The Drew Carey Show and The Norm Show (quickly shortened to simply Norm) were similar types of shows. Both starred standup comics playing regular Joes.

   Drew Carey essentially played the guy he would have ended up becoming had he not gotten into standup. The show's Drew was a middle management type working in a Cleveland department store, hanging out with his oddball group of friends and looking for love. Drew's life was filled with aggravation but the most constant one was Mimi. Drew's job was in personnel. In the first episode Mimi showed up looking for a job. She was loud, fat and wore more makeup than a clown (the sad part is, being from Ohio, I can confirm that Mimi's makeup is not so big an exaggeration on how some - some - Ohio women apply their makeup). Intended originally as a single episode pain in Drew's ass, she was so entertaining she was kept on the show. Hired as the secretary to Drew's boss, Mimi became his constant nemesis. Superman had Lex Luthor, Seinfeld had Newman, Drew Carey had Mimi.

   Norm's character started from a bit more successful point. Norm MacDonald played former pro hockey player Norm Henderson. Convicted on tax fraud charges, Norm was booted out of the NHL and forced to do 5 years of community service working as a New York social worker. Not sure a morally flexible hockey player would really qualify as a social worker but go with it. Norm's work was filled with a ton of supporting characters played by talented sitcom vets (Roseanne's Laurie Metcalf, Murphy Brown's Faith Ford, Unhappily Ever After's Nikki Cox...). Norm also had a brother named Artie played by comic Artie Lange who is key to this whole crossover.

   Now, before the actual crossover, Norm and The Drew Carey Show actually shared a number of non-crossover connections. Actor Ian Gomez, a recurring guest star on The Drew Carey, was a series regular on Norm. Then in season 2 of Norm in the episode "Gambling Man" the three male leads of The Drew Carey Show - Drew, Diedrich Bader and Ryan Stiles - all did uncredited appearances playing poker with Norm. The thing is, they weren't actually playing their Drew Carey Show characters. Drew's character was named Steve!

   But all good things come to those who wait. In most instances that statement is an utter lie. But not here.

   The real deal crossover happened the following season on Norm in an episode called "Norm vs. Schoolin". In it Norm is going to great lengths to try and get good grades in his social work training classes. He tries cheating and studying - cheating first of course. He ends up realizing surprisingly that the drunker he is the better his memory becomes. Norm gets so drunk... errr... I mean...improves his memory so much that he remembers a phone message he was supposed to give Artie back when they were in high school from a girl named Miriam asking him if he wanted to go all the way. Norm even manages to recall her phone number. Artie calls Miriam up. Turns out she now calls herself Mimi, wears too much makeup, drives Drew Carey crazy...

Other Drew Carey Show Crossover Links
The Drew Carey Show and Coach
The Drew Carey Show and Ellen
The Drew Carey Show and The Geena Davis Show
The Drew Carey Show and Grace Under Fire
The Drew Carey Show and Home Improvement
The Drew Carey Show and N.Y.P.D. Blue

Other N.Y.P.D. Blue Crossover Links
N.Y.P.D. Blue and Hill Street Blues
N.Y.P.D. Blue and Public Morals

Click here to return to main Crossover List

Buy these shows on Amazon.com and support this site at the same time! Check out Drew Carey and The Norm Show on DVD! Catch the crossover episode on The Norm Show Complete Series DVD set!




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