When you think of a live-action Father Christmas, few will turn to Billy Bob Thornton’s Bad Santa, but instead, the wonderful Tim Allen who excelled in the role. Before it appears on Disney Plus, we confirm The Santa Clauses release time and dive into early reviews.
The show will feature the return of familiar faces as well as a sleigh full of new characters from Kal Penn, Matilda Lawler, and Austin Kane.
Showrun by Jack Burditt, directed by Jason Winer, and based on The Santa Clause by Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick, The Santa Clauses is a sequel to 2006’s The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause and features returning stars Tim Allen, Elizabeth Mitchell, Eric Lloyd, and David Krumholtz.
Best in Snow | Official Trailer | Disney+
The Santa Clauses Release Date
The Santa Clauses debuts on Wednesday, November 16, 2022, on Disney Plus.
The festive show arrives just over five weeks before Christmas, returning Allen to the role of Santa Clause.
Disney’s synopsis for the show, revealed at this year’s D23 event, is as follows:
“Scott Calvin is on the brink of his 65th birthday and realizing that he can’t be Santa forever. 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 two sons, one that grew up in Lakeside, Illinois and one that grew 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.”
The Santa Clauses Global Release Times
Following the release pattern of other Disney Plus content, The Santa Clauses will debut at Midnight PT.
This release time translates to the following times where you are:
- Eastern Time: 3 AM EST
- British Time: 8 AM GMT
- European Time: 9 AM CET
- India Time: 12.30 PM IST
- Australia Time: 4.30 PM ACDT

How Many Episodes are in The Santa Clauses?
The Santa Clauses is confirmed to have a neat six episodes within its run and no second season is expected because it has been billed as a miniseries.
The show will debut with a double-bill premiere on the aforementioned release date and the final episode will air on Wednesday, December 14, 2022 – eleven days before Christmas.
Below, we have highlighted The Santa Clauses full release schedule:
- Chapter One: Good To Ho – November 16, 2022
- Chapter Two: The Secessus Clause – November 16, 2022
- Chapter Three: Into the Wobbly Wood – November 23, 2022
- Chapter Four: The Shoes Off the Bed Clause – November 30, 2022
- Episode 5: TBA – December 7, 2022
- Episode 6: TBA – December 14, 2022

The Santa Clauses Review
The Disney Plus series has debuted with a 73% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes alongside a 65% audience score.
There was a real risk for The Santa Clauses to fall short of the magic captured in the first movie – back in 1994 – but many have praised its success thanks to some sharp writing.
However, it’s not been to everyone’s taste, as Dexerto’s Cameron Frew describes it as “sweet as sour milk.”
By Jo Craig – [email protected]