The Apple TV+ Who Stole Halloween

Among the earliest and most Halloween specials is beloved as It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. In fact, it could well be the most popular Peanuts special, even more so than A Charlie Brown Christmas. The special was a hit upon its debut on October 27 1966 on CBS and has remained popular ever since. Sadly, for the first time in 55 years, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown did not air on broadcast television.

It was in October 2020, not long before It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown usually aired, that Apple TV+ obtained exclusive rights to the Peanuts specials and thereafter they would only be available on that platform. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown would be available to Apple TV+ subscribers any time while it would be available free to non-subscribers from October 30 to November 1 2020. The outrage on the part of fans of the Peanuts special was no small matter.

While defenders of Apple pointed out that It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown would be available free on Apple TV+ for three days, Apple's critics pointed out that not only would individuals have to install Apple TV+ on their televisions, phones, tablets, or computers, but they would have to create an account to do so. Yet others pointed that not every family has access to the high speed internet that makes streaming media possible. Many Peanuts fans were angry that it broke with tradition. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is perhaps the only Halloween special to have aired every single year since its debut.

Indeed, one of the biggest arguments against It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown not airing on broadcast television is that 2020 may well have been the year we needed it the most. 2020 was dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when most people did not go out as they used to. In times of trouble people often seek out TV shows, movies, and so on that are familiar to them as a source of comfort. As beloved as It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is, there were no doubt many who were looking forward to watching it in 2020, particularly given their children might not be able to go trick or treating due to the pandemic. Whether Apple TV+ intended to or not, they effectively stole Halloween from many.

Ultimately, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown did not air on broadcast television in 2020, the first time since it had debuted in 1966. Fortunately, the widespread outrage would put an end to Apple TV+'s plan to make the Peanuts specials exclusive to that platform. It was announced in November 2020 that a deal had been struck so that both A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas would air once each on PBS. This year It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown airs on PBS as well. In fact, it airs tonight at 6:30 PM Central Time.

Aside from the general cluelessness of Corporate American and the fact that broadcast television apparently still has a place in American's lives, last year's outrage at Apple TV+ over preventing It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown demonstrates just how beloved the special really is. These days television shows sometimes move exclusively to streaming services with little being said, but the anger at It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown not airing last year was great indeed. It perhaps serves as an object lesson for corporations not to mess with certain traditions.