How to Stream the Must-Watch Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Cult Classic

There is only one streaming service where fans can watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving this year, and it probably isn't where audiences would expect.

Per Today, only one streaming service will have A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving available to watch online this year. As of the time of writing, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is only available for streaming on Apple TV+, although non-subscribers looking to watch for the holidays can take advantage of the platform's 7-day free trial before deciding whether to subscribe to the platform for themselves.

Written by Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz himself and directed by Bill Melendez and Phil Roman, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving premiered on CBS back in 1973 and immediately cemented its place in the annals of pop culture. The special sees Charlie Brown and the rest of the cast of Peanuts characters put together an impromptu Thanksgiving meal, all while navigating the relatively simple if dramatic interpersonal issues that crop up along the way.

Upon its release, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving was met with rave reviews, and continues to be largely lauded by critics and audiences alike to this day. As of the time of writing, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving holds a 76% audience generated "Popcornmeter" score via review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, as averaged across more than 50,000 user-submitted reviews of the special. The speical also holds a 70% "Fresh" rating on the platform as averaged across 10 critical reviews.

Peanuts Celebrates A Milestone Anniversary In 2025

Image via Apple TV+

2025 marked the 75th anniversary of Peanuts in print, which fans have celebrated in a myriad of ways. Among the biggest releases of the year is The Essential Peanuts, a new hardcover curated by comic book historian, Mark Evanier. Back in October, CBR spoke to Evanier about the project and Peanuts' and Schulz's wider impact on pop culture, of which Evanier said, "It's vast."

Evanier continued on about the legacy that the Peanuts have left behind. "Just think of all the things in the strip that pop up in our everyday living. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard someone compare some doomed attempt at anything likened to Charlie Brown trying to kick the football," Evanier added. "His characters just became part of our world and stayed there. I'll elaborate more on this if I can stick around long enough to write the 100th anniversary book. Believe me, there will be one."

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

Release Date November 20, 1973

Runtime 50 minutes

Director Bill Melendez, Phil Roman

Writers Charles M. Schulz

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