AppleTV+ and PBS re-release “Peanuts” holiday specials after backlash

Megan Batson - Junior | News

After facing backlash from “Peanuts” fans, Apple has partnered with PBS and PBS KIDS to re-release “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” for a limited time this holiday season.

For the first time in their 55 year run on broadcast television, the “Peanuts” holiday specials are being shown exclusively online through Apple’s newest streaming service, AppleTV+. Apple currently owns the rights to the “Peanuts” holiday specials after a legal battle with ABC, and has pulled them from the air for the foreseeable future.

However, many fans expressed their disappointment at the decision, as petitions and hashtags against the streaming service began to rise in popularity. Business Insider reported that a Change.org petition titled “Bring the Peanuts specials back to broadcast TV!” gained more than 107,000 signatures within a week of the announcement. Many began to accuse Apple of “hating tradition,” continuing to fight for the shorts’ usual public release.

After months of backlash, Apple finally relented, partnering with PBS to release “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” on a limited two-day schedule. However, the Halloween special, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” remained under the AppleTV+ paywall this year as the deal was officially announced on November 18.

Although the Thanksgiving release has already passed with the special airing on PBS and PBS KIDS on November 22, the Christmas special is planned to be aired on Dec. 11 and Dec. 14, 2020. While the fates of other holiday themed “Peanuts” shorts are unknown at the moment, the public outcry against AppleTV+ has shown the support for these films. Later releases have been speculated, but there are no other confirmed dates.