Apple TV+ Will Remain the Home of Charlie Brown Through 2030
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Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the rest of the gang won’t be leaving Apple TV+ any time soon. Apple has just announced an “extended Peanuts partnership” that will see everyone’s favorite beagle appear in a whole new collection of Apple TV+ specials over the next five years.
Although Apple TV+ has traditionally focused on original content, it hasn’t ruled out expanding on existing franchises, especially where family-friendly programming is involved. It scored a massive coup during the service’s launch in 2019 when it partnered with NASA and DHX Media (now WildBrain), for rights to produce educational Peanuts specials — an arrangement which it later parlayed into a deal to make Apple TV+ “the home for all things Peanuts.”
It was a big enough deal that Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10 became the first Apple TV+ original to be released. The nine-minute short debuted on YouTube three months before Apple TV+ officially launched, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Apollo 10 mission that paved the way for Apollo 11’s historic moon landing.
Apple followed this up with a full animated series, Snoopy in Space, which arrived as an animated STEM project alongside the more dramatic For All Mankind when Apple TV+ launched in November.
When Apple became the caretaker of the Charlie Brown and Snoopy legacy in 2020, it inherited a franchise that had been unusually quiet for a decade. The run of 45 classic specials, stretching from 1965’s A Charlie Brown Christmas to 2010’s Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown, had ended without follow-up. Aside from 2015’s The Peanuts Movie, which wasn’t quite the same thing as the enduring television specials that brought the Peanuts gang into our homes, fans hadn’t seen new specials in years.
Needless to say, it was pretty exciting when Apple announced in late 2021 that it was producing the first Peanuts holiday special in nearly 20 years. What was even more interesting was that Apple was approaching this with a new twist: exploring beloved Peanuts characters in greater depth.
This first special, For Auld Lang Syne, put Lucy van Pelt in the spotlight, focused on her struggles to put together a perfect New Year’s Eve party. It was a tender and heartwarming look at a character who had previously been typecast as bossy, crabby, and sarcastic.
It also wasn’t a one-off. By the time the next special arrived, it was clear that this would be Apple’s new approach going forward. Earth Day’s It’s the Small Things, Charlie Brown featured Charlie Brown’s sister, Sally, bonding with a special little flower on the gang’s baseball field.
This was followed by To Mom (And Dad) With Love that explored Peppermint Patty’s struggles in celebrating Mother’s Day while growing up with a single dad, One of a Kind Marcie that showed the trials and tribulations of the gang’s most thoughtful and caring introvert, and Welcome Home, Franklin that offered us an origin story for the first African-American to be featured in the Peanuts comic strip — an addition that was very controversial when it was done in 1968.
In addition to these more traditional specials, Apple TV+ also features several Peanuts episodic series, with The Snoopy Show and Camp Snoopy joining the original Snoopy in Space. More recently, Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical became the first animated Peanuts musical since 1988’s Snoopy: The Musical (which was based on a 1975 Broadway live stage production).
Apple has also produced Who Are You, Charlie Brown? — a documentary on the life of legendary Peanuts creator Charles M. Shultz — and is currently working on an as-yet-untitled feature film that will take Charlie Brown and Snoopy to the Big City.
The deal also makes Apple the caretaker of the entire collection of legacy Peanuts specials, including A Charlie Brown Christmas, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, all of which will once again be available for free streaming on select weekends during the 2025 holiday season.
While this week’s Apple announcement doesn’t shed any light on Apple’s future plans for Peanuts, it confirms that the partnership will continue until at least 2030, although it could be extended again beyond that. The deal will continue the classic Peanuts library, and Apple will continue collaborating with WildBrain to produce more original Peanuts series and specials.
“In this milestone 75th anniversary year, it feels incredibly meaningful to continue our collaboration with our brilliant partners at WildBrain, Peanuts Worldwide and Lee Mendelson,” said Tara Sorensen, head of children’s programming, Apple TV+. “Our commitment, dedication and passion for Peanuts runs deep. These beloved characters and stories hold a timeless significance, resonating with people of all ages across the globe. And we are delighted that the iconic holiday specials will be available for everyone to experience, continuing this time-honored, comforting tradition.”
