Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, this thanksgiving and Christmas are very different for millions of Americans. But PBS announced Wednesday that at least one tradition would remain the same: "Charlie Brown holiday specials" aired on television.
Decades after airing on ABC, Peanuts holiday Special edition was controversial for leaving the network for Apple TV+, Apple's streaming service.
As it has become a tradition for families to watch special shows on television, the announcement has caused a lot of controversy. A petition campaign was quickly launched to persuade Apple to allow the special show to be broadcast on television to maintain the tradition, with more than 262,000 Snoopy fans signing the petition.
"Peanuts" is a Sunday comic strip created and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz in 50 years. It tracks a group of young people, led mainly by Charlie Brown and his pet dog, Snoopy. The first Christmas special, Charlie Brown's Christmas, was a huge success on television and even won an Emmy Award. Although the comic ended in 2000, new films based on the series have maintained the popularity of the series, including the Snoopy Movies, which returned in 2015 with Charlie Brown.