Kacey Musgraves is the new face of Christmas. Or at least that’s what Amazon Prime is banking on with "The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show."
The show is Amazon's first Christmas special and will feature Musgraves, whose brand of poppy country music has won her Grammy awards, CMA honors and blossoming fame.
Many subscription based streaming platforms have already entered the Christmas programming arena, with Netflix pumping out Christmas movies like “A Prince for Christmas” and “The Knight Before Christmas.” But Amazon Prime is the first service to produce a Christmas variety show, reminiscent of the classic broadcast Christmas specials from the 1960s and '70s.
Traditionally, Christmas is a hot time for broadcast television viewership numbers to soar. Nieslen calculated in 2015 that upward of 217 million viewers, including 40 million millennials, tuned in to watch a festive selection of variety shows, movies and TV series during the holiday season.
But broadcast viewership has been falling year by year, while subscription-based streaming platforms' viewership continues to rise, a trend that suggests that Musgraves’ Amazon Christmas Special has the potential to become the new norm for this type of programming.
“Paying tribute to the shows of the past, whilst setting a trend for the present,” said executive producer Ben Winston in a statement describing the special. “'The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show' is something we are proud of and very excited for an audience to see.”
While the platform may be modern, Musgraves' special still aims for a nostalgic and classical twist from the broadcast specials of old. Think a mix of the hokey, punny charm of “The Sonny & Cher Christmas Show” and the familial elegance and charm of the “Judy Garland Christmas Special.”
Traditional Christmas songs like “Let it Snow” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” which were featured on Musgraves' 2016 album, “A Very Kacey Christmas,” will have a playfully modern twist. She will also premiere a completely new holiday song called “Glittery,” that she will sing with Troye Sivan.
The show’s fashion will also be a modern and classic hybrid, as Musgraves performs in a sparkly array of vintage inspired ensembles, from '70s inspired puffed sleeves to ugly Christmas sweaters.
“My vision was to bring my old Christmas album to life visually and create a modern and fashionable, fresh take on a classic format,” said Musgraves in the Amazon press release. “It’s a nostalgic, Wes Anderson-inspired reimagining of the holidays.”
Besides over the top fashion and whimsical, glittery backdrops, the special will host an eclectic group of comedians, singers, actors and more. From host Dan Levy of "Schitt's Creek" to Fred Armisen, Lana Del Roy, Camila Cabello, James Corden, Leon Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Troye Sivan and even Musgraves’ own grandmother, the special will be dripping with star talent.
The special will be available on Amazon Prime Friday.