GigiVi Review of The Santa Clauses

The Santa Clauses (2022–2023)

Void of Heart and Overall Disappointing

[2/10 · 16 November 2022]

The Santa Clause are some of my favorite Christmas movies, so although I was a bit hesitant of a new series, I was excited to see more of this world and the characters. However, I was incredibly disappointed upon watching the first two episodes. The writing is stiff and awkward. The new characters aren't interesting - they're very one-note and predictable. The pre-existing characters are poorly written and seem like hollow stereotypes of what they once were, as if the writers for these episodes couldn't fully grasp what made them compelling characters in the first place. It's very uncomfortable to watch. At one point, in the first episode, there's a short banter referencing current political topics, and that really does not feel like The Santa Clause. It's too modern, and not in the sense of showing what the real world is to the magical world as it was in the original trilogy, but being so modern (Buddy and Sandra being a hollow stereotype of what an adult views a modern teenager as) that it dries out the magic that the original had. This series isn't interesting to watch for the story. The only reason I watched the second episode was out of curiosity, not a love for the ongoing story and characters. Everything that the three movies had was stripped from this series. It's like this mechanical, dry emulation of it. It has no love, no heart - to be frank, it only exists as a nostalgic cash-grab, and they aren't shy of showing that. No effort was put into this - I'd say watch it out of curiosity if you'd like, but don't expect greatness.