Scott Calvin is dead. Only Santa remains. And with the combined forces of Scott’s 90’s business know-how and good old fashioned Christmas magic, the happiness of the world’s children is up a whopping 86%, even as the world grapples with the murky landscape of a post 9/11 socio-political arena.

This halcyon status quo is threatened however, when a hitherto unseen fine print of the infamous Santa Clause reveals that Santa must find a wife before Christmas, or lose his powers forever. Can Santa find love? Can Scott Calvin remember how to be a normal man on Earth?

Join Nick and Scott on another festive FRANCHISOGRAPHY as they debate the merits of this much more cuddly and kid-friendly sequel, 2002’s THE SANTA CLAUSE 2.

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

FRANCHISOGRAPHY gets into the holiday spirit with a deep dive into the beloved Santa Clause Trilogy!

America’s ultimate 90’s funnyman Tim Allen stars as ultimate 90’s corporate dad, Scott Calvin, a recent divorcee struggling to find any holiday spirit when Christmas Eve just means arguing with his ex-wife and her obnoxiously evolved new beau and struggling to connect with his increasingly estranged son, Charlie. Scott’s life changes forever when Santa Claus himself falls off the roof and presumably breaks his neck or spine something because he like, instantly dies, leaving this cynical boomer dad with the sacred task of bringing holiday cheer to children all over the world.

Does Scott Calvin have what it takes to become Kris Kringle, Santa Claus, Père Noël, Babbo Natale, Pelz-Nickel, Topo Gigio? Does this 90’s kid classic hold up in today’s modern world?

Ryan Cultrera (host of The Hallo-Rewind and Sounds Scary) joins Nick and Scott as they share a bowl of sugar, do some shots of brown liquor and celebrate this offbeat holiday favorite, 1994’s THE SANTA CLAUSE

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

It’s a Betweenisode!

Recorded less than 24 hours after the 2024 Presidential Election…

Join Nick & Scott as they discuss the election results, rank the Purge franchise, pitch ideas for a Purge anthology series and what a final Purge film should be, and announce our next mini-series (which might just give you tonal whiplash)!

Next week: A new franchise begins!

FRANCHISE POTENTIAL: Humane (2024) episode now available on PATREON!

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

Purge creator James DeMonaco decided to end the series and when he realized the story would focus on immigration, he realized he needed a Latino director at the helm. After seeing his renowned work as a television director, DeMonaco turned to director Everardo Valerio Gout who wrapped on the “final” Purge production in February of 2020, just before a global pandemic would lead a nationwide lockdown.

Originally intended for release in July of 2020, it wouldn’t be until a year later in July of 2021 that THE FOREVER PURGE would finally hit theaters. And by that time, the idea of this being the last Purge film had already faded as DeMonaco began work on a sixth Purge film that will eventually see his return to the director’s chair.

Join Nick and Scott as they pour over the details of the Texas setting of the very rural, not-so-final Purge movie.

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After three films, Purge creator James DeMonaco was ready to step away from the director’s chair to focus on other projects but agreed to stay on as screenwriter. What better way to introduce a new director (Gerard McMurray, fresh off his Sundance hit Burning Sands) to the franchise then by going back to the very beginning of the Purge to show how it all started?

Join Nick and Scott as they discuss THE FIRST PURGE, the highest grossing entry in the franchise, and get to the bottom of the horror behind a Staten Island social experiment that would become a nationwide annual event.

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

After Anarchy proved that the concept had legs, writer/director James DeMonaco wanted to push the franchise to its limits by exploring how the potential end to the Purge would affect society after more that 20 years of the annual event, and using it for an allegorical commentary on the very real political landscape that was building up at the time.

But when THE PURGE: ELECTION  YEAR was released in the midst of the 2016 presidential election campaign, DeMonaco had no idea that his would actually be prognosticating on the very real events of the 2020 election and beyond…

Join Nick and Scott as they discuss the eerie similarities to the real world and this sequel’s tonal struggle between grounded political action thriller and campy dystopian horror film.

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

While The Purge had been immensely successful, financially, the response to the film was disappointing. Audiences felt the premise had been wasted by staying inside a suburban home, turning a great idea into a generic home invasion thriller. With the sequel, producer Jason Blum and writer/director James DeMonaco wanted to give the people what they wanted, settling on a budget 3x that of its predecessor and shooting on-location in downtown Los Angeles in order to show what it was like to be out on the streets during Purge night.

Opening in the summer of 2014, the sequel had a slightly muted opening weekend box office, but as word of mouth spread that this was the movie that people wanted from the concept, THE PURGE: ANARCHY ended up taking home a bigger box office total than the original film.

Join Nick and Scott as they marvel over just how much of a level-up the second film is from the first movie, from concept to character to themes and more, making both hosts wonder… is this the biggest step up in FRANCHISOGRAPHY history?

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

This is not a test, this is FRANCHISOGRAPHY announcing the commencement of a new mini-series sanctioned by the founding fathers of the podcast.

Screenwriter James DeMonaco found himself disturbed by an offhanded comment made by his wife about how great it would be to have one free murder a year after a road rage incident with a drunk driver in Brooklyn. From there, DeMonaco pitched the concept to Jason Blum who saw the potential for it as a new Blumhouse franchise and greenlit the film immediately. A year later, THE PURGE was released in theaters.

Join Nick and Scott as they discuss the fascinating socio-political thought experiments found within the margins of this otherwise unexceptional home invasion thriller that leaves one host describing the film as “like putting a V8 engine inside of a Pinto.”

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

It’s a Betweenisode!

Join Nick & Scott as they rank the Underworld franchise, discuss how an Underworld reboot/remake should be handled (including cast ideas), and announce our next mini-series!

Next week: A new franchise begins!

FRANCHISE POTENTIAL: I, Frankenstein (2014) episode now available on PATREON!

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

Kate Beckinsale’s beloved leather-clad killer is lost and on the run in a new future. When an old ally tries to bring Selene in from the cold, she finds herself in a new web of coven intrigue. Who can she trust? What secrets of this eternal war between Lycan and vampire remain?

The most unexpected FRANCHISOGRAPHY season draws to a conclusion as Selene the Death Dealer makes one last ride in 2017’s UNDERWORLD: BLOOD WARS. Can this scrappy franchise stick the landing or did Nick and Scott just waste five weeks of their lives?

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra