The Peanuts have become a holiday staple for families across the globe. The comic strip was created by Charles M. Schulz and debuted on October 2, 1950. The comic follows the life of Charlie Brown and his friends as they navigate life in middle school. The series made its way to television in the United States for its first-holiday special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, in December 1965. The Christmas special was such a success that they wanted another holiday special, this time for Thanksgiving. A Charlie Brown Christmas ushered a new era for the Peanuts gang.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving has become a classic in its own right. The special lived on ABC for nearly five decades, where it would air every Thanksgiving, being watched by millions of Americans across the country. Nothing lasts forever, and so in 2020 The Peanuts television rights were up for grabs, and it lead to them no longer airing on ABC. We know it can be a bit confusing, but don’t worry, we’ll guide you through it. Here's how you can watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.
What is A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving?
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is a television special based on the daily comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. It sees Charlie Brown, Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock scramble to make a Thanksgiving feast after Peppermint Patty invites herself over for dinner. The boys are on a tight timer. Can they manage to make their own holiday feast before Charlie Brown goes to his grandmother’s house? You’ll have to watch and find out!
The Mayflower Voyagers tells the story of when the British first made contact with North America, a fitting story for ABC’s Thanksgiving block. When A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving moved to ABC in 2001, the special would air alongside an abridged telling of The Mayflower Voyagers, the first episode of This Is America, Charlie Brown. Unfortunately, now that A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is now streaming exclusively on Apple TV+ that means you will have to watch these two specials individually.
Is A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Streaming?
Yes! A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and the rest of Peanuts programming are now solely on Apple TV+. You can start a seven-day free trial for Apple TV+ or subscribe for $6.99. The holiday special is unavailable for rent or purchase on any digital platform. For now, the only way to stream A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is by subscribing to Apple TV+.
Will A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Air on Television?
No, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving will not air on any television station this year. In the past, all the Peanuts holiday specials aired on CBS before moving to ABC in 2001 to 2019. In 2020, Apple purchased the rights to stream the Charlie Brown cartoons exclusively on their streaming service, Apple TV+.
However, Apple TV+ isn’t the only way to watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. You can still purchase the Blu-ray on sites like Amazon. The Blu-ray includes the bonus special, The Mayflower Voyagers, allowing you to watch both shorts as they aired on ABC. If you’re weary about streaming on Apple TV+, owning a physical copy is the best option for you. It also means you won’t have to be concerned about where to find A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving ever again.
Other Peanuts Specials and Where to Watch Them
If Charlie Brown and his friends help put you in the holiday spirit, here are more holiday specials featuring the Peanuts gang. All of these short films are available on Apple TV+ as well as DVD and Blu-ray.
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
This Halloween-themed short sees Linus and Sally await the arrival of the mythical Great Pumpkin. Legend says that the Great Pumpkin only visits the pumpkin patch, which is the most sincere; unfortunately, Linus is the only one to have ever heard of the Great Pumpkin. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown, Lucy, and the rest go trick or treating and Snoopy gets into more crazy shenanigans.
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Marking the television debut of the Peanuts crew, A Charlie Brown Christmas sees Chuck losing his holiday spirit. To help him out, Linus and Lucy suggest he help with the Christmas pageant. Of course, things never go as planned for our good friend, Charlie Brown.
A Charlie Brown Christmas has become a holiday staple, with Vince Guaraldi’s score becoming synonymous with the Christmas season. The special tackles themes of holiday burnout, the true meaning of the holiday, and embracing why it’s such a special time of year. It’s a surprisingly deep study of the holiday in such a small package.
It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown
Making its debut in 1992, It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown is a collection of short stories, all direct adaptations of the Peanuts comic strip. We have stories featuring Snoopy, Woodstock, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Franklin, and our favorite blockhead, Charlie Brown. It’s a fun collection that captures the Christmas spirit with the classic humor we’ve come to love from the Schulz comic.
Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!
Happy New Year, Charlie Brown! focuses on Charlie Brown as he struggles to write a book report over Christmas vacation. The paper is on the massive book by Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace. Not only does Chuck need to finish this paper before his return to school, but he also needs to maintain focus because all he can think about is the New Year’s party.
Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne
Snoopy Presents: Auld Lang Syne focuses on Lucy as she prepares for the arrival of her beloved grandmother who’s visiting for Christmas. After learning that her Grandmother can’t make the trip, Lucy decides to focus her attention on throwing the best New Year’s Eve party in history. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown is trying to cross off his remaining resolutions before time runs out.
The very first Peanuts special produced for Apple TV+ is none other than For Auld Lang Syne. The animated short film was released in 2021 and was nominated for Best Animated Special Production at the 49th Annie Awards.