For many people, a Charlie Brown Christmas party is an integral part of the holidays, but the way viewers can follow the Peanuts special will be a little different during this festive period. After the special was shown for 20 years in 1965, ABC will no longer broadcast it this year. Although the short film will be broadcast on television, the place where most people will see it this year is a streaming service.
So how can you watch A Charlie Brown Christmas online in 2020?
December 4th “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was released on Apple TV+, where the other Peanuts holiday animations “It’s the Great Pumpkin”, “Charlie Brown” and “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” can also be seen.
Currently the specials are only available to Apple TV+ subscribers. However, new subscribers can watch them with a seven-day free trial. After that, the service costs $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year.
However, there is a possibility that you may be entitled to a free Apple TV+ for one year and not realize it. If you have purchased a new (or refurbished) piece of Apple technology such as an iPad, Mac or Macbook in the last few months, you can sign up for a free year and then you will have access not only to A Charlie Brown Christmas and the other Peanuts specials, but also to originals such as Snoopy in Space, The Morning Show and Ted Lasso.
For viewers who want to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas without even subscribing to Apple TV+, there is a way to do so. The streaming service makes the special available free of charge for a limited period of time from December 11 to December 13.
Will A Charlie Brown Christmas be broadcast on television in 2020?
Yes, but not on your usual channel. After 20 years on ABC (and 35 years before that on CBS) Charlie Brown, Lucy and the rest of the Peanuts gang are switching to a new channel.
After the special’s switch to streaming meant that disgruntled fans at some point demanded that it be broadcast on television, Apple signed a one-time contract with PBS to stream the specials.
Thus, A Charlie Brown Christmas will be broadcast on PBS Kids on Sunday, December 13. The station did not announce exactly what time the special will air, but A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving was aired in November at 7:30 ET / 6:30 PT, so expect a similar slot for the Christmas special.
For those of you who haven’t seen the special in any way, IMDb has the following summary that will give you an indication of what to expect: “When Charlie Brown complains about the overwhelming materialism he sees among everyone during the Christmas season, Lucy suggests that he become the director of the school’s nativity play.
“Charlie Brown accepts this, but it turns out to be a frustrating struggle. When an attempt to restore the right spirit with a desperate little Christmas tree fails, he needs Linus’ help to learn what the true meaning of Christmas is.
A Charlie Brown Christmas is now being broadcast on Apple TV+.
