‘Santa Clause’ Disney+ Show Recruits Another Returning Star

Nothing beats Christmas like a classic holiday film. One of which is The Santa Clause franchise. Recently, Disney+ announced a limited series with Tim Allen reprising his role as the lead character. His on-screen wife, actress Elizabeth Mitchell, is also returning for some holiday cheer. Michell will reprise her role as Carol — aka Mrs. Claus — in the sequel series, per TV Line. Allen plays Scott Calvin, aka Old Saint Nick.

The report notes that the limited-run series will see Scott “on the brink of his 65th birthday and realizing that he can’t be Santa forever,” the official logline reads. “He’s starting to lose a step in his Santa duties, and more importantly, he’s got a family who could benefit from a life in the normal world — especially his two kids who have grown up at the Pole. With a lot of elves, children and family to please, Scott sets out to find a suitable replacement Santa, while preparing his family for a new adventure in a life south of the pole.”

Allen first began in the franchise in 1994’s The Santa Clause, which followed Scott as a newly divorced father struggling to adapt to his new life when he learns he has to take on Santa’s job after he falls off the roof of his home. The film grossed $200 million at the box office. Two sequels followed: 2002’s The Santa Clause 2, which introduced Mitchell – and 2006’s The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause. The complete trilogy is available for subscribers on Disney+.

15 years after the third installment, it’s being developed as a TV show. Jack Burditt, who is behind Last Man Standing, is the showrunner. Burditt will executive-produce the series alongside Kevin Hench, Richard Baker, and Rick Messina. Production will begin this spring, though a premiere date has yet to be announced. 

Allen’s role in the franchise is one of his most popular, though he admitted that being surrounded by children while filming is annoying. “I’m not really a big fan of children. I have them. I like mine, kind of. I don’t like other people’s children. And when we did ‘Santa Clause,’ it was like cats, they wouldn’t leave me alone,” he said while appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Allen said the kids on set really believed it was Christmas, which added to their excitement. At one point, he accidentally lost his temper. “I mean, I’m dressed like Santa Claus, we had a North Pole set. We used real children, and, in one scene in a submarine, we’re looking, we’re waiting for the North Pole and then Air Force is flying over the North Pole,” he added. “I said, ‘Everybody gotta be quiet.’ And these two kids were fighting in the back. It was late in the afternoon and I’d been in this stuff way too long, I’m very angry, sweaty, and the camera just had to come around and get my eyes.”