A Charlie Brown Christmas Trends on Streaming 59 Years Later

5 days ago 8

John Dodge is an MTV Writer for CBR who specializes in movies, television, comics, and pop culture. He has a deep knowledge of franchises like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel, and DC Comics, along with a passion for indie and horror titles. An expert on obscure productions from the ’80s and ’90s, John is known for his encyclopedic recall of cult classics like Beetleborgs.

Thanksgiving has just passed, but everyone is looking towards future holidays. A Charlie Brown Christmas is already lighting up the streaming charts on a major platform almost a month ahead of time.

Per Flix Patrol, A Charlie Brown Christmas has quickly made its way up the streaming charts on Apple TV well ahead of the Christmas holiday. As of the time of writing, A Charlie Brown Christmas holds the number three spot on the list of the top streaming films available on Apple TV in the United States, and it looks to be continuing that upward trajectory as Christmas closes in.

Directed by Bill Melendez from a screenplay by Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, A Charlie Brown Christmas premiered on CBS back in 1965 and quickly became a favorite among audiences. Apart from the widespread acclaim garnered by A Charlie Brown Christmas, the fact that it was the first television special based on the Peanuts comic strip helped ensure its early success.

The official logline for A Charlie Brown Christmas reads, "When Charlie Brown complains about the overwhelming materialism that he sees amongst everyone during the Christmas season, Lucy suggests that he become director of the school Christmas pageant. Charlie Brown accepts, but is a frustrating struggle. When an attempt to restore the proper spirit with a forlorn little fir Christmas tree fails, he needs Linus' help to learn the meaning of Christmas."

A Charlie Brown Christmas has been lauded by critics and audiences alike since its premiere, with more viewers of both ilk tuning into it with each passing year. Currently, A Charlie Brown Christmas holds an impressive 86% "Fresh" rating via review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, as well as an audience-generated "Popcornmeter" score of 93%, as averaged across 21 critical and more than 100 user-submitted reviews, respectively. One review from the audience called it, "Full of charm and personality that very few other Peanuts media has."

Why Apple TV is the Only Place to Watch the Peanuts Gang This Holiday Season

Since 2020, Apple TV has held the exclusive streaming rights to the entire Peanuts catalog, including all 51 television specials on top of every single series, movie, and short produced to date. As such, Apple TV is the only place where fans can stream their favorite holiday specials, including the particularly timely A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

Currently, only The Family Plan 2 and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving stand above A Charlie Brown Christmas on the Apple TV charts. Like A Charlie Brown Christmas, 1973's A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving has been required holiday viewing for countless households since its premiere. Unlike A Charlie Brown Christmas, however, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving has consistently received far more middling reviews than its holiday-centric predecessor.

While fans may not be able to stream any of the Peanuts specials anywhere other than Apple TV, they can still bring home the best of the series for the holidays courtesy of The Essential Peanuts. Published by Abrams ComicArts and curated by comic book historian Mark Evanier, The Essential Peanuts was released in October in celebration of the classic series' 75th anniversary in print.

Speaking to CBR, Evanier touched on the sheer staying power of the Peanuts franchise, noting, "That’s kind of the question the book attempts to answer." Evanier continued, "It has to do with how those characters were so colorful and interesting that they became part of our lives. And it also has something to do with Funny."

A Charlie Brown Christmas is currently available for streaming on Apple TV.