For the first time since it was released in December 1965, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” will be not shown on network television.
Earlier this year, Apple TV purchased the rights to the classic holiday program that is based on the Peanuts gang in the comic strip by Charles M. Schulz.
But fans can still see “A Charlie Brown Christmas” this year without being a customer of the streaming service. Apple TV reached an agreement for an ad-free broadcast of the show at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 13 on PBS.
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The Charlie Brown special on PBS comes at the mid-point of holiday programming leading up to Christmas Day.
Here’s a list Hoptown Chronicle has compiled of 12 days of holiday movies that will be available on network stations in December. All of times listed are Central Standard Time.
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
On CBS — 7 p.m. Dec. 1
“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”
On AMC — Noon Dec. 2
“Polar Express”
On AMC — 5 p.m. Dec. 2
“Elf”
On AMC — 9 p.m. Dec. 3
“White Christmas”
On AMC — 1:30 a.m. Dec. 3 (early morning, Dec. 4)
“The Polar Express”
On AMC — 9 p.m. Dec. 8
“A Christmas Carol”
(1938 version, with Reginald Owen as Scrooge)
On TCM — 7 p.m. Dec. 8, 11 a.m. Dec. 12, 8 a.m. Dec. 21 and 11 p.m. Dec. 24
“A Charlie Brown Christmas”
On PBS — 6:30 p.m. Dec. 13.
“The Sound of Music”
On ABC — 6 p.m. Dec. 20
“Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer”
On CW — 7 p.m. Dec. 21
“It’s a Wonderful Life”
On NBC — 7 p.m. Dec. 24
“How the Grinch Stole Christmas”
(1966 original)
On NBC — 7 p.m. Dec. 25
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
