Apple will once again make three classic Peanuts holiday specials available to stream without an Apple TV subscription for a limited time. The free viewing windows cover It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Apple announced the seasonal schedule in its holiday programming update. Viewers will be able to watch the specials in the Apple TV app on two dates each, while subscribers can continue watching them at any time of year.

When to watch the free Peanuts specials

  • It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: Saturday, October 17, and Sunday, October 18
  • A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving: Saturday, November 14, and Sunday, November 15
  • A Charlie Brown Christmas: Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 13

The schedule gives viewers a short opportunity to watch each special without paying for the streaming service. Anyone planning to watch should open the Apple TV app during the relevant weekend, since the free availability is not permanent.

How Apple handles the holiday classics

The change follows a shift away from the specials' long-running broadcast tradition. In 2020, a petition asking for the Peanuts programs to return to broadcast television received hundreds of thousands of signatures.

Apple then allowed the specials to air on PBS in 2020 and 2021. Since then, it has made them available for limited periods through its own streaming service instead. Apple TV subscribers do not have to wait for the promotional dates, because the specials are available to them throughout the year.

More holiday programming on Apple TV

The seasonal lineup will also include Snoopy Presents: 12 Days of Snoopy and Fraggle Rock: A Holiday Gift, along with additional holiday programming. The broader schedule gives Apple a way to pair its established holiday library with newer specials and other family-focused releases.

For viewers who want to keep the three classic programs in their holiday rotation, the key dates are the October, November, and December weekends listed above. Outside those windows, an Apple TV subscription is required to watch the specials through the service.