PBS Will Air A Charlie Brown Christmas, Saving the Holiday Season

Last month, it was announced that the Peanuts holiday specials for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas wouldn’t air on network television this year, breaking a tradition that began more than 50 years ago. Instead, they’d be available to stream on Apple TV+. Even though non-subscribers would be able to view the programs for free on certain dates, the news still caused a small uproar across social media.

Now, PBS is here to save the day. As Deadline reports, Apple TV+ has given the channel permission to air A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973) and A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) once each, without ads. PBS and PBS KIDS will broadcast A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on Sunday, November 22, at 7:30 p.m. EST; A Charlie Brown Christmas will follow a few weeks later on Sunday, December 13, also at 7:30 p.m. EST. Not only will the broadcasts help foster a collective holiday spirit at a time when families might not be physically together, but they’ll also give people without access to Apple TV+ an opportunity to enjoy the specials.

Though the shift to streaming upset some Peanuts fans, it’s not the first time that the rights have changed hands. CBS originally produced and premiered the holiday specials beginning in the 1960s, but they gave the reins to ABC in the early 2000s. Whether the PBS broadcast will become a new annual tradition remains to be seen; in the meantime, all Peanuts content, new and old, will live on Apple TV+.

If you can’t catch the holiday specials on PBS this year—and if you can access Apple TV+—feel free to stream A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving for free from November 25 to November 27, and A Charlie Brown Christmas from December 11 to December 13.