Oct 20, 2022

Anyone can watch "The Great Pumpkin King Charlie Brown" for free on Apple TV+.

For decades (with one exception), the classic Peanuts holiday specials aired on broadcast television, and anyone with an antenna and a set could look forward to seeing Charlie Brown and the gang every Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. [The partnership between Apple TV+ and PBS made it possible for the public broadcaster to air the specials in 2021, but they were not renewed. This is the second time "The Great Pumpkin" has not aired on television since the Halloween special released 56 years ago. The last time was in 2020, when Apple held the exclusive rights as well.

"The Great Pumpkin" first aired on CBS in 1966 and aired annually on the network for decades before moving to ABC at the turn of the century; in 2018, Apple purchased the rights to all Peanuts specials.

But those who want to watch the popular end-of-year shows don't have to pay a nickel for Apple TV+; Apple TV+ will air "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" for free to non-subscribers for a limited time this year.

The free viewing periods for the three specials are as follows:

Viewers can stream the specials at tv.apple.com or through the Apple TV app on eligible video streaming devices.

Apple TV+ subscribers will be able to watch the specials throughout the year. Apple also announced that two other Peanuts specials, "I Want a Dog for Christmas" (2003) and "Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales" (2002), will be added to the platform for the first time on December 2.