Tim Allen has returned as Santa in the Disney+ series The Santa Clauses. The first two episodes premiered on November 16 and resulted in Allen trending on Twitter as some gave the series love and others were more critical of the reprisal.
Most critical tweets were spurned by a quote from the series that viewers perceived as the comedian and actor putting his political agenda into the show. Allen, who is a supporter of the Republican Party, has also received backlash for his politics in the past.
In the series, Allen’s character, Scott Calvin, states, “saying ‘Merry Christmas to all’ has suddenly become problematic.”
This riled up Twitter because it referenced the controversial so-called “war on Christmas.” Viewers thought that inserting that statement into a show meant to be a family-friendly holiday flick was unnecessary.
The “war on Christmas” is a phrase that some individuals use to claim that society is trying to dissociate Christmas from the Christian religion. Proponents of this belief also claim that others are offended by the word “Christmas” because it has Christ in it.
However, others merely support making the holiday neutral for non-religious people or acknowledging the countless other holidays that occur around the same time of year as Christmas. Critics of the “war on Christmas” believe that the Christmas tradition is a pagan holiday that never had anything to do with Christianity.
What are people saying about Tim Allen’s The Santa Clauses?
Twitter was pretty divided over Allen regarding The Santa Clauses. Much of the discussion, though, did center more around the personal opinion of Allen and his controversial Christmas joke, than on the actual quality of the film.
In addition to slamming his war on Christmas reference, many were displeased that Allen received a Disney+ series after he claimed to have been “canceled” by Hollywood for his politics.
In the past, Allen claimed his sitcom Last Man Standing was canceled because of its conservative themes. His supporters also claimed he was replaced by Chris Evans as the voice of Buzz Lightyear because of his beliefs.
Others also brought up how he was arrested for drug trafficking in the 1970s, insinuating he shouldn’t be a celebrity or have a Disney show, given his past.
However, not all of the Tweets were negative. Some users defended Allen and criticized others for attacking him for his politics.
Other users also praised both Allen and his new series for its comedic merit.
For some, Allen’s history ruined The Santa Clauses for them, but others found themselves enjoying the series and Allen’s work.
What is The Santa Clauses?
The Santa Clauses is Disney’s newest original series. The show serves as a continuation of The Santa Clause film trilogy which kicked off in 1994 and concluded in 2006.
The first installment in the series performed well, while the second and third were less well received. Despite mixed reactions, though, The Santa Clause series has become a Christmas classic.
The Santa Clauses sees Allen reprise his role as Calvin, who has been serving as Santa Claus since accidentally killing his predecessor. In the show, he is approaching his 65th birthday and realizes his stint as Santa is ending.
As a result, he sets out to find a successor and rallies his family for one more magical Christmas adventure.
While the series has divided audiences, it is still too early to tell what the final consensus on the series will be. There are still four more episodes waiting to be aired.
For now, curious viewers can stream the first two episodes of The Santa Clauses on Disney+.