Norm

Norm MacDonald is one of those rare performers who has a great natural comic gift. He can just stand there with that silly look on his face and crack me up. His Burt Reynolds impression is hysterical, as are several other of his celebrity characterizations. But it's a puzzler as to why he can't do sustained comic work. He was often hilarious on Saturday Night Live in skit work, but his sitcom "Norm" was flaccid and suffered from the presence of tedious and boring side players. This new half-hour Comedy Central presentation is similarly lazy and loose. It feels as if it might have been written over a weekend and never rehearsed before shooting. The only flickering bright spots were the Andy Rooney bit and the skit with the guy who wanted a threesome for his birthday. But even they were weirdly paced and ended up being sort of one-trick ponies. Norm, we love you. Get some discipline and get to work.