The Walking Dead’s Parody of The Star Wars Holiday Special

In celebration of Red Nose Day, NBC and the cast of The Walking Dead created a hilarious parody of a “classic” (and infamous) holiday special – The Star Wars Holiday Special

After The Walking Dead’s terrifying season finale, it is a fun relief to see a more jovial side of the cast in their “Red Nose Day Special”.

To donate to Red Nose Day and support this children’s charity, visit the official site here: https://donate.rednoseday.org/

The Star Wars Holiday Special is a favorite to parody. Another memorable parody of this unforgettable 1970’s creation was from Funny or Die’s “The Hypothetical Star Wars Holiday Special”. In this parody the focus is around The Force Awakens film and cast, complete with unrelated celebrity guests, cringe worthy musical numbers and a homecoming story line.

I remember watching the original Star Wars Holiday Special as a kid in awe and excitement! This was before the days of video, internet and Netflix, so there was no ability to see your favorite heroes on the big screen a million times like we can now on several mediums. You would get your fill any way you could through toys, books, and TV.

Fresh off the release of A New Hope, CBS was quick to capitalize on the Star Wars hype. Unfortunately, it was with this special. See where it all started in the FULL EPISODE posted below!

“The special from 1978 really didn’t have much to do with us, you know. I can’t remember what network it was on, but it was a thing that they did. We kind of let them do it.” said George Lucas in a 2005 interview, “We let them use the characters and stuff and that probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but you learn from those experiences.”

As “bad” as the special was as compared to today’s standards, I try and watch it every year with friends around Christmas time. It may be bad but it was groundbreaking in the merchandising and promotional ability the product had that had not been something studios considered in the past. It was also a time where celebrities weren’t “too big” to promote their film in such a way as to go from movie blockbuster to a children’s TV special. In the end, it is great for some laughs, horror, and a trip down TV memory lane!