The viewers have spoken, as The Santa Clauses is returning for Season 2! For many, it was a joy to see Tim Allen reprise his role as Scott Calvin alongside the rest of the Santa Clause cast. While fans enjoyed seeing the OG stars, the franchise also added some newcomers in the Disney+ series, and that trend is going to continue. It's been revealed that a new star has been added to the cast for the second season, and it's a Modern Family alum.
Disney+ officially announced that the Christmas-themed fantasy comedy series is currently in the middle of production for the second season. And with Season 2, the House of Mouse kept things in the family, as they brought back a beloved star from ABC (which is owned by the multimedia conglomerate). Modern Family alum Eric Stonestreet will join the Disney+ TV series and is set to play a new character called Magnus Antas (a.k.a. Mad Santa). Antas is a 14th-century Santa Clause who returns to reclaim the North Pole from Scott Calvin. With the reveal of Stonestreet’s trouble-making newcomer, fans also got some details on the new season by way of an official synopsis:
In the second season, the Calvin family is back in the North Pole as Scott Calvin continues his role as Santa Claus after retirement plans were thwarted when failing to find a worthy successor in season one. Now that Scott and his family have successfully saved Christmas, Scott turns his focus towards training his son Calvin to eventually take over the 'family business' as Santa Claus.
Eric Stonestreet has been in the entertainment business for some time now, but he truly broke through, thanks to his role as Cameron Tucker on the long-running comedy series. The actor starred on all 11 seasons of the show and won two Primetime Emmys for his work. His Santa Clauses casting definitely adds further legitimacy to the series. This will also mark his third live-action gig since the conclusion of the Emmy-winning Modern Family.
In terms of the season's actual plot, it sounds like Scott Calvin is looking to prepare his youngest son to step up and take the mantle so he can properly retire. The first season saw Tim Allen’s Scott tap Kal Penn’s Simon Choksi to be his successor only for Choksi to become the main antagonist. So after Choksi’s demise, it appears Christmas will face another threat from Stonestreet’s Mad Santa. And the new baddie will be joined in his quest to regain the North Pole by his sidekick Olga, an unsympathetic and surly gnome, played by The Mysterious Benedict Society cast member Marta Kessler.
Eric Stonestreet's latest role is a major departure from the fun-loving, overzealous farm boy Cameron Tucker, but he's got the acting chops to nail the part. There’s no telling what trouble Mad Santa will cause the outgoing and future Santa Clauses. I'm excited to see what he brings to one of Disney's most beloved franchises.
If you want to catch up with the Calvin family, get a Disney+ subscription to watch Season 1 of The Santa Clauses and/or check out the original three movies. You can also see Eric Stonestreet’s work aas Cam Tucker by streaming Modern Family using a Hulu subscription.
