Probably the last question of the week this year, unless you all fancy another one next Tuesday, say. But to round off this year, I'm going to ask the unthinkable:
Should there even be Christmas specials?
Lots of shows do episodes set at Christmas (or Thanksgiving). However, scheduling being what it is, they can be delayed – so House's Christmas special ended up being shown in January last year IIRC. They also make less sense during re-runs, when they can be shown in any order. They can also be extremely lame or even offensive (think episodes where Jesus really does come down to make the world a better place – or does he?).
So to avoid these kinds of mix-ups and lamenesses, should writers steer clear of Christmas and other holiday-related episodes? Or is it all good fun and appropriate and only namby-pamby liberals would think otherwise?
As always, leave a comment with your answer or a link to your answer on your own blog.
December 16, 2009 | Reply
Since the West Wing episode of Noel is pretty much one of my favourite bits of TV ever, I can't say I'm against Xmas episodes. I guess it depends on how it's integrated into the overall narrative. There have certainly been some duff Xmas stories and specials over the years.
Scheduling is another matter: why allow a Xmas ep to be made and then not schedule it to screen then? madness.
December 17, 2009 | Reply
The scheduling thing always bothered me in the past with the "Treehouse of Horror" episodes of 'The Simpsons'. Because of baseball playoffs, they always got shunted off to November.
But as for the Christmas special episodes, I'm all for them - so long as they go for something new. There should be a moratorium called on any more variations on "It's A Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Carol"!
December 17, 2009 | Reply
Anyone who grew up in the UK watching American series is used to Christmas episodes coming at odd times of the year, as well as obviously completely made-up celebrations (I mean, 'Thanks Giving'? Why not just use harvest festival like 'The Curse of the Were-Rabbit' did, instead of coming up with a fictional version?).
But, where the setting at Christmas is an integral part of it, there's not really any problem with screening it at a different time of the year -- any more than you should, say, only read Crime and Punishment at midsummer within sight of the Arctic Circle, or Chocolat during Lent. The evocation of the time of year is part of the effect.
On the other hand, where the Christmas setting is more to do with making the audience feel that the series in advancing in step with their own lives, in order to heighten identification with the characters (so soap operas, for example, or a lot of American series) and so loosely if at all integrated into the episode as a whole, it becomes more tedious to watch not at that time of year: the Christmas trappings seem irritating and unwelcome distractions.
So: yes, but if you're going to do a Christmas special make sure that it's in some way vital to it that it is set at Christmas; don't just stick a bit of tinsel on the set and do an otherwise normal episode where the 'Christmas party' could just as easily be a 'Hallowe'en party', an 'Easter party', or just a 'party'.