouTube, then might I suggest a deep dive into his three-year sitcom: The Norm Show, or as it is later simply titled, Norm.

Too bad that you’re not as smart as you thought you were in the first place…

Macdonald was a co-creator of The Norm Show, which makes sense once you watch a few episodes and realize his signature humor is all over this. It’s very much an extension of what he began with Dirty Work, complete with transplanting co-star Artie Lange in the second and third seasons.

In The Norm Show, Macdonald plays Norm Henderson, a former hockey player who got busted for gambling and sentenced to several years service as a social worker in NYC. There, he hangs out with his best friends Laurie (Laurie Metcafe), Danny (Ian Gomez), and Taylor (Nikki Cox). The irony is that such a guy with loose morals probably shouldn’t be put in this position, but Norm does have a soft spot for hard luck cases, even if he approaches them in an unconventional style.

“He may be rich, but all his money and power can’t stop me from rubbing my hands together maniacally!”

As Norm is a mischievous trickster at heart, he needs someone to trick. Initially, he had a boring grouchy boss, but that guy gets replaced around the fourth or fifth episode with ALF’s Max Wright. This casting was the real genius move of the show, as Wright’s character is unhinged in his hatred of Norm and many other aspects of life as well. The two of them go at it, playing pranks against power, and it never fails to bring out the laughs and insults.

This is pretty standard workplace sitcom fare, at least in terms of plots, but it’s the characters that really elevate this show. Wright and Metcafe are hilarious in their own right, but it’s Macdonald’s laconic delivery and cheerful selfishness that often take Norm into straight-up bizarro territory.

This being a sitcom made in the late ’90s and early 2000s and with heavy input by Norm Macdonald, this show wouldn’t exactly pass muster in our hyper-sensitive society today. But I didn’t think it was all that offensive, either. It’s not just about what’s being said; it’s the spirit and heart behind it. Macdonald’s style was often to say provocative things to get a reaction, but you could tell from his smile and twinkling eyes that he was simply trolling for the easily offended.

“Right after our special Pokémon opening. That’s right kids, Pokémon! You might want to bring the littler tykes to bed during the commercial.”

After rewatching all three seasons, I have just two criticisms. The first is that, as with almost every sitcom, the romance subplots are easily the weakest part. The writers kept trying to get various characters together, but none of them really had chemistry in that regard. The show kind of knows that, too, because those subplots often peter out and are forgotten.

Second, season three is the weaker stretch. Individually, most of the episodes are fine, but there was some clear retooling that happened, and little of it adds to the formula. For example, they included some weird guy doing really distracting scat/Seinfeld-ish noises between scenes. Artie becomes the bartender at their hangout spot, but he’s still pretty much useless. And too many of the aforementioned romances are attempted here.

But if you like Norm Macdonald, are OK with the traditional laugh track sitcom, and want an entertaining trip back to the turn of the century, The Norm Show is packed with good, sarcastic, and occasionally wacked-out weird times.