Tim Allen back in red suit for 'The Santa Clauses' series on Disney+

Tim Allen is putting on his red suit again. The “Home Improvement” star is bringing the “Santa Clause” franchise into the streaming age with a family-friendly series for Disney+, which is debuting its first two episodes Wednesday.

“The Santa Clauses” returns Allen to the role of regular-guy Scott Calvin, who was forced by circumstances to take over the job of the North Pole’s most famous resident in the 1994 hit movie “The Santa Clause.” That led to two more films and, now, a small-screen spin-off.

What else do you need to know about this latest gig for the former metro Detroiter who’s the voice of the Pure Michigan ad campaign? Beyond that, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas’ annual TV takeover? Here’s the scoop.

What’s the show about?

After spending nearly three decades at global gift-giving, Calvin is ready to take a buyout, so to speak, and spend more time with his family. But quitting is no piece of fruitcake, as the “The Santa Clauses” trailer reveals. “I retired too soon. I hired the wrong guy. I’ve got to go back to the North Pole,” says Allen’s character. And no, he’s not talking about Elon Musk.

Who else is in the cast?

Besides Allen, the actors include Elizabeth Mitchell (aka Mrs. Claus), Kal Penn, Austin Kane, Matilda Lawler, Rupali Tedd and Devin Bright.

Aren’t you forgetting someone?

Oh yeah, one of the supporting roles is played by Allen’s 13-year-old daughter, Elizabeth Allen-Dick. The actor told Entertainment Tonight that he originally thought she could be a background elf, but she won the role of Calvin’s daughter, Sandra, with her audition. “She drilled a very difficult mood joke and she kept on it all the way through. They said, 'We're going to let her read some other people,' and then they gave her the part!”

And what about Bernard the Elf?

Good news for fans who were disappointed that actor David Krumholtz had to pass on being in 2006's “The Santa Clause 3” because of his role on the CBS crime procedural “Numb3rs." Krumholtz is back for one episode of the new series, according to numerous reports. “The Santa Clauses” creator Jack Burditt told TV Line that “he plays a pivotal part in teaching Scott some things that maybe he didn’t know, either about the mantle of Santa Claus or himself.”

How is he different as Kris Kringle 28 years later?

Allen joked to People, “I look younger now in the Santa makeup than I do out of it."

How did “The Santa Clause” movies fare at the box office?

The 1994 original film connected with audiences and earned more than $145 million domestically and $190 million globally.  The New York Times review opined: “It may be early for Christmas, but it's not too early for a clever, entertaining children's film with a realistic edge and a minimum of seasonal mush. 'The Santa Clause' easily transports Tim Allen from success on television … to bright prospects on the big screen.” The 2002 sequel, “The Santa Clause 2,” did almost as well financially, earning about $139 million domestically and nearly $173 worldwide. Even the disappointing 2006 follow-up, “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause,”  earned around $84 million domestically and almost $173 million worldwide.

And what went wrong with “The Santa Clause 3”?

Allen told the Hollywood Reporter that it was a case of becoming “infected by our own success.” Said Allen, “By No. 3, all we had was money. The story kind of just got bigger and bigger. And the fact that Marty Short and I never did a scene together that was funny, I’m still going, huh. That’s the funniest human being I’ve ever been around, other than me, and we never got a shot to do a real big scene together.”

Which famous quarterback has a cameo?

Spoiler alert:  In the short version of the trailer shown at the D23 fan event, Peyton Manning was seen interviewing to become the replacement Santa. What?? Did anyone see how good Matt Stafford was at yelling "Pizza! Pizza!" in his Little Caesars commercial?

Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@freepress.com.

'The Santa Clauses'

First two episodes now on Disney+. Additional episodes will arrive on Wednesdays through Dec. 14.

Rated TV-PG

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 'The Santa Clauses' revives the Tim Allen holiday franchise on Disney+