Is This 'Charlie Brown Christmas' Scene Too Religious? Some TV Producers Thought So

TV specials often have to face lots of cuts an scrutiny for airing on broadcast TV, and even Snoopy isn't immune. Here at PopCulture.com, we've covered when A Charlie Brown Christmas had a scene edited out due to sponsorship issues, but another scene was almost altered. According to Collider, there was one scene in particular that producers wanted to cut.

The scene in question features Linus reading from scripture. Producers at CBS felt the scene was "too religious" since it was supposed to be a family-animated special. Peanuts creator and A Charlie Brown Christmas writer Charles M. Schulz wanted the scene to stay, feeling "that the message of universal love was essential to the special, and could not be conveyed in any other way."

Not only was that scene important to keep for a family-friendly animated special, but it also most likely would have changed the special quite a lot. Decades after the special premiered, it's hard to imagine A Charlie Brown Christmas any other way.

While there are plenty of Christmas specials to watch, A Charlie Brown Christmas will never get old. The beloved special is still watched today, and can currently be streamed on Apple TV+ along with other Peanuts titles. Premiering in 1965, the special marked the first TV special based on the popular comic strip and was the first of many to come. 

Even though the Bible scene was almost cut out, there was one scene that was actually edited out. Towards the beginning of the original 1965 broadcast version of A Charlie Brown Christmas, when the kids are ice skating near the pond, Snoopy grabs Linus' blanket, making him and Charlie Brown go flying. Charlie Brown hits a tree and snow falls on top of him, with the title card displaying. Meanwhile, Linus wound up hitting a sign advertising Coca-Cola.

The scene has since been edited to not include Linus and Coca-Cola, along with another scene that also advertised the soda brand. When Dolly Madison wanted to be another sponsor for A Charlie Brown Christmas, they added in the bakery brand until it got too expensive to include. It's not too big of an edit, so many people don't even notice it, luckily. Meanwhile, cutting the Bible scene would have changed the direction of the story, so it's a good thing they didn't cut it and that Schulz made sure it was included.

Fans can stream A Charlie Brown Christmas now on Apple TV+, but it won't be coming to TV any time soon, unfortunately. At least plenty of Peanuts titles are available to stream on Apple TV+, so fans are going to be plenty occupied this holiday season.