The holiday season continues to make its way into our hearts, minds, and streaming lineups. With more snowbound surprises to come in the 2022 TV schedule, we now have our first look at a series fans have been anticipating for some time. Disney+’s The Santa Clauses is set to make its big debut, and the first big trailer not only shows us the return of Tim Allen’s Santa, but also more of franchise favorites Charlie Calvin and Bernard the Elf.
Through a trailer freshly delivered to the internet with care, the Disney+ spinoff has started to tease some complications to Scott Calvin’s impending retirement as Santa. Disappearing elves, a massive drop in Christmas spirit, and the return of those creepy robotic nutcrackers from The Santa Clause 2: The Escape Clause all seem to be complicating what was supposed to be a smooth transition. I wonder if this is how Tom Brady feels whenever he talks about retirement?
Disney’s Santa has the right reasons in his heart for using The Santa Clauses’ series arc to retire. Tim Allen’s character wants to spend some time with his family, as his wife Carol (Elizabeth Mitchell), and two younger children (Elizabeth Allen-Dick & Austin Kane) appreciate the gesture. It’s a decision that also brings back Charlie Calvin (Eric Lloyd), who’s surprised that Santa can even retire.
Then again, considering his first encounter in The Santa Clause, that's not a stretch. Come to think of it, it's kind of a reminder of just how dark the origin story of this franchise actually was.
And then there’s the biggest development of all: the return of David Krumholtz’s Bernard, former head elf of the North Pole. The Santa Clause fandom has already gone nuts about this decision, as we haven’t seen or heard from the character in 20 years. While the previous trailer unveiled Bernard’s return, you can’t have enough of a fan-favorite when hyping up a show like this.
Six-episodes will see Scott Calvin and his family trying to save Christmas, and you can bet that The Santa Clauses is going to be a weekly tradition for Disney+ families throughout its run. Especially when such huge returns could lead to more legacy Santa Clause cast members returning as pleasant twists to this legacy-quel. It certainly wouldn’t be Christmas without some surprises under the tree.
The Santa Clauses will begin its sleigh ride to adventure with a two-episode premiere on November 16th. No matter if you’re naughty or nice, you’ll need a Disney+ subscription to enjoy this new chapter. So you better watch out when it comes to keeping your access to that platform current; especially if you want to revisit The Santa Clause Trilogy, which is also available on the same streaming service.
