Best Christmas Ever (TV programming block)
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Best Christmas Ever is a seasonal
program block Block programming is the arrangement of programs on radio or television so that those of a particular genre, theme, or target audience are united. Overview Block programming involves scheduling a series of related shows which are likely to attra ...
on AMC, an American cable and satellite network. The block, launched in 2018, airs Christmas-themed television specials and feature films from late November until the day after Christmas. Its primary direct competition is the more established
25 Days of Christmas Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas is an American annual seasonal event of Christmas programming broadcast during the month of December by the U.S. cable network Freeform. The event was first held in 1996, and has been an annual fixture of the chann ...
on Freeform, on which much of the same programming had previously aired prior to 2018. The two blocks continue to share rights to three films, with each network getting a window to air each film: the 1994 remake of '' Miracle on 34th Street'', '' Mrs. Doubtfire'' and ''
Love the Coopers ''Love the Coopers'' (titled ''Christmas with the Coopers'' in the UK and Ireland) is a 2015 American Christmas comedy-drama film directed by Jessie Nelson and written by Steven Rogers. The film stars an ensemble cast, including Alan Arkin, Jo ...
''. In contrast to 25 Days of Christmas, Best Christmas Ever airs no original programming, relying entirely on reruns.


History

AMC had typically aired a rotating lineup of five to six Christmas movies during the holiday season. In 2018, the channel introduced a more extensive holiday lineup branded as Best Christmas Ever, running from November 26 to December 25, featuring a mix of popular Christmas and family films, along with other acquired specials. The schedule included notable acquisitions from Warner Bros., including '' Elf'', ''
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' is a 1989 American Christmas comedy film and the third installment in ''National Lampoon'' magazine's ''Vacation'' film series. ''Christmas Vacation'' was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, written and co ...
'', '' The Polar Express'', and 12 Rankin/Bass specials. The films had been recent mainstays of the 25 Days of Christmas schedule, with ''Elf'' in particular having received extensive airplay and high viewership during the event. Other programs included specials from
DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios and simply known as DreamWorks) is an American animation studio that produces animated films and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division ...
. As expected, AMC saw ratings gains over the holiday season; primetime viewership for the first two weeks of the event was up 40% year-over-year, airings of ''Elf'' and ''Christmas Vacation'' both peaked at 1.5 million viewers, and average viewership of feature films on Freeform fell by 36% year-over-year in the same period. In 2019, Freeform responded to the loss of most of the Rankin/Bass library by acquiring cable rights to the two remaining specials from that company that had never been aired on cable: '' Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' and '' Frosty the Snowman'', sharing the rights with those two specials' longtime free-to-air rightsholder, CBS. In 2020, AMC expanded the "Best Christmas Ever" brand to its streaming service AMC+, which carries more adult-oriented content from AMC and partner networks We TV, Sundance TV, IFC and BBC America. For 2021, AMC added hosting segments from
Beverly D'Angelo Beverly Heather D'Angelo (born November 15, 1951) is an American actress who starred as Ellen Griswold in the ''National Lampoon's Vacation'' films (1983–2015). She has appeared in over 60 films and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for h ...
, the co-star of ''
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' is a 1989 American Christmas comedy film and the third installment in ''National Lampoon'' magazine's ''Vacation'' film series. ''Christmas Vacation'' was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, written and co ...
'', and themed days throughout the block, some of which will include out-of-season films: movie marathons devoted to John Candy and Bill Murray, marathons devoted to holiday mischief ("Naughty List Marathon") and slapstick ("Holiday Hijinks"), and a Wonka Weekend featuring a rotation of both film adaptations of the book '' Charlie and the Chocolate Factory''."Best Christmas Ever" Returns to AMC and AMC+ with a Month-Long Celebration of the Holidays Beginning November 29
''AMC press release''. Retrieved November 16, 2021.


