The beloved Peanuts special It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown was originally broadcast on CBS on October 27, 1966. It continued to be rebroadcast on CBS through 2000. ABC obtained the rights to the special in 2001, and it was rebroadcast on the channel until 2019.
Then in 2020, Apple TV+ became the exclusive place to watch all Peanuts specials. That year, fans were not able to watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown unless they had an Apple TV+ subscription.
As you would expect, many people were upset that the special did not air on TV. After the pushback, the special was rebroadcast on PBS and PBS Kids in 2021.
We’re now in the midst of the 2022 Halloween season. So if you want to continue your annual tradition of watching It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, keep reading to find out how you can see it this year.
Unfortunately, those who were looking forward to watching the special on traditional TV will not get the chance this year. It appears that It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is only on Apple TV+.
PBS Kids confirmed they do not have the rights to air the special in 2022:
“Regretfully, PBS does not have the rights to distribute the Peanuts specials this year. We’ll all have to watch for the Great Pumpkin in a different pumpkin patch this Halloween,” the network said in a statement on Twitter.
So there you have it…Apple TV+ is the only place where you can find It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown this Halloween season.
An Apple TV+ subscription costs $4.99 per month. There’s currently a seven-day free trial for those who would like to try out the service.
According to PRIMETIMER, Apple TV+ announced that It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown will be available for non-subscribers to watch for free from October 28-31. But if you’re a subscriber, you can watch the special at any time this year.
In addition, #AppleTV+ is making several classic #Peanuts specials available for free to all for a limited time:
Free from Oct 28-31:
“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”Free from Nov 23-27:
“A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving”Free from Dec 22-25:
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” pic.twitter.com/87MI11Z16G— tv+news · all things tv+ (@ATVPlusNews) October 11, 2022
The service also released the dates that other Peanuts holiday specials will be available to watch for free.
Which one of the Peanuts specials is your favorite? It’s hard for us to choose!