“I’m Giving You the Worst News a Santa Claus Could Get. You’ve Lost Weight.”
Watching at least one of the movies in The Santa Clause franchise is a Christmas tradition for me. Okay, so it’s usually the first one, but I find the other movies have their charms as well. So, I was thrilled when I learned Disney+ was going to give us The Santa Clauses this December.
As the show opens, Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) has been Santa for almost 30 years. And the changing times have made it harder for him. His magic is failing a little and he’s starting to slip, like off roofs. So, he decides that it must be time to retire. Fortunately, there is a clause that will allow him to do that if he can find his successor. While his daughter, Sandra (Elizabeth Allen-Dick), doesn’t want to leave, his wife, Carol (Elizabeth Mitchell) and son Cal (Austin Kane) are thrilled with experiencing life outside the North Pole again.
After an exhaustive search, Scott picks Simon Choksi (Kal Penn) as his replacement. With Simon and his daughter, Grace (Rupali Redd) in place, the Calvins return to Chicago. But how will everyone handle these changes?
As much as I was looking forward to this show, I found it uneven. It is designed as a comedy, and there were certainly laughs. I truly enjoyed much of the humor, so that was good.
They also did work in a couple of franchise alums. Eric Lloyd pops up in an episode as Scott’s son Charlie. Meanwhile, David Krumholtz returns for an episode as Bernard, the head elf from the first two movies. Would I have liked to see more of them? Absolutely. But I’m happy we at least got to see them for the time we did. Unfortunately, they didn’t find a place for Scott’s first wife, Laura, her second husband, Neil, and their daughter, Lucy.
On the other hand, I felt like this was a good movie idea stretched out to fill the series. Granted, there are only six half hour episodes, so the entire thing is about 3 hours. But cut in half, I think it would have been much stronger. They could have cut out some of the repetitive moments and jokes, and the plot would have benefitted from being streamlined.
The other issue with the series is that it feels like a retreat. I know, there are only so many things they can do with Santa. But this very much felt like a thinly disguised twist on The Santa Clause 2 to me.
None of this is the fault of the actors, who are all fabulous in their roles. They get lots of laughs from the script and are obviously having fun.
Likewise, the series looks fabulous. Whether it is the practical sets of the North Pole and Santa’s workshop or the special effects, it is a feast for the eyes.
The season finale absolutely worked for me. Yes, I expected most of the things that happened, but I got very caught up in the story and emotionally invested in what was happening. Then again, I’ve always loved a well-done climax, and that’s what we got here.
There are also some fun nods to the original movies for fans to enjoy.
I thought this was a one-off series, but the day the season finale aired, Disney announced the show would be back for season two. Knowing me, I’m sure I’ll be watching when they premier.
If you are a fan of The Santa Clause franchise, I’d definitely recommend giving The Santa Clauses a try. It’s not bad, but it’s not anything that’s going to blow you away, either. If you only really loved the first movie, you can probably skip this one.
I've only watched the first Santa Clause and have enjoyed that. I don't have Disney+ , so I probably won't watch this.
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