Charlie Brown holiday specials will air on TV again after backlash

Apple sure got a lot of grief over the Charlie Brown holiday specials' departure from broadcast TV — but now, the tradition will continue after all.

On Wednesday, Apple announced a deal to air A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas on PBS this year, The Associated Press reports. The Thanksgiving special is scheduled to air on Nov. 22, while the Christmas special will air on Dec. 13.

Apple had announced last month that Apple TV+ would stream the Charlie Brown specials for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, though viewers would be able to watch them without a subscription for a few days. But the news prompted backlash online considering this would be the first time in almost six decades that the specials wouldn't air on television, CBS News reports. They had in recent years been airing annually on ABC. The Halloween special It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, ultimately never aired on broadcast TV last month, AP notes.

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But the Thanksgiving and Christmas specials will now air on PBS without ads, and they'll also still be streaming on Apple TV+ as well, Apple said. It wasn't clear whether this might continue into next year, though, or whether, much like Lucy with the football, Apple will pull the specials away from TV viewers once again.