The famous Peanuts TV specials, including “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” and “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” will no longer air on traditional TV.
Apple has announced that it signed a wide-ranging deal with the Peanuts rights-holders to bring these specials and more to Apple TV+. The first of them, the Great Pumpkin Halloween special, started streaming on the service on October 19 for subscribers; everyone can watch it for free from October 30-November 1.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving will then debut on Apple TV+ on November 18 for subscribers, before everyone can watch for free November 25-27. Finally, the Christmas special will debut for subscribers on December 4 and then become free for everyone December 11-13.
This is a big shakeup, as all three specials originally premiered on broadcast TV in the ’60s and ’70s, and they have been shown on free-to-air TV for everyone since. As such, it’s nice to see Apple continue to let everyone watch these specials for free, even if they have to wait.
Additionally, Apple has confirmed it’s working on new animated Peanuts original shows for Apple TV+. These include a new season of Snoopy in Space, as well as new specials themed around Mother’s Day, Earth Day, New Year’s Eve, and going back to school. These will be produced by the Canadian animation giant WildBrain. Some of the previously announced Peanuts shows for Apple TV+ include The Snoopy Show, a 70th anniversary documentary movie about Peanuts, and Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10.
