Norm Macdonald is coming back to Netflix this fall—this time as the subject of a new documentary from Judd Apatow.
Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald will premiere on Netflix Oct. 16, Variety reports. Apatow’s previously announced film promises an intimate portrait of the late Saturday Night Live star and longtime “Weekend Update” anchor.
The documentary is built entirely from archival footage, personal photos and rare home videos, tracing Macdonald’s career from SNL to his status as one of comedy’s most revered—and singular—performers.
Apatow revealed the project in February 2025 when he put out a public call for “unique photos or videos” of Macdonald that could be used in the film.
“If you just know about any interviews or interesting videos you think we may not have heard about or be able to find ourselves—that would also be very helpful,” Apatow wrote at the time. “Or just tell us your favorite Norm moments.”
Apatow and Macdonald had crossed paths onscreen before: Macdonald cameoed as himself in Apatow’s 2009 film Funny People.
Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald continues Apatow’s run of documentary projects chronicling major figures in comedy, following The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling, George Carlin’s American Dream and Bob and Don: A Love Story.
Macdonald died of acute leukemia in 2021 at age 61 after keeping his illness private for nearly a decade. His final stand-up special, Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special, was released posthumously by Netflix the following year.
Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald isn’t the only major Norm Macdonald project on the way. As LateNighter first reported in July, comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff is also at work on a full-life biography of Macdonald for William Morrow. Nesteroff says the book will trace Macdonald’s life “from birth to death,” including previously little-known details about his first 30 years in Canada.
