Peanuts Fans Petition to Bring Charlie Brown Specials Back to Broadcast TV

For the first time in decades, the beloved Peanuts holiday specials won’t be available on broadcast television. In some shape, way, or form, both It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown Christmas have aired on either ABC or CBS for the better part of 60 years. Now, due to an exclusive rights deal with Apple, the movies will only be available on AppleTV+ moving forward — at least for the immediate future. As you might expect from an iconic franchise such as Peanuts, fans have already started to rally against the decision and now, one petition to get the movies back on cable is going viral.

As of this writing, the Change.org petition first started by Michael Nebbia has tallied just over 112,000 signatures as the masses try to convince the studios behind the property to find a way to get the movies on broadcast networks.

“Obviously we can’t let this stand. We can not let Apple take the football away from us like Lucy always does to Charlie Brown!” Nebbia writes in the petition’s description. “It’s time for us Peanuts fans to stand up to Apple and Wildbrain Studios (current owners of Peanuts) and show them they’re making a mistake. With this petition, we are making a statement – the statement that #AppleHatesTradition and that the tradition of watching the Peanuts holiday specials should be renewed as soon as possible! All we have to do is sign this, send it off and share it.”

The news was first unveiled in a larger announcement from Apple and WildBrain, Peanuts Worldwide, and Lee Mendelson Film Productions first revealing the tech company is developing original shows featuring the likes of Charlie Brown and Snoopy. According to the announcement, Apple TV+ has already ordered a second season of the space-faring Snoopy in Space.

The platform will also expand on the iconic holiday slate by introducing new specials for a whole new slew of holidays, including Mother’s Day, Earth Day, New Year’s Eve, and a back-to-school special. Those special will joins the previously-announced The Snoopy Show and a documentary that provides a special behind-the-scenes look at the franchise.

Great Pumpkin has already been added to the service and will be free for anyone who cares to watch between October 30th and November 1st. Then after a few weeks pass, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving will be added on November 18th, and will subsequently be available for free from November 25th to November 27th.