8 of the worst Christmas specials ever, according to Rotten Tomatoes and viewers
It’s that time of year: cosy nights in, hot chocolates, and endless Christmas TV. There are plenty of epic festive specials out there, from all three Gavin & Stacey efforts to the iconic Royle Family ‘The New Sofa’ episode, where Denise’s Nigella-inspired feast ends in disaster. But among these nostalgia-dripped jewels, there are also plenty of cringeworthy and downright failed festive attempts. Here, we expose eight of the worst Christmas specials of all time (remember, it’s all subjective!) (Picture: Getty Images/Rex)
Star Wars Holiday Special
Of course we have to start with Star Wars Holiday Special. It’s been branded a cultural monstrosity, with many critics questioning how on Earth it even got made. With a dire 25% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer and Popcornmeter, the 1978 special was universal panned. It was the first Star Wars spin-off film, set between the events of the original film and The Empire Strikes Back, and followed Chewbacca as he tried to get home to his family on Kashyyyk for ‘Life Day’. While it doesn’t sound like the worst thing in the world, when you consider the bizarre variety show factor, which featured comedy bits, celebrity musical numbers, and an animated short, you can understand why people were incredibly confused. (Picture: CBS via Getty Images)
Star Wars Holiday Special
If you needed more proof as to why it was such a failure, just read some of the critic comments on Rotten Tomatoes. Brad Newsombe from the Sydney Morning Herald said: ‘Yes, it features Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford, but nobody who saw this kitschy TV abomination back in 1978 was surprised that George Lucas wanted it erased from human memory.’ Meanwhile, Shaun Munro from Flickering Myth added: ‘The Star Wars Holiday Special is a work of such baffling insanity that every Star Wars fan deserves to watch it once — but probably only once.’ (Picture: CBS via Getty Images)
Christmas Karma
Unfortunately, 2025’s Christmas Karma didn’t even make it to Christmas without receiving its fair share of hate. With just a 25% Rotten Tomatoes score, the A-list cast of Eva Longoria, Boy George and Billy Porter couldn’t save it from the critics. At a glance, it’s just a remake of the Scrooge — a reimagining of the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. Sadly, it didn’t quite hit, with Peter Bradshaw from the Guardian writing: ‘It’s only November and this film has given me an overload of Yuletide nausea.’ Elsewhere, Robbie Collin from the Daily Telegraph said: ‘Christmas Karma is a film made with the best intentions by some lovely human beings, but which keeps finding new and spine-twistingly embarrassing ways to fall on its face.’
Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
You can’t even find Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer on Rotten Tomatoes, but viewers have some strong opinions on the 2000 musical/animation offering. Based on the 1979 novelty song of the same name, viewers watched a young boy search for his missing grandma, all while trying to prove Santa Claus was real. The people of Reddit had a lot to say about the movie, with one person simply writing: ‘I hated it with a passion.’ Another said they recalled it being played every holiday season. They penned: ‘I remember turning the TV on and being like “ugh Grandma got hit by a reindeer is on again.”‘ However, one user did give the film credit. They said: ‘It really is a fever dream. The plot makes no sense. And yet it’s so fun to watch. I feel like this played a big role in my love of bad movies.’ (Picture: Cartoon Network)
He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special
This Christmas TV special was based on the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and its spin-off She-Ra: Princess of Power. The 80s superheroes teamed up to prevent Horde Prime from causing havoc during Christmas. Many have said the premise of Earth children getting trapped on Eternia was super weak, while others found the blatant toy commercialism to be a major ick. Those who watched it as kids back in the 1980s had mixed reviews on Reddit. While one person said they tolerated it purely for nostalgia purposes, another said they were forced to watch it by their husband. On Rotten Tomatoes, someone gave it a ‘So Bad it’s Good’ rating.
Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas
Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas received a measly 21% Tomatometer rating. However, general viewers were a lot kinder, awarding it a 70% Popcornmeter score. The 2013 Christmas movie saw Madea accompany Eileen to convince her daughter, Lacey, to come home for Christmas. The real reason Lacey was reluctant to go home? Because she had secretly married Connor (Chad Michael Murray), a white classmate from college, and didn’t want her judgmental mother to know. Stephen Schaefer from the Boston Herald was one of the critics to drop a negative review on the platform. It read: ‘This Madea creaks as it starts, before predictable plot mechanics mesh for an upbeat finish, complete with a Christmas carol.’ Nathan Rabbin from The Dissolve said: ‘The film may sound like an instant camp classic, but while it’s staggeringly odd, it isn’t much fun.’ (Picture: Tyler Perry/Kobal/Shutterstock)
Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas
Now don’t hate on us, Ice Age is a classic. It’s just that people aren’t that fond of the Christmas special. For context, it followed Sid’s descent into Santa’s bad books when he accidentally destroyed Manny’s valuable Christmas rock. In an attempt to fix his mistake, Sid travelled to the North Pole, but (every pun intended) found himself in hotter water than before. So, why was it deemed a flop, you ask? Key criticisms included plot holes and logistical issues (viewers found it weird that modern Christmas concepts took place in the Ice Age), lack of originality (it followed a typical holiday special template), and franchise fatigue (the idea that the Ice Age movies had run their course). One Rotten Tomato user called it the ‘worst Ice Age movie’ and added they ‘don’t really remember what happens in it.’
Christmas with the Kranks
Christmas with the Kranks gets the award for the worst Rotten Tomatoes score on this list — an awkward 5%. The 2004 movie chronicled the cranky Krank family who declared they wouldn’t be celebrating Christmas. But, when their daughter decided to come home, Luther and Nora were forced to organise a last-minute celebration. Critics were pretty harsh on Rotten Tomatoes: Nell Minow from Common Sense Media called it ‘unoriginal, unfunny slapstick holiday fare.’ Anna Smith from Empire Magazine said: ‘[A] comedy so broad it barely dents its targets and a patronising moral conclusion that goes against everything its protagonists originally stood for.’ (Picture: APC/THA/Shutterstock)
Elmo’s Christmas Countdown
Elmo’s Christmas Countdown is a 2007 TV Christmas special which featured the characters from Sesame Street. It also starred Ben Stiller as Stiller the Elf, who, alongside Elmo, was tasked with finding the missing numbered blocks of the Christmas Counter-Downer before Christmas was ruined. The main issues viewers had with the special were the awkward celebrity cameos, Elmo’s overuse of ‘It’s a Christmas miracle!’, and its self-promotional feel. For example, Variety noted Ty Pennington’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition segment felt more like an advertisement than a genuine festive plot. Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
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