What to watch this holiday season: ‘Dear Santa,’ musical variety shows and a cute little owl

“An Almost Christmas Story” is a beautifully designed and lit animation, blending magic with realism. It is emotional, suspenseful, humorous, and sometimes terrifying (like the best children’s one.

In these United States, commonly known as the Land of Cognitive Dissonance, Christmas – a tradition that has never been at war – is fast approaching. Instead, it seems to be more of an invader, with its troops already stationed in drugstore aisles, marching through online catalog pages, and playing its tunes over supermarket speakers. The pine and fir trees that will soon fill empty spaces and parking lots nationwide are the rear guard, following closely behind.

As a film enthusiast, I can’t help but marvel at the power of television during the holiday season. The period from Thanksgiving to New Year’s has been meticulously reserved for heartwarming programming that embodies the spirit of the festive season. Fresh, innovative Christmas romantic comedies are springing up like evergreens, not just on traditional platforms like Hallmark and Lifetime, but also on Netflix, Hulu, and various other streaming services. This year alone, over 100 new ones are being released, each with no more than a handful of unique plots, adding to the countless others that have come before and continue to reappear. It’s like we’re in a never-ending loop of cinnamon-scented, sentimental cinematic bliss!

During the holiday season, there’s an abundance of special episodes from your beloved series, repeated airings of popular holiday films across various cable channels, and let’s face it – it can feel like an overwhelming onslaught. However, instead of fighting it, why not embrace it? After all, Christmas is taking over television, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the festive spirit. Here’s a brief guide to some shows, although please note that many have not been reviewed in advance.

Among non-romantic holiday movies, the most promising seems to be “Dear Santa” on Paramount+ (Nov. 25), where a child’s mistyped letter to Santa leads to a visit from Satan (portrayed by Jack Black) instead. Contrary to another film titled “Dear Santa” (ABC-owned stations, Sunday; streaming on Hulu Nov. 29), this is not a heartwarming US Postal Service docuseries about fulfilling children’s Christmas wishes. Instead, we have the Australian series “Nugget Is Dead? A Christmas Story” (CBS, Dec. 14 and currently streaming on Paramount+). Here, Steph (Vic Zerbst), a budding dermatologist, decides to skip Christmas with her boyfriend’s family due to their dullness and snobbery. Upon returning to her boisterous, chaotic clan, they are faced with the illness of their dog. As events unfold, it becomes clear that Steph is bisexual, and the vet is a lesbian. Although it eventually takes a romantic-comedy turn, this film is not a rom-com in the middle.

Jack Black and Robert Timothy Smith are the main actors in “Dear Santa,” which can be watched on Paramount+. (Image by Jessica Miglio)

Diversity, once dominating radio and TV, mostly thrives during Christmas now, due to its all-inclusive, widespread appeal that fits well with the holiday spirit. While streaming platforms have started exploring this vast pool, traditional broadcast network television still holds the reigns, having honed this form over many years.

NBC has created three fresh specials for you to enjoy. For those who appreciate urban sophistication, there’s the “Jimmy Fallon’s Holiday Seasoning Spectacular” (Dec. 4, available for streaming the following day on Peacock). This special is inspired by Jimmy Fallon’s new album of humorous holiday duets on “The Tonight Show”. It seems that in this production, Fallon knocks on doors in a New York apartment building and uncovers a star guest at each one, much like how Dean Martin used to do in his holiday specials (which can still be found on YouTube). The lineup of performers includes Dolly Parton, Jonas Brothers, Justin Timberlake, Cara Delevingne, LL Cool J, J.B. Smoove, Meghan Trainor, “Weird Al” Yankovic, the Rockettes, and of course, the Roots.

In a holiday special airing on Dec. 11 (Peacock, the following day), Smokey Robinson and Halle Bailey host “A Motown Christmas“, featuring classic Motown artists like Robinson, Gladys Knight, Martha Reeves, and the Temptations alongside newer talents such as Jamie Foxx, BeBe Winans, Jordin Sparks, Andra Day, October London, and Jojo. As someone who might not be considered young, but certainly young-at-heart, I needed to familiarize myself with a few of them. Given Motown’s iconic Christmas tunes from the past, this event promises to deliver an enjoyable experience.

I too found myself delving into the music of Little Big Town, a group whose impressive 25-year career had somehow eluded my attention; their videos suggest a country music version of ABBA, with Björn and Benny Andersson providing harmonies. “Little Big Town’s A Country Christmas Special” (Dec 16, available for streaming on Peacock the following day) is also connected to a holiday album titled “The Christmas Album.” Joining them are artists such as Sheryl Crow, gospel star Kirk Franklin, actress-turned-singer Kate Hudson, South African masked country artist Orville Peck, and Josh Groban, who has his own upcoming special (more details below).

