Peanuts Fans Are Outraged They Can’t Watch the Charlie Brown Holiday Specials on Broadcast TV

Because we all had a rough year, many are looking to the upcoming holiday season to lift their spirits and sprinkle some holiday joy over a year full of disappointment.

However, living up to the 2020 expectations one holiday tradition is in jeopardy – Charlie Brown holiday specials.

From the frightening Great Pumpkin to failed football punts to competitive Christmas decorations contests, families across the country for 54 years get into the holiday mood by watching their favorite Peanuts characters celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas on broadcast TV. Originally, CBS was the home of these iconic episodes, but they moved to ABC in 2001. This year, Peanut lovers will not have the luxury to watch the annual broadcast of the Charlie Brown holiday episodes on TV, instead they must watch them on the streaming service Apple TV+.

On Monday, Apple TV+ made a deal with Wild Brain, Peanuts Worldwide, and Lee Mendelson Productions to receive exclusive rights to all things Peanuts. In other words, Apple TV+ will be the only place to watch the classic holiday specials.

With Halloween just a little over a week away, Apple TV+ released “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” on October 19.

Additionally, “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” will be available on November 18 as well as “A Charlie Brown Christmas” on December 4.

Though Apple TV+ may be using the Peanuts franchise to gain some subscribers and compete with platforms such as Disney Plus and Netflix, they do not want to steal the holidays from us like the Grinch.

When each holiday approaches, for a limited time they will allow people to watch the holiday specials for free. “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” will be available from Oct. 30 – Nov. 1, “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” Nov. 25 – Nov. 27, and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” Dec. 11 – Dec. 13.

But for many it is still not the same.

Fans Are Furious

Although fans can stream the holiday specials for a few days on their computers or other Apple devices without a subscription to the streaming service, people are still upset as they feel it is not the same as watching it on broadcast TV.

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People are also angry because watching Charlie Brown is a tradition and bonding event for many families, and they believe Apple TV+ is taking away this American holiday tradition from those who cannot afford streaming services or Apple devices.

Many may be shocked by this news, but others are not surprised because this is just one more thing 2020 has taken away from them.

One Twitter user claims that without Charlie Brown to celebrate the holidays, she will be forced to turn to the dark side.

Some other Twitter users are making memes on how Charlie Brown is the latest victim of Cancel Culture, literally.

Because Charlie Brown is cancelled, many are seeing this as a sign that Christmas will be cancelled too.

For some, nothing will stop the Peanuts family from joining them in their holiday celebrations as they are willing to jump back in time and search for their dusty DVDs of the Peanuts holiday episodes.

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There’s Some Good News

Although the movement of the Charlie Brown holiday specials to Apple TV+ has outraged many fans, there is some good news.

This new deal means new holiday specials.

Apple TV+ is reuniting the Peanuts gang to produce holiday episodes for New Years Eve, Earth Day, and Mother’s Day.

Does a Mother’s Day special mean we will finally meet the parents?

But that’s not all, we will get a second season of ‘Snoopy in Space’ as well as ‘Peanuts in Space: Apollo 10.’ Apple TV+ is also planning to release ‘The Snoopy Show,’ a documentary celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Peanuts franchise.

Will the holidays ever be the same? Will our children ever know the excitement of seeing Charlie Brown’s name pop up while scrolling through the channel guide? Was the sacrifice worth it? Are you excited for what’s to come?

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