For decades, the Peanuts gang’s legendary TV specials have heralded the highlights of the fall and winter seasons, with Halloween through Christmas delivering a corridor of merriment for fans old and new. But starting this year, you’ll only be able to watch It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown streaming on one particular platform; and it’s not on broadcast TV. All three of the classic Peanuts specials you’ve been used to watching on ABC have found themselves moved to a brand new home, so without further ado, let’s get down to how to watch the arrival of the Great Pumpkin, and why it’s not on network TV.
Where It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown Is Available Streaming
Starting this year, It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown is going to be available as an exclusive to the Apple TV+. In fact, if you wanted to watch the special right now, and you happen to be a subscriber, you can find it streaming now! Though if you’re looking for an opportunity to watch It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown without a subscription to Apple TV+, Vulture broke the news that it will be available, without an Apple account or device, from October 30th through November 1st.
Is It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown Available To Rent Or Buy?
So there’s some good news, and some bad news, when it comes to It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. The worse end of the equation is the fact that, at this moment, you can’t digitally rent or purchase the special anywhere. However, you can physically buy the 1966 classic on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD; either on its own, or as part of the Peanuts Holiday Collection package, which includes A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and the special that started it all, A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Apple TV+ Will Be The Exclusive Home For All Three Peanuts Specials
Unfortunately, for those who don't have Apple TV+, this is the only place you'll be able to stream the Peanuts specials right now. Per a deal that was made in the early days of Apple’s campaign for content dominance, Apple TV+ landed It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, as well as the subsequent Thanksgiving and Christmas offerings. Not only that, but the streaming service has begun to make its own new and exclusive content, starting with Snoopy In Space, and with plans in the future to expand to other holidays, per the previously mentioned Vulture writeup.
However, much like It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, both A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas will be available for free, in limited windows of release. The Thanksgiving special is the only one with further details available at the moment, as A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving will be available starting November 18th for Apple TV+ subscribers, and from November 25th through November 27th for non-subscribers.
For the time being, you’re either going to have to buy a hard copy of It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, or you’re going to have to wait for that free weekend window to come up in the near future. While it’s weird not having the traditional broadcast of the Peanuts specials to look forward to, at least the major networks won’t have to worry about fresh content competing with Snoopy’s lightshow this year. It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown is currently available on Apple TV+, but don’t forget to check back on October 30th through November 1st for the free access weekend to this timeless holiday classic.
