The Basics
Bonus Features
- None
Review
Some of them go the expected routes (Samantha renews an orphan’s belief in Santa Claus on Bewitched; the Anderson and Stone families learn to appreciate Christmas togetherness on, respectively, Father Knows Best and The Donna Reed Show), while others are a little more offbeat (Sister Bertrille creates a fake snowstorm that upsets San Juan’s economy on The Flying Nun; Commander McHale brings toys to Polynesian natives on McHale’s Navy). The best is the episode of That Girl, a simple story of Marlo Thomas’ Ann Marie trying to help a little boy have a good Christmas. It goes light on the sentimentality, buoyed by Thomas’ always winning personality.
Unearthing the weirdly depressing Christmas episode of obscurity Window on Main Street probably wasn’t the best idea, and it demonstrates a show that clearly had trouble finding a tonal balance. With no bonus features (not even a vintage Yule log), this set offers little that couldn’t be better achieved by just turning your TV to pretty much any channel during the holiday season.
The Bottom Line
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the distributor. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
