‘Sports Show with Norm Macdonald’ Premiere: The 3 Funniest Moments [VIDEO]

Not everything on Tuesday’s debut of Norm Macdonald’s Comedy Central show worked, but here are three bits that killed

Norm Macdonald has made me laugh many, many times over the years — from his smirky, gum-chewing impression of Burt Reynolds to his "I can't act so I won't even try" performance in the criminally underrated 1998 feature film "Dirty Work."

I still frequently quote one of the hundreds of frankly moronic jokes Macdonald unleashed during his three-and-a-half seasons as the "Weekend Update" news anchor on "Saturday Night Live." The bit in question was a low-level grab at making fun of business reporting, yet the 24-year-old me doubled over with laughter like a toddler discovering the hilarity to be found in bodily functions.

The joke? "On Wall Street last week, trading was very heavy on the big board," quipped Macdonald. "Why? Because it's a big board! What are you nuts?"

Goofy, throwaway lines like that are what Macdonald does best — well, besides making fun of Germans who love David Hasselhoff. And so it is a great relief to learn Tuesday night that his new weekly fake news program, Comedy Central's "Sports Show with Norm Macdonald," will be lousy with them.

The premiere episode's most ambitious gag was his "Blake Like Me" sketch, a pre-taped bit in which he gets a makeup artist to make him look like Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin, only he turns into the real Blake Griffin, just with Norm Macdonald's voice. But smaller, in-studio moments worked better.

Here are three moments that gave me confidence that I will enjoy watching this program very much.

The bit: Which Dougie Dancer Gets Hit by an Ice Cream Truck?
The quote: "Once again, sad Bill Cosby has crystallized my thoughts."

The bit: Michael Jordan's Hitler Mustache
The quote: "Even more surprising that this? Michael Jordan's Hitler moustache."

The bit: Garbage Time
The quote: "I don't know the difference betwee a hippie and a hipster, but it's fun to watch either one of them get beat up."

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