Peanuts Holiday Specials Will Once Again Air Free on Apple TV+
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While Peanuts fans will still have to wait for the promised Apple TV Snoopy screensaver, the good news is that Apple will once again stream the trio of classic Charlie Brown holiday specials free to all this year.
Four years ago, Apple successfully inked a deal with the keepers of the venerable Charlie Brown and Snoopy franchise to make Apple TV+ “the home for all things Peanuts.”
This expanded on an arrangement that began with a focus on educational STEM content like Snoopy in Space for the launch of Apple’s streaming service in 2019. It also stirred up some controversy when Apple chose to move much-loved holiday classics from the television networks they’d aired on for years and stream them on Apple TV+ instead, including It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and A Charlie Brown Christmas — the first-ever Peanuts television special that aired in 1965 and has become a staple of many families’ holiday celebrations.
As a concession, Apple promised to air these on Apple TV+ for free for a limited time during the holiday season. It also returned them to the airwaves for the first couple of years in a partnership with PBS so they could be seen by those who didn’t have the technology needed to access Apple’s streaming service.
However, those with Apple TV+ access still got the better deal, as Apple would open a free viewing window for up to 72 hours, while the specials only aired on PBS once near the end of their free Apple TV+ availability.
Despite a petition that’s accumulated nearly 270,000 signatures since 2020 and is still drawing new support, Apple stopped showing the specials on PBS after the 2021 holiday season and hasn’t shown any intention of bringing them back to traditional television networks. However, it hasn’t stopped streaming them free on Apple TV+, and with the Apple TV app available nearly everywhere, from smart TVs to any modern web browser, it shouldn’t be too hard for most folks to find somewhere to watch them.
Today, Apple announced that the three classics will each return for a single weekend in advance of each holiday:
- It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown — Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20
- A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving — Saturday, November 23 and Sunday, November 24
- A Charlie Brown Christmas — Saturday, December 14 and Sunday, December 15
Sadly, these pre-holiday showings aren’t ideal for those who might prefer to enjoy their favorite Peanuts holiday specials during traditional holiday celebrations on the actual days of Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas Eve.
Of course, Apple TV+ subscribers can watch these specials not only during the holiday season but year-round, as they remain a staple of the Peanuts content in the Apple TV+ library, along with new Peanuts holiday specials produced by Apple.
Since acquiring the rights to the Peanuts franchise, Apple has been working hard to produce new content with engaging stories for a new generation of fans. A series of “Snoopy Presents” originals brought us the first Charlie Brown holiday special in over twenty years, while follow-ups provided a deeper dive into the lives of much-loved secondary characters, from Charlie Brown’s sister Sally in It’s the Small Things, Charlie Brown to One of a Kind Marcie, focusing on the gang’s lovable introvert, and Welcome Home, Franklin, an origin story on the historic first African-American character in the Peanuts comic strip.
Those specials have been joined by episodic series like Camp Snoopy. Last fall, Apple also announced it’s working on a feature film to bring Snoopy and the gang back to the big screen for a Big City adventure.
