Apple TV’s 2026 Holiday Lineup Brings Snoopy, Fraggles, and Free Viewings
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Apple TV is getting a head start on the holiday season this year. The streaming service recently announced its seasonal lineup of shows, from the re-airing of the trio of beloved Peanuts classics, starting with It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown for Halloween, to some all-new premieres for the whole family to enjoy.
To get the first and most obvious three out of the way, here are the weekends when everyone will be able to watch the Charlie Brown holiday classics this year, whether they subscribe to Apple TV or not:
- It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown — October 17–18, 2026
- A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving — November 14–15, 2026
- A Charlie Brown Christmas — December 12–13, 2026
As usual, those don’t quite align with the actual holidays, but Apple TV subscribers will be able to watch them not only on Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Eve, but year-round.
These three Peanuts specials have become holiday traditions for many families, having been broadcast on network television for decades — ever since their respective debuts in the late sixties and early seventies — before Apple signed a deal taking over the rights to the entire franchise in 2020.
At that point, Apple pulled them from traditional broadcast networks, promising instead to continue “airing” them on Apple TV for a limited time each season. When fans protested, Apple conceded by announcing a partnership with PBS to broadcast the specials on the PBS and PBS Kids stations, although that only lasted for two years — in 2020 and 2021. Since then, the only way to watch these specials is to either own your own copies, subscribe to Apple TV, or stream them for free on the specific weekends Apple makes them available.
Considering the Apple TV app is available nearly everywhere these days, it’s not too hard to find a place to watch these, and the free weekend gives folks two full days to stream them, rather than having to tune in for a specific broadcast time.
While some of us (myself included) continue to enjoy the nostalgia of the classic Peanuts specials, Apple isn’t just leaving us with those. It’s also announced a collection of new holiday specials across the board.
Snoopy Presents: 12 Days of Snoopy
After Apple became the home for all things Peanuts, it didn’t take long to begin producing its own original content, kicking things off with 2021’s For Auld Lang Syne — the first Peanuts holiday special to be produced in over 20 years. Since then, it’s continued to warm our hearts with a collection of character-driven stories the likes of which we’d never seen in the classic days.
For Auld Lang Syne showed us Lucy van Pelt as she struggled to put together the perfect New Year’s Eve Party, but Apple subsequently shifted gears into supporting cast members, with Charlie Brown’s sister, Sally, bonding with a special little flower in Earth Day’s It’s the Small Things, Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty struggling to celebrate Mother’s Day while being raised by a single dad in To Mom (And Dad) With Love, and the absolutely delightful One-of-a-Kind Marcie that gave us a deeper look into the trials and tribulations of the gang’s most thoughtful and caring introvert. Then there was Welcome Home, Franklin, an origin story for the first African American to be featured in the Peanuts comic strip — an addition that was very controversial when the character showed up in 1968.
This year, we’re getting a piece featuring everyone’s favorite beagle in 12 Days of Snoopy. In this holiday special, Snoopy has landed on Santa’s naughty list and now has 12 days until Christmas to prove he’s not a bad beagle as he discovers the season is about more than just gifts.
Snoopy Presents: 12 Days of Snoopy will debut on Apple TV on November 13, 2026.
Fraggle Rock: A Holiday Gift
Although Charlie Brown and the gang get most of the attention, it’s not the only classic kids franchise Apple welcomed into the fold in 2020. It also revived Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock, resurrecting the 1980s hit show from a time when the Muppets were all the rage. In the process, Apple picked up the back-catalog of the original four-season run, while also kicking off a reboot, Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock.
Last year, Apple gave the Fraggles their first holiday special, and it turns out that wasn’t just a one-off. In this year’s musical special, Wembley is named Spirit Captain, and makes it his mission to spread cheer throughout the Rock. However, the Fraggles accidentally take a snow globe from Doc’s workshop, which slowly kills the holiday spirit, leaving Wembley to find the courage to set things right.
Fraggle Rock: A Holiday Gift comes to Apple TV on December 4, 2026.
Way of the Warrior Kid
It’s not just animated kids specials. Apple also has a new feature film coming in the spirit of last year’s The Family Plan 2.
In Way of the Warrior Kid, Jude Hill plays Marc, a middle schooler who’s bullied by his classmates and feels like an outcast. Until Chris Pratt shows up as Uncle Jake — a decorated Navy SEAL — and teaches Marc to defend himself with the help of an ambitious program Jake calls “Operation Warrior Kid” based on his SEAL training that shows him what real courage is.
Way of the Warrior Kid premieres on Apple TV on November 25, 2026.
