I guess this was inevitable. In an age where everyone and their brother is starting a subscription TV streaming service, whoever owned the rights to Charlie Brown was bound to make us pay for him and his Peanuts gang eventually.
I’ve been around for A LOT of Halloweens, Thanksgivings, and Christmases, and there has never been a one that ABC didn’t air “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
In fact, as a child (before the ability to record shows), you marked your calendar so you could watch them. Missing them was unthinkable. Those days are over. Apple TV+ now owns the rights to these and as such, if you want to see them, you’ll need to subscribe. It’s the Great Pumpkin debuted on Apple TV+ Monday.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving arriving November 18.
and A Charlie Brown Christmas premiers on December 4.
Now before you think Apple TV+ is greedy and evil, the streamer is also making the specials available for free for a limited time. Pumpkin will be streaming free from October 30-November 1, with Thanksgiving following from November 25-27 and Christmas from December 11-13.