Tonight, ABC aired the classic animated Peanuts special A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and while many fans tuned in for the warmth of nostalgia to kick off their holiday season, many came away with a less than fuzzy feeling when it came to how one specific character was treated.
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The special centers around a somewhat impromptu holiday meal that happens when Peppermint Patty invites herself and several others over to Charlie Brown and Sally’s house for Thanksgiving despite the fact that they’re preparing to go to their grandmother’s for the feast. After a little help from Linus, who convinces Charlie they can have two Thanksgivings, as well as Woodstock and Snoopy who do the cooking, a friends’ Thanksgiving is on.
The meal — buttered toast, pretzel sticks, popcorn, jelly beans, and an ice cream sundae — is served at a table in the backyard, and while all’s well that ends well with everyone ending up invited to Charlie and Sally’s grandmother’s meal, it’s the seating arrangements at this unusual dinner that has some fans on social media heated. Franklin, the one and only black friend in the group, is seated by himself on one side of the table while the other is crowded with the rest of the friends. On top of that, he’s sitting in a lawn chair as opposed to everyone else’s proper furniture.
It’s… not a good look, which viewers were quick to point out. Many felt the scene was in bad taste at a minimum and racist at worse, with most settling into the idea that the special simply hasn’t aged well. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving first aired on November 20, 1973 on CBS where it aired every year until 2000. In 2001, it moved to ABC with the rest of the Peanuts specials and has continued to air annually.
Want to see how viewers reacted to the Franklin situation? Read on for more and be sure to let us know your take in the comments.
Not watching this anymore
Not watching Charlie Brown Thanksgiving anymore, until they sit some people on the same side of the table as Franklin ✊?✊?
— Vic Damone Jr (@Asharp52) November 22, 2018
Pumpkin pie reparations?
Damn Charlie Brown, 4 on one side and no one by Franklin. Did give him lotsa desserts for reparations i guess. pic.twitter.com/aK72JLFfCn
— michael greer (@mgreer423) November 22, 2018
Woke
Am I woke now, why is Franklin in Charlie Brown Thanksgiving sitting all by himself at the table. Man. Things that I did not notice as a child.
— Yessam (@cmass4eva) November 22, 2018
This changes everything now
Watching Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving is hard knowing they put my nigga Franklin at the end of the table by himself ?
— ariel (@Sincerely_AJP) November 22, 2018
What’s with the lawn chair?
Watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving as I always do and I’m tight af every year because they give Franklin a freaking folding pool chair to sit on while everyone else has a comfy chair.
— J’na (@TheNotoriousJNA) November 22, 2018
But seriously what’s with the lawn chair?
How come Franklin, Charlie Brown’s only black friend, sits alone on the other side of the table? And in a lawn chair. #franklin #CharlieBrown #CharlieBrownThanksgiving
— Cynthia Haynes (@ChefCynthiaC) November 22, 2018
Charlie Brown is in ‘Get Out’ territory now.
Let’s talk about Franklin. Dude gets invited to Charlie Brown’s by Peppermint Patty. Then he finds out that it wasn’t a real invite, a dog is cooking the food and he’s gotta sit by himself at dinner. That’s Get Out. #CharlieBrownThanksgiving
— Terry Turkey Leg Brown™️ (@TBrown_80) November 22, 2018
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The Peanuts gang prepare to eat in A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