CBS Presents: “An Evening with Dua Lipa” (Streaming Dec. 15 on Paramount+) showcases the pop sensation performing at London’s Royal Albert Hall accompanied by a grand orchestra, while also offering intimate insights into her thoughts and feelings, allowing viewers to glimpse the person behind the superstar. Elton John is rumored to make a surprise appearance, so let’s all feign shock!

I had the pleasure of attending “Smokey Robinson and Halle Bailey’s A Motown Christmas” (Carell Augustus/NBC), a delightful holiday special that I couldn’t resist.

For its holiday feline care, ABC has historically relied on its parent company, offering special programs such as “The Magical Holiday World of Disney: Spectacular Celebration” (Dec. 1) – a musical hour, and “Disney Parks Magical Christmas Morning Parade” (Dec. 25, 5 a.m. PT), broadcast live from Disneyland and Disney World. As mysteriously as the reason behind Goofy’s speech but Pluto’s silence, Mickey and Minnie are expected to make an appearance in these festivities celebrating theme parks and intellectual properties. The human participants in this event have yet to be disclosed.

ABC’s annual “CMA Country Christmas” (Dec. 3, available for streaming the next day on Hulu and Disney+), hosted by Carly Pearce, does not showcase any characters owned or copyrighted by Disney. The guests include Maren Morris, Old Dominion, the dynamic duo the War and Treaty, and my favorite alternative bluegrass artist, Molly Tuttle.

Away from the traditional television screens, and catering more to a younger and edgier audience, is “A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter” (Netflix, Dec. 6). The multi-talented performer dishes out a variety of music and humor. Notable guests include Chappell Roan, Quinta Brunson, Shania Twain, Kali Uchis, Cara Delevingne, Kyle Mooney, Nico Hiraga, Megan Stalter, Sean Astin, Owen Thiele, Tyla, and Jillian Bell. I needed to check most of those names as well.

Nothing says Christmas quite like stop-motion animation. (NBC will be showing the special that started it all, the indelible, inevitable Rankin-Bass “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” 60 years old this year, on Dec. 6 and 12.) Directed by David Lowery (“Peter Pan & Wendy”) and produced by Alfonso Cuarón, the gorgeous, semi-realistic, puppet-animated “An Almost Christmas Story” (now streaming on Disney+) takes off from the real-life 2020 rescue of a little owl from the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. (The lighting of the tree will be broadcast by 30 Rock tenant NBC — simulcast on Peacock — Dec. 4, with Kelly Clarkson hosting the usual suspects in a musical extravaganza, “Christmas in Rockefeller Center.”)

Titled “An Almost Christmas Story,” this captivating film seamlessly blends reality with fantasy, showcasing an innovative approach to materials and setting. It’s a heartwarming yet suspenseful tale that mirrors the best of children’s literature, offering moments of laughter, tension, and occasional fright.

Individuals who derive greater enchantment from a solitary picture-book illustration compared to 100 hours of computer-generated imagery will be drawn to the 2D production, “The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland” (now available on Hulu). This work draws inspiration from Carys Bexington’s 2019 book and Kate Hindley’s sketches. The plot revolves around a misplaced letter to Santa (Gerard Butler), which leads him on an adventure into Wonderland, where the Queen of Hearts (Emilia Clarke) – harsh and autocratic – is anything but festive. A myriad of characters from Lewis Carroll’s tales abound, the dialogue takes the form of rhyming pairs, embodying the wit of British humor and the zany energy reminiscent of Mack Sennett two-reel comedies. The reindeer are particularly amusing, and the story ventures to places only cartoons can explore.

In the animated film “That Christmas,” which will be released on Netflix on December 4, St. Nick makes another appearance. The screenwriter of “Love Actually,” Richard Curtis, is co-adapting his own 2020 picture book for this production. The voice cast is incredibly impressive, featuring stars like Brian Cox, Fiona Shaw, Bill Nighy, Jodie Whittaker, Lolly Adefope, Katherine Parkinson and Rhys Darby – all of whom I adore. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been reviewed yet, but the trailer shows parents stranded abroad in a snowstorm, children managing (or mismanaging) themselves at home, a group of turkeys, and Santa facing some sort of predicament. It’s rendered in CGI, which is unfortunate, but otherwise, it looks promising.

Before we go, I can’t help but recommend again, and will as long as I’m asked to do these holiday roundups, the 1965 revisionist fairy-tale TV musical “The Dangerous Christmas of Little Red Riding Hood” (YouTube), with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Bob Merrill, who had written “Funny Girl” a couple years before. The unlikely combination of a 19-year-old Liza Minnelli as Red, Cyril “Captain Hook” Ritchard as the Wolf and the Animals, of “House of the Rising Sun” fame, as his vulpine crew, is a Christmas miracle I can get behind. Could such a thing happen in our fractured, culturally insular day and age? Don’t answer that.

Here’s one way to rephrase that:

And to all a good night.

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2024-11-22 14:33