The Santa Clauses - Season 1
Stream on Disney+
Episode: 6 Episodes (Around 30 minutes each)
Rated TV-PG
The Santa Clause with Tim Allen is a classic and definitely makes the list of all time best Christmas movies. The sequel was okay, and the third one (in my opinion) was horrible. However, Tim Allen and Santa aren’t done yet! Santa is back and gets one more chance to shine, but this time in a television format with six episodes that last 30-35 minutes. The premise this time around is that Santa and Mrs. Clause are looking to retire and for the first time ever give their children a “normal” Christmas. It just so happens that there is a “clause” to help with that.
Themes:
Themes in the show include aging, Christmas spirit, family, putting first things first, normalcy, having meaning in one’s life, retirement, health, the magic of Christmas, work ethic, not being able to do what you love, growing up, time, retirement, giving up, burn out, and parenting.
Language:
The worse it gets is darn tootin, golly darnest, and some play on words like “oh soot” and “I’m too old for that shift.” There are a few religious exclamations and “darn it.” In the last episode Santa mentions that he has been, “busting his snow balls.”
Stuff to be aware of:
There is an elf that pukes glitter. Santa has a sweat shirt that reads, “Sit on my lap and tell me what you want.” There is a joke about having children and a drug joke about angel dust. In the fifth episode Krumpus makes an appearance. If you aren’t aware of this Christmas monster a quick google search can show you. He isn’t used in a scary way, but his appearance is scary. In the very last episode there is a monologue of families opening Christmas gifts and one family is two men and a child. They are not wearing wedding rings and one looks a bit older than the others. It could be interpreted that they are a couple or just family.
Overall:
I enjoyed this series. While not perfect, it is a far better than the two sequel movies. The humor and writing feel like the original movie, and the dialogue is witty. I laughed out loud several times. There are nods, references and Easter Eggs from all the past movies as well as some guest appearances from old characters. The series climax was a bit anticlimactic and predictable, but all the journey there is fun and leaves all the characters in some neat places.
I also really liked what they did with Mrs. Claus and allowed the character to change the “traditional” view of Mrs. Claus (plump and baking cookies) and turned her into someone even better.
One thing I will also mention is that I love the new character Matilda Lawler plays. She is very funny, deadpan, and super cute. If you aren’t familiar with her she plays Flora in Flora and Ulysses.