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| A still from the NBC special. |
Reindeer in Here: Reindeer in Here debuted in November 2022 with a solid 0.42 rating, retaining a respectable amount of the 0.66 that its Rudolph lead-in posted. In 2023, Reindeer perked up to a 0.43 rating for its Saturday showing but was undoubtedly inflated by a football lead-in. This one clearly does not belong at the top of this list, but the power of NFL help elevated it to the number one spot. In 2024, expect it to be closer to the 0.21 it posted for its second 2022 telecast, unless it gets boosted again. Grade: B
How The Grinch Stole Christmas: Grinch managed a 0.41 for its first 2023 showing and then dropped to a 0.32 for its second. Though it remains one of the highest-rated of the bunch, it was down about 25% from 2022 (0.41 vs. 0.55) for the first airing. The year-to-year drop is a little concerning, but it's still a force despite the decline. This one gets an A for the actual ratings but a C for the overall trend. Grade: B
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town: Santa Claus is Comin' to Town posted a 0.38 for its first telecast of December 2023, dealing with a light 14% dip from 2022's 0.44. It got to air again on Friday the 22nd and managed a solid 0.35. This Christmas staple aged gracefully in 2023 and impressed when placed on the air a second time. This feels like the healthiest of the current crop of specials, and ABC is lucky to have the rights to it. Grade: A
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Rudolph posted a massive 0.66 in 2022 but only managed a 0.39 last year, marking a 41% decline for the famous reindeer. It's still at the top of the pack, but this is an even worse decline than Grinch. If we're looking at the ratings themselves, this would be at least a B+. However, it gets a C- or a D+ when it comes to the year-to-year trend. Grade: B-
Prep & Landing: Prep & Landing and its sequel Naughty vs. Nice have been a part of ABC's holiday lineup since 2009 and 2011 respectively. In 2023, they both dropped by four-hundredths, with the original managing a 0.30 and the sequel posting a 0.28. These numbers are just fine. This is clearly not an IP with some sort of massive following behind it, so this is not terrible given that these two have been around for over a decade now. It's possible that they will eventually slip out of rotation, but they seem safe now that ABC no longer has the Peanuts library at their disposal. The Alphabet Network will probably want a meaningful cartoon presence for the holiday season, and these two fit the bill. Grade: C
Shrek the Halls: Though other franchise-based specials like Toy Story That Time Forgot, Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas, and Merry Madagascar have fallen out of circulation, Shrek the Halls has proved to have some serious staying power. Shrek was a staple on ABC's Christmas lineup from 2007 to 2021 before being benched in 2022. NBC came to the rescue in 2023 and awarded it the post-Grinch slot. Shrek managed a strong 0.36 rating for its first showing and nearly eclipsed its final ABC broadcast (0.39) in the process. The 88% retention out of Grinch was remarkable, showing the incredible compatibility of this duo. And while the second showing only managed a 0.19, that one had the bad luck of airing on a Saturday, meaning many had already had their dose of Shrek for the year. Shrek may not be in the same league as a Frosty or a Rudolph just yet, but it is a seasoned veteran in its own right, especially compared to some of the newer disappointments. Thanks to the NBC pickup, this one likely has a bright future of yearly broadcasts ahead of it. Grade: B
Frosty the Snowman: Frosty dropped by almost 40% from its 2022 showing, going from a 0.43 to a 0.26. However, it retained most of the Rudolph encore (0.27) that led into it and had less lead-in help than in years past. For a Saturday, this is a fine performance. But, maybe more should be expected from a name like Frosty, so it gets some points knocked off for not being in the same league as the big 3. Grade: C
Frosty Returns: This one did a 0.33 in 2022 with a 0.43 lead-in and a 0.24 in 2023 with a 0.26 lead-in. Retention has clearly gotten stronger even though ratings diminished. Frosty Returns is a nice companion piece to the original Frosty, even though it usually lags behind. Since it dropped less than the original Frosty, it gets the better grade. Grade: C+
Olaf's Frozen Adventure: In its first 2023 showing, Olaf managed a meager 0.19 rating, falling a bit from its Mickey lead-in (0.21). In showing #2, Olaf grew to a 0.25 and easily outpaced its Mickey lead-out (0.20). Though any kind of growth is good, there really isn't much of a difference between these two performances strength-wise. The first aired in the dreadful 7:30 p.m. time slot and struggled, while the second had the local lead-in advantage and benefited because of it. All things considered, Olaf is a modest, albeit unremarkable, performer. Grade: C-
Robbie the Reindeer: Robbie the Reindeer is one of the more obscure items on here, and CBS clearly knows that as they only air it once a year...on a Saturday. Robbie averaged a 0.22 in 2023 for the two installments that aired (Hooves of Fire & Legend of the Lost Tribe). This is not particularly encouraging, especially with a 0.43 lead-in, but there are clearly weaker performers here. Robbie was way down from the 0.35 it managed in 2022, but it's possible that some sports inflation was baked into that airing. When looking at the broadcast history of this one, CBS had it on for a few years in the early 2000's, but it was completely absent from 2006 to 2015. With this abysmal showing and Reindeer in Here putting up larger numbers, it wouldn't be a surprise if they decided to shelve Robbie again. Grade: D
Mickey Saves Christmas: Mickey Saves Christmas exists in a strange space in the Christmas special ecosystem. The Mickey Mouse brand itself may be one of the oldest IPs on this list, but Saves Christmas is one of the newest specials on here, having just debuted in November 2022. Interest in this special is clearly not there as it only managed a 0.21 for its first showing and a 0.20 for its second. Though the 0.21 could be excused since it was placed in the 7 p.m. death slot on a Sunday night, it got to air on a Tuesday at 8:30 the second time around and did not improve. Considering that its grand 2022 premiere only managed a 0.28, it really didn't decline that much from where it started. Still, far more should be expected from the Mickey brand, and this one will probably fall out of rotation in the near future. Grade: D-
Trolls: Holiday in Harmony: Trolls: Holiday in Harmony is the second Trolls-based Christmas special to be made and seems to have knocked its predecessor (Trolls Holiday) out of rotation. Trolls Holiday managed a mammoth 1.5 for its 2017 launch but crashed to a 0.1 just two years later. Holiday in Harmony debuted in 2021 with a 0.35 and slipped to a 0.33 in 2022, nowhere near the highs of the special that came before it but also nowhere near the lows. In 2023, it aired on a Saturday and plummeted to a 0.20. It deserves a bit of praise for building on Shrek by 0.01, but this is nothing phenomenal. Holiday in Harmony probably won't stick around for much longer, but it did fine given the downgrade in time slot and night. Grade: C-
5 More Sleeps 'Til Christmas: 5 More Sleeps 'Til Christmas debuted in 2021 with a 0.40 and returned in 2022 with a 0.30. In 2023, it was removed from its 8pm at Fridays perch and was instead placed in the much more challenging 7pm slot on a Sunday. It completely bombed, posting just a 0.08 and dropping by over 70% from the 2022 showing. This one had an uphill battle given its terrible time slot, but that does not excuse the outright collapse. It would be a Christmas miracle if this one returned in 2024. Grade: F
Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer: Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer is the lone holiday special that the CW airs regularly, though they have aired titles like It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie and Merry Madagascar in the past. Grandma is an inoffensive performer for the CW. Its ratings are nothing spectacular, but it is on par with the rest of the network's programming. Considering how often it airs, it will likely stick around. Grade: C
