video playlist

The best under-the-radar holiday shows to watch online, including Pee Wee'sPlayhouse & classic Saturday Night Live

It’s Christmas Eve, and you know what that means: only 24 more hours to enjoy all your favorite holiday specials. While many of you may be settling in with staples like A Charlie Brown Christmas or The Nutcracker, there are plenty more under-the-radar classics to consider when selecting your holiday video playlist.

Here are some of our favorite Christmas specials (that are available online, anyways).

TV Episodes

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Originally aired in 1955, “Santa Claus and the 10^th Avenue Kid” is a surreal tale from the first season of Hitchcock’s iconic series.

Bewitched: Samantha struggles to get her home holiday-ready while keeping her witchy ways a secret from her husband’s boss in “Humbug Not To Be Spoken Here.”

Invader Zim: Will Christmas be the day that alien Zim and his faithful companion Gir get discovered by their unsuspecting Earth neighbors? Find out in “The Most Horrible Xmas Ever.”

Married, With Children: The two-part “It’s A Bundy-ful Life” puts a blue-collar spin on a classic Christmas story.

My So-Called Life: Episode 14, titled “So-Called Angels,” finds Ricky in need of a caring family around the holidays; there’s also a few cameos from Juliana Hatfield, who interjects every 10 minutes or so to sing a song in the snow.

Christmas Specials

A Muppet Family Christmas: With the recent release of Jason Segal’s latest Muppet movie, there’s no better time to revisit this Christmas classic.

Alf’s Special Christmas: Alf gets more adventure than he bargained for when he’s mistaken for a toy and gifted to a sick little girl.

America’s Funniest Home Videos Christmas Spectacular: Unfortunately, this episode isn’t hosted by classic AFHV host Bob Saget, but the ball-busting, head-bumping holiday mishaps are always (always) funny.

Black Adder’s A Christmas Carol: Aired in 1988, this Dickens parody features Rowan Atkinson at his best. Bonus: the show’s narrated by Hugh Laurie — while he’s best known now as House, Laurie actually got his start in Brit comedies like The Young Ones and A Bit of Fry & Laurie.

Pee Wee’s Playhouse: Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon stop by to make Christmas cards, Magic Johnson goes for a sleigh ride, Little Richard ice skates and, for some reason, Charo, k.d. land, Joan Rivers, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Oprah are there. Need we say more?

The Office (UK): Like most British shows, the original Office adheres to the classic “two seasons and a Christmas special” format, tying together the deliciously suspenseful threads left hanging in the series finale in this two-part holiday laugh-tacular.

The Star Wars Holiday Special: Legendary for being one of the most WTF-inducing productions of all time, this 1978 spin-off aired only once but quickly became a cult classic. The special’s very Chewie-centric, taking viewers on a trip to his home planet; but don’t worry, all your favorite characters make an appearance.

Cartoons

TV Funhouse: Best known as a recurring SNL bit, Robert Smigel’s TV Funhouse also had a short (eight episode) stint as a Comedy Central show in 2000; this Christmas episode is exemplary of its twisted, totally amazing sense of humor.

The Boondocks: Those with a less traditional take on the holidays will find a kindred spirit in wry Huey Freeman, who takes on directing his school’s Christmas play in this tongue-in-cheek take on Kwanzaa.

Daria: Not completely Christmas-centric, this episode finds Daria and friends battling holiday stereotypes to put Halloween and Guy Fawkes Day back in their place.

Saturday Night Live

While every season inevitably has its own holiday special, there are a few that stand out from the rest.

Candice Bergen (1975): The very first holiday special in SNL history, hosted by the very lovely Bergen with The Stylistics and Martha Reeves.

Bill Murray (1981): The first ex-cast member to come back and host, Murray can be heard apologizing to the original Not Ready For Primetime Players at the end of the ep.

Paul Simon (1987): Linda Rondstadt helps Simon celebrate.

Steve Martin (1991): Martin’s hosted SNL an astonishing 15 times, always bringing a big boost in ratings.

Alec Baldwin (1998): The only guy who’s beat Martin, with a mind-blowing 16 turns as host, Baldwin totally nails this episode — natch.

Jimmy Fallon (2011): Yes, this past week’s episode qualifies as one of the Best Xmas Eps Ever; the Weekend Update dream team reunion of Fallon, Fey, Poehler and Meyers was enough to cement its place in SNL history.

Etc.

Garrison Keillor: If you’re looking for something a little more low-key, listen up: Keillor reads from his book The Christmas Blizzard in this holiday broadcast.

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If you want more stuff to watch online, check out Fanpop’s list of 101 classic Christmas videos.

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Movie Review

Knives Out series takes a more serious turn in Wake Up Dead Man

Photo by John Wilson/Netflix

Josh O'Connor and Josh Brolin in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

Since 2019, writer/director Rian Johnson has essentially turned over his career to murder mysteries, including 2019’s Knives Out, 2022’s sequel Glass Onion, and the just-canceled Peacock series Poker Face. He’s back for another bite of the apple with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

While private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) returns to help investigate a seemingly impossible murder, the majority of the focus of this film is on the employees and parishioners at a small Catholic church in upstate New York. Father Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) has been assigned to the parish to work under Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). Wicks is a fiery orator who relies on intimidation, as well as the help of church aide Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close), to maintain control over his flock.

That group includes lawyer Vera Draven (Kerry Washington), her politically ambitious brother Cy (Daryl McCormack), Dr. Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), writer Lee Ross (Andrew Scott), cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny), and groundskeeper Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church). The tenets of Catholicism, and religion in general, are put to the test as Father Jud challenges Monsignor Jefferson for leadership, and a death changes things even further.

The free-wheeling and fun nature of the first two Knives Out films gives way to a more methodical and introspective approach in Wake Up Dead Man. While Johnson is interested in presenting a murder mystery, it’s the lives of the various characters that take precedence, especially that of Father Jud. He is shown from the start as someone who wrestles with his faith, which is tested on multiple occasions as he encounters people who challenge him more than expected.

The arrival of Blanc on the scene turns the film into a type of buddy movie, with Father Jud serving as both investigator and suspect. Neither man embodies the type of behavior one might expect out of their respective professions, and what limited comedy the film has comes from their interactions. They’re reined in by Police Chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis), although her desire to get to the bottom of the murder is somewhat stymied by Blanc and Father Jud’s diversions.

The lessons learned from two very different types of sources — mystery novels and Catholicism — collide over the course of the film. A book club that very coincidentally includes multiple mystery novels, including John Dickson Carr’s The Hollow Man, plays a key role, as does the devoutness of the various people at the church. Ultimately, as was the case in the first two films, the nature of the whodunit comes in second place to how the characters react to the multiple reveals along the way.

Craig seems to tone down the over-the-top way he usually plays Blanc in this film, and his performance fits in well with the story being told. O’Connor, a star on the rise after Challengers and more, is asked to carry the film and he does so ably. The strong actors in the supporting cast are not used as well as they could have been, with only Close and Brolin truly making an impact. Geoffrey Wright shows up in a couple of small scenes and makes his presence known quickly.

Wake Up Dead Man is the least entertaining Knives Out film so far, but that’s not to say that it’s uninteresting. Johnson explores topics that result in more talking than action, but those conversations — especially between Blanc and Father Jud — are consistently engaging and revelatory about the characters and the crime they are investigating.

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Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is now playing in select theaters; it debuts on Netflix on December 12.

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video playlist

The best under-the-radar holiday shows to watch online, including Pee Wee'sPlayhouse & classic Saturday Night Live

Movie Review

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