In 1997, Norton appeared on "The Louie Show" starring Louie Anderson. From 2002 to 2004, Norton was a regular performer on the comedy series "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn". He then lost his place on the second season of "Last Comic Standing" in 2004 because of a contractual obligation to film pilot episodes for MTV which he had secured following the success of his "One Night Stand" special. The two pilots were "Camp Cool", filmed in Cancun for "MTV Spring Break", also starring Al Shearer about helping men meet women, and "Stupid Bets". His manager advised him not to compete in "Last Comic Standing" as it was a reality show, but he agreed as he was depressed and frustrated with the uncertainty of his career as "Opie and Anthony" had been cancelled. Norton had a contract with Viacom during this time.