8 holiday shows with Columbus connection
Ready to get into the Christmas spirit with a weekend of television shows and movies?
Well, it’s no secret that there’s plenty of holiday fare to choose from, and it’s easier than ever to find thanks to the abundance of streaming services out there.
This year, consider going local with your selections by choosing offerings that have a connection to Greater Columbus, including actors who were born here or who attended Ohio State University.
Curl up under a warm throw on the couch with some hot chocolate and log into your favorite streaming service. Here are eight suggestions of holiday entertainment with local ties to get you started. Merry binge watching!
‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’
Beverly D’angelo, who plays the level-headed wife, Ellen, opposite Chevy Chase’s manic Clark W. Griswold in this 1989 film, was raised in Upper Arlington. The classic comedy has Clark trying to put on the best Griswold family Christmas ever, but things quickly go awry starting with the selection of their Christmas tree and escalate when his cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) arrives with his family.
Available to stream on HBO Max.
‘How I Met Your Mother’
Bexley native Josh Radnor is best known for playing Ted Mosby on this CBS sitcom. The long-running show that ran from 2005-2014 tells the story of how Ted finds the love of his life with the help of four friends. In the series’ first Christmas episode, “How Lily Stole Christmas” (Season 2, Episode 11), a rift forms between Lily (Alyson Hannigan) and Ted after they find an old answering machine message in which Ted criticizes Lily after she left Marshall (Jason
Segel). It aired in 2006. Available to stream on Hulu.
‘Everybody Loves Raymond’
Patricia Heaton, who played wife and mother Debra on the CBS sitcom, is an Ohio native and was a student at Ohio State University in the 1970s. The show, which ran from 1996-2005, is centered around Raymond Barone (Ray Romano), a sportswriter living with his family on Long Island. In the series’ 1997 Christmas episode, “All I Want for Christmas” (Season 2, Episode 12) Ray is looking to spend some alone time with Debra on Christmas morning, but they have to put their plans on hold to spend time with the family.
Available to stream on Peacock.
‘The Middle’
Heaton’s other successful sitcom, “The Middle,” also has quite a few Christmas episodes for fans to watch. The ABC comedy aired from 2009-2018 and features Heaton as Frankie Heck, a wife and mother trying to hold her family together in Indiana. In the series’ 2010 Christmas special, “A Simple Christmas,” her husband, Mike (Neil Flynn), is less than thrilled when Frankie’s parents come to visit.
Available to stream on HBO Max.
‘Country Christmas Album’
This 2018 Ion Television movie was filmed entirely in Columbus. “Country Christmas Album” is about country music singer Tess Stapleton (Hannah Barefoot) being forced to record a Christmas album with former boy band star Derek Copeland (Evan Gamble). But as they work on the album together, sparks fly between Tess and Derek.
Available to stream on Amazon Prime, Youtube, Google Play and Apple TV.
‘Queer Eye for the Straight Guy’
Columbus native Ted Allen served as the food and wine connoisseur on the Bravo show, including its holiday special in 2003, “A Very Queer Eye Holiday.”
The episode has The Fab Five (Allen, Kyan Douglas, Thom Filicia, Carson Kressley, Jai Rodriguez) pay a follow-up visit to four of their old clients to see if they have kept up with what the men taught them, and to invite them to a holiday party at the Fab Five loft.
Available to stream on Peacock.
‘Diners, Drive-ins and Dives’
Guy Fieri, the host of the long-running Food Network show, was born in Columbus. “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” featured a Christmas-themed episode in Season 8 titled, “A North Pole Christmas” (2009). Fieri travels to North
Pole, Alaska, for all kinds of Christmas dishes: holiday ham with wild Alaskan cranberries, reindeer hoagies and Santa burgers. On the episode, he tries holidays dishes from a brewery, a barbecue joint and a Chinese restaurant.
Available to stream on Discovery Plus and Amazon Prime.
‘Amahl and the Night Visitors’
This Christmas opera was broadcast on NBC in 1951 and marked the debut of Hallmark’s Hall of Fame series. “Amahl and the Night Visitors” is about a disabled shepherd boy and his mother being visited by three strangers. They turn out to be the Three Kings, who are on their way to Bethlehem to visit the recently born Jesus. Child actor Chet Allen, a soprano from Columbus, played the title role.
Available to watch on Youtube. mwalker@dispatch.com @micah_walker701