Programming

As of 2022:


Specials

*'' Donkey's Caroling Christmas-tacular'' *'' The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow'' *'' Frosty's Winter Wonderland'' *'' Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer'' *''
How Murray Saved Christmas ''How Murray Saved Christmas'' is a 2014 animated musical television special, directed by Peter Avanzino and written by Mike Reiss. The voice actors include Jerry Stiller, Sean Hayes, Kevin Michael Richardson, Jason Alexander, John Ratzenberger an ...
'' *'' Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas'' *'' Jack Frost'' (1979) *''The Leprechaun's Christmas Gold'' *'' The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' (1985) *'' The Little Drummer Boy Book II'' *'' The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper'' *'' Merry Madagascar'' *''Michael Bublé's Christmas in Hollywood'' *''
Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey ''Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey'' is a 1977 Christmas stop motion animated television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. It premiered on ABC on December 3, 1977. The story is based on the 1975 song of the same name, written by ...
'' *'' Pinocchio's Christmas'' *'' Rudolph's Shiny New Year'' *''
'Twas the Night Before Christmas ''A Visit from St. Nicholas'', more commonly known as ''The Night Before Christmas'' and ''Twas the Night Before Christmas'' from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously under the title ''Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas'' i ...
'' (1974) *''
The Year Without a Santa Claus ''The Year Without a Santa Claus'' is a 1974 stop motion animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. The story is based on Phyllis McGinley's 1956 book of the same name. It is narrated by Shirley Booth (her final ...
'' (Shared with Freeform TBS, and TNT as of 2022)


Series

*''
The Great Christmas Light Fight ''The Great Christmas Light Fight'' (originally titled ''Lights, Camera, Christmas!'' in development) is an American reality television competition show that premiered on December 9, 2013 on ABC. The series is traditionally scheduled in a double-ru ...
'' (shared with CMT and Buzzr)


Films

*''
Annie Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...
'' *'' Christmas with the Kranks'' (Shared with Freeform as of 2022.) *'' Elf'' (Shared with Freeform and TBS and TNT as of 2022) *'' Fred Claus'' (Shared with Freeform, TBS and TNT as of 2021) *'' Four Christmases'' (Shared with Freeform, TBS and TNT as of 2021) *'' Home Alone'' (Shared with Freeform) *'' Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'' (Shared with Freeform) *'' Ice Age'' *'' Ice Age: The Meltdown'' *'' Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs'' *'' Ice Age: Continental Drift'' *''
Jingle All the Way ''Jingle All the Way'' is a 1996 American Christmas family comedy film directed by Brian Levant. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad as two rival fathers, mattress salesman Howard Langston (Schwarzenegger) and postal worker Myron Larabe ...
'' (Shared with Freeform) *'' Jack Frost'' (1998) *''
The Legend of Frosty the Snowman ''The Legend of Frosty the Snowman'' is a 2005 direct-to-video animated film produced by Classic Media, Studio B Productions, and Top Draw Animation. The film is narrated by Burt Reynolds and features Bill Fagerbakke as the voice of Frosty the ...
'' Miracle on 34th Street (1947) (shared with TCM as of 2022) *''
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' is a 1989 American Christmas comedy film and the third installment in ''National Lampoon'' magazine's ''Vacation'' film series. ''Christmas Vacation'' was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, written and co ...
'' (shared with Freeform TBS and TNT as of 2021) *'' Planes, Trains and Automobiles'' *'' The Polar Express'' (shared with Freeform, and TBS and TNT as of 2021) *'' Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July'' *'' Unaccompanied Minors'' *''
White Christmas White Christmas most commonly refers to: * White Christmas (weather), snowfall or snow-covered ground on Christmas Day * "White Christmas" (song), a 1942 song written by Irving Berlin White Christmas may also refer to: Film, television, and the ...
''


References


External links


Best Christmas Ever 2019 list
{{Rankin-Bass AMC (TV channel) original programming Christmas television specials Annual television shows Television programming blocks in the United States Recurring events established in 2018 2018 American television series debuts AMC Networks