- Created by Jack Burditt
- Based on The Santa Clause by Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick
- November 16, 2022 to present
- Disney+
Main Cast
- Scott Calvin/Santa Claus-Tim Allen
- Carol Calvin/Mrs. Claus-Elizabeth Mitchell
- Buddy “Cal” Calvin-Claus-Austin Kane
- Sandra Calvin-Claus-Elizabeth Allen-Dick
- Betty-Matilda Lawler
- Noel-Devin Bright
- Kris Kringle-Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias
- Magnus Antas/The Mad Santa-Eric Stonestreet
Recurring Cast
- Edie-Isabella Bennett
- Crouton-Sasha Knight
- Hugo-Izaac Wang
- La Befana-Laura San Giacomo
- Gary-Liam Kyle
- Riley-Ruby Jay
- Olga-Marta Kessler
- Cupid-Kevin Pollak
- The Easter Bunny-Tracy Morgan
- Sandman-Michael Dorn
While training his son to be his successor, Scott must contend with the return of Magnus Antas-The Mad Santa!
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Chapter Ten: Miracle on Dead Creek Road
- Directed by Katie Locke O’Brien
- Written by Katy Colloton and Katie O’Brien
- November 22, 2023
Finally Scott (Tim Allen) learns that the Mad Santa (Eric Stonestreet) is a threat. Four episodes and he finally knows the other guy exists. And the other guy looks to be almost as powerful if not as powerful as Scott just because he got a trainee vest. I know this is a comedy but I’m not sure how the rules work here. Wouldn’t it make sense to give your trainee child the mild version of the magic?
The story of Chapter Ten: Miracle on Dead Creek Road takes place at Easter. Because of what happened in the last episode Scott must fill in for the Easter Bunny (Tracy Morgan) and hide what he’s doing from the other Legendary Figures which at this point consists just of the Sandman (Michael Dorn). It felt just like it was stretching things out a little more in a fashion similar to what happened with the transformation of the Easter Bunny in the last episode.
We finally learned how the nutcracker made its way amongst humans. The head of the E.L.F. Gary (Liam Kyle) sold it to pay off his gambling debts. We all knew it was Gary, but the payoff just doesn’t feel humorous. This all comes as a shock but some of those characters know he did it as implied or stated in dialogue. And who was Gary gambling with for cash? I have so many questions now…
Scott gets a magic watch to look like Scott rather than Santa Claus for no good reason I can see other than to save money on prosthetics. Or maybe it had something to do with the effects. During this period with the magic watch they do a couple of shots where we see Scott invisible. He and his son wear a magic bunny hat that makes them invisible to everybody that doesn’t possess Santa Magic. It is just a blue light shining on them when we see them and maybe that light highlighted the makeup.
As family friendly entertainment it’s acceptable. I just feel like they’re stretching out a much smaller idea into a longer form. Quite possibly there was an arbitrary number of episodes they needed to meet so between the Easter Bunny transformation and Scott having to fill in for the Easter Bunny they got themselves about two or three more episodes.
They spend a little time expanding upon Sandra’s (Elizabeth Allen-Dick) witch powers but given what’s happened I think it’s pretty easy how she could undo her own transformation spell. She wished the Easter Bunny into a fuzzy rabbit so why doesn’t she just wish him back into the Easter Bunny?
Kris (Gabriel Iglesias) is framed as a dreamer running a money pit that his dad wants to sell. He comes off more as detached from reality. He misses how dangerous his two new friends are and that his business is seriously tits up. And he has no effect on the overall story.
I can’t call the episode terrible. It’s just not great. It is just drawing things out. I hope things improve.
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Chapter Eleven: B-E-T-T-Y
- Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright
- Written by Emalee Burditt & Hayley Frazier
- November 29, 2023
In this episode we get a complete and unabridged origin story of story of how Magnus Antas/The Mad Santa (Eric Stonestreet) and the gnome Olga (Marta Kessler) came to be encased in the nutcracker. We also get an origin on one on the whole coal and a gnome connection to it. Not that we really needed it. Anywho…
For me, this is really a highlight of the whole series. Not a comedic highlight, but a story highlight as it really does up the stakes in a relatively comedic sense. When it comes to the elves’ perspective we do get to see why they are so worried about Santa. And we do learn that the punishment for Santa is ironic since his plan when he was turned into a nutcracker was to turn all the naughty children into nutcrackers. What we don’t get is why the gnomes were so heck bent on turning Santa against the children of the world.
But my issue is still that the Mad Santa doesn’t feel like a threat. He doesn’t have to be all maniacal and dangerous, but he needs to feel like he is villain material and could beat Scott even though we know Scott will win. He doesn’t seem competent enough and neither does the sidekick Olga. I might be a little more forgiving if I felt consistently like Olga (Marta Kessler) was the one pulling the strings-and sometimes it does feel that way-but others it feels like it’s all the Mad Santa.
Kris Kringle (Gabriel Iglesias) is just kind of there and desperate for the love of his dad. If the dad were more of a character, it might be less pathetic but with the dad showing up in all of maybe two episodes he’s just pathetic. If they wanted to stretch this out, then maybe take some time and develop the divide between Kris and his dad rather than just talk about it. Show. Don’t tell.
And this episode further wastes the character of The Easter Bunny (Tracy Morgan). He spends the episode as a lemon (or some citrus fruit). Why was he even placed in the story then? He amounted to zilch. Ugh!
Then again this is essentially a half hour comedy episode. Because of that you can somewhat forgive the shortcomings but not entirely. Even so I wasn’t completely disappointed and I did enjoy myself. All things considered I think the finale will be satisfying but not what it could have been.
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Chapter Twelve: Wanga Banga Langa
- Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright
- Written by Vali Chandrasekaran
- December 6, 2023
So Wanga Banga Langa is the finale of this season. And I enjoyed it. I think it stumbled more to the conclusion that it headed to the conclusion. And there were a few points it felt a little too neat in wrapping up certain storylines. But there was an enjoyable chaos to it all. Things got crazy and entertaining. I could not help but feel like it skipped a scene or two before the opening though. I don’t know.
The final confrontation between Scott (Tim Allen) and Magnus Antas/The Mad Santa (Eric Stonestreet) was effective but didn’t feel like two equally powerful characters facing off. There’s a scene where Scott got tossed against the wall by magic but other than that it was a lot of talking amongst everybody. I don’t need a bunch of cool special effects in a magic battle, but I needed a little something more.
Kris Kringle (Gabriel Iglesias) despite being a front and center character in the show didn’t do anything here much like the whole series. He simply geeked out this whole episode and that was it. The action of the episode was slowed up every time he met a Christmas character. But other than that it was a fun conclusion to the season. A definite upswing from previous episodes.
In Chapter Twelve: Wanga Banga Langa they gave us a token resolution to most everything while leaving room for more to come. You can draw conclusions in your mind of where things will go even if another season never comes and I appreciate that since it feels like it is largely a lost art.
This is a final episode that saves the season. I was losing hope that this would be enjoyable or satisfying, but they managed to pull it out at the last second. If you’re looking for something fun at Christmas time or you enjoy the Santa Claus films then this is worth taking a look at.
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Overall…
I ultimately enjoyed Season Two of The Santa Clauses. It was fun Christmas entertainment. I wasn’t expecting anything deep or complex and this pretty much fits the bill. Having said that it felt like this was a smaller idea stretched out into something longer. I think if they had cut down the number of episodes and removed a few characters they could’ve made this into a satisfying Disney+ movie rather than a limited series.
They were elements in Season Two that went absolutely nowhere, such as Kris’s dad not being able to see a happy Christmas memory or his dysfunctional relationship with his son. It ultimately added up to an excuse to break the snow globe and give a place for the rehabbed villain to go. Or the inclusion of The Easter Bunny. He did NOTHING for the story despite having learned important information.
I also felt they could’ve better played the dynamic between mad Santa and Olga and how it caused everything. By the final episode it was revealed that they brought the worst out in each other, and the implication is that was the reason Santa decided to turn all the naughty children into nutcrackers. During the course of the show it waffled back-and-forth who is actually in control and I think they should’ve done better but I guess in hindsight you could see it as how they explained it.
Season Two was a good season. Not great but good. If they do another season I certainly hope they avoid repeating the issues that I’ve stated here. I’m not dissuading you from checking it out. I encourage you to check it out for something better than many of the new Christmas offerings you’ll see out there. I just want them to do better next time. Enjoy!
Warren Watched A Movie 