Netflix wins the holidays with ‘A Very Murray Christmas’ — VIDEO

If nothing else, "Scrooged" should have taught Bill Murray the hazards of producing a live TV special on Christmas Eve.

Well, that and never, ever turn your back on Carol Kane.

But here he is, giving it another go — with hilariously disastrous results — in "A Very Murray Christmas" (12:01 a.m. Friday, Netflix), which has just surpassed "Love Actually" and "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas" as my favorite way to spend the holidays.

Written by Murray, director Sofia Coppola and Mitch Glazer ("Scrooged"), "A Very Murray Christmas" is a loving nod to the grand tradition of cheesy Christmas specials like the one that, in 1977, had Bing Crosby singing "The Little Drummer Boy" with David Bowie.

It's such a Bill Murray thing to do.

The Murray-ment begins with the actor and Paul Shaffer, playing themselves, holed up during a blizzard in New York's Carlyle hotel. They're moments away from that live special, but with the city brought to a standstill, none of the cavalcade of stars — Paul McCartney, Pope Francis, Iggy Azalea, etc. — can make it.

A despondent Murray wants to cancel the whole thing, but his producers (Amy Poehler and Julie White) remind him the satellite time has been bought and paid for, and there's no chance at a refund. "Bill," we're told, "has a contractual right and an obligation to do the best (expletive) Christmas show he can."

Murray manages to channel some of that "Little Drummer Boy" magic by strong-arming a defiant Chris Rock, who was just scurrying by on his way home to assemble toys for his kids, into an awkward duet. Rock flees, though, when a power outage ends the broadcast, and Murray retreats to the hotel bar that's stocked with singer and Las Vegas native Jenny Lewis as a waitress, former New York Doll David Johansen as a bartender and the French rock band Phoenix as the kitchen staff.

There's a loose, rambling spirit to the proceedings, whether it's Murray singing with Lewis on "Baby, It's Cold Outside" while minimizing the rapey undertones or Murray joining Phoenix on a jangly, infectious cover of the Beach Boys' "(You'll Never Be) Alone on Christmas Day."

Rashida Jones turns up along the way as a would-be bride, whose wedding was ruined by the weather, and Quincy's daughter taps into her musical heritage for Todd Rundgren's "I Saw the Light." Maya Rudolph, meanwhile, channels her mother, Minnie Ripperton, by blowing the doors off with a cover of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)."

Family and friends play a huge role in "A Very Murray Christmas." Coppola is married to Phoenix frontman Thomas Mars, and her cousin, Jason Schwartzman, shows up as the jilted groom. Murray, of course, was directed by Coppola in "Lost in Translation" and starred with Schwartzman in "Rushmore." He's also reunited with Shaffer, with whom he brought Nick the Lounge Singer to life on "Saturday Night Live," as well as his "Scrooged" co-star Johansen.

For all its low-key charms, "A Very Murray Christmas" eventually gives viewers the best of both worlds as Murray drinks himself unconscious and dreams of what could have been: a high-end, big-band Christmas extravaganza starring George Clooney and Miley Cyrus.

These scenes, complete with more traditional tunes such as "Silent Night" and "Sleigh Ride," are some of the special's giddiest, but they're also among the most expected. It's just hard to top the joy and magic of some of the lesser-known songs: Dean Martin's "The Christmas Blues," The Pogues' "Fairytale of New York," Albert King's "Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'."

With a little something for everyone, "A Very Murray Christmas" is scruffy and lovable, weird and wonderful, just like its star.

— Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com. On Twitter: @life_onthecouch