The Santa Clauses (Disney +)

[Techwright]

Anyone watching the miniseries The Santa Clauses?  The latest episode just changed everything fundamental to the franchise's concept, but did so organically to the story.  While I don't think it is as good as the original movie (it suffers from moments of cheap writing), I do find it overall entertaining, this episode particularly. (The unexpected image of a harden gumshoe elf hitting a bottle of maple syrup hard trying to get drunk had me in stitches.)  Matilda Lawler, playing the current head elf, shows some real promise as a budding actor.  Laura San Giacomo (Just Shoot Me, Quigley Down Under)appears in the miniseries in a surprising role.

[DougGraves]

Haven't tried it.  Does it have the same feel as the movies?  Fairly light humor?

[Techwright]

5 hours ago, DougGraves said:

Haven't tried it.  Does it have the same feel as the movies?  Fairly light humor?

I'd say so, yes.  I point back to my comment of the hard-boiled gumshoe elf drowning his pain in a pint of maple syrup as an example.  There's many others I could mention, but I'd spoil it.  There's some returning characters dropping in for hefty cameos, and several new characters, among them an elf couple who are the polar opposites (pun intended) of each other personality-wise.  I found it a wee bit unsettling to have actor children playing an old married couple (since the elves have long lifespans), but it is handled well, so no worries.  While it's pretty obvious by episode 4 how the story will turn out, that wasn't quite so clear up front.   It's probably closer in style to movie #2.  I've found it better so far than movie #3 which I never finished.  I like Martin Short but for some reason, that movie turned me off pretty early in the story.  I should probably give it another chance.  

 

The miniseries updates a little, showing the advance (some would say encroachment) of technology into the world of children, and attempts to close some of the plot holes from the movies.  Go into the miniseries with a nice box of popcorn and a realization that nothing deep and profound will happen (though there will be some interesting twists and turns) and you'll likely enjoy yourself.