Stars on screen

Checking in with Tim Allen

For Tim Allen, “The Santa Clause” is a gift that keeps on giving.

Though he’s had long-running television sitcoms with “Home Improvement” and “Last Man Standing,” the actor-comedian has had mixed fortunes in the movie realm. One of his most successful films was the 1994 Disney comedy about an everyday man pressed into service as the new Father Christmas, with Allen reprising the role in 2002 and 2006 theatrical sequels. He’s playing it again in “The Santa Clauses,” a Disney+ series that had its premiere last holiday season and returns for a second round with the first two new episodes Wednesday, Nov. 8.

The show’s return finds Scott Calvin (Allen), who has been performing the tasks of Santa since being transformed into the beloved yuletide figure, still considering retirement and seeking a successor to accomplish Christmas Eve gift deliveries. Elizabeth Mitchell, Austin Kane, Elizabeth Allen-dick (Allen’s daughter) and Laura San Giacomo also return in their roles, with Eric Stonestreet (“Modern Family”) and Gabriel Iglesias among those joining the show for its sophomore season.

While he has made such other movies as “Galaxy Quest” and “Joe Somebody,” Allen has scored many of his top big-screen victories via Disney. The Toy Story franchise surely stands as testament to that, with his voicing of Buzz Lightyear helping to fuel four massively profitable feature films as well as related short subjects and television specials. “Jungle 2 Jungle” and a remake of “The Shaggy Dog” are among other projects that have served both Allen and the Disney studio well.

Whether “The Santa Clauses” will keep the humor and magic going for a third season remains to be seen, but at least for now, Disney+ is putting Allen back in an iconic outfit and a familiar premise at the time of year that suits them best.