‘Charlie Brown’ Fans Overjoyed Thanksgiving and Christmas Specials Will Return to TV Following Apple Deal

It’s a holiday miracle! The festive season is looking a lot more magical now that the Peanuts specials will be broadcasting on TV this year. A month after reports first surfaced that A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas would not air on TV for the first time in decades, fans got an early Christmas present from PBS, which confirmed both specials would be broadcast in the coming weeks.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is set to air on both PBS and PBS Kids on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m. local time, while on Sunday, Dec. 13, A Charlie Brown Christmas will also air on both channels. That special kicks off at 7:30 p.m. local time as well. The airings are meant to complement their release on Apple TV+ this holiday season. Viewers will be able to watch both specials on Apple’s streaming service for free, with the Thanksgiving special available for free from Nov. 25 through Nov. 27 and the Christmas special available from Dec. 11 through Dec. 13.

The news has certainly come as a major relief to long-time viewers of the holiday classics. Shortly after the upcoming airings were confirmed, social media flooded with excited chatter from those celebrating that they will be able to keep up their yearly tradition. Keep scrolling to see what social media is saying.

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News of the specials’ upcoming TV air dates comes after it was announced in late November that none of the Peanuts holiday specials, including It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. The lack of a TV airing was due to an expanded partnership with WIldBrain, Peanuts Worldwide, and Lee Mendelson Film Productions. This partnership instead entailed the specials to exclusively air on Apple TV+

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That announcement had angered many, who have made the special traditions in their households for decades now. Backlash on social media was immediate.

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The backlash was so strong that a Change.org petition was created in an effort to return the specials to TV. That special has since received more than 260,000 signatures.

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“For over 50 years, we have celebrated the holidays with the airings of the Peanuts holiday specials on TV – first on CBS, then on ABC,” the petition noted. “To our shock and dismay, last night it was announced that Apple had swiped the football from us and claimed the specials for their Apple TV platform, leaving us devoted fans who have grown up with Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang in the dark, unable to watch.”

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“Obviously we can’t let this stand. We can not let Apple take the football away from us like Lucy always does to Charlie Brown! It’s time for us Peanuts fans to stand up to Apple and Wildbrain Studios (current owners of Peanuts) and show them they’re making a mistake,” it added. “With this petition, we are making a statement – the statement that #AppleHatesTradition and that the tradition of watching the Peanuts holiday specials should be renewed as soon as possible! All we have to do is sign this, send it off and and share it.”

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 Some good news among all the crazy.

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown had been a fall TV staple for more than 50 years, having first aired on CBS in 1966 before moving to ABC. Both A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas have been given the same treatment, with the Thanksgiving special having made its TV debut in 1973 and the Christmas special several years prior in 1965.

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Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions. The service costs $4.99 per month and is available on Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices — unlike many of its competitors.