Charles Schulz's A Charlie Brown Christmas celebrated its 40th anniversary on December 1, 2005. However, if TV producers had had their way in 1965, the show may not have been aired at all. Executive producer Lee Mendelson says that CBS network executives hated the show when they viewed a rough cut of it in November of that year. "They said it was slow," says Mendelson, who, along with animator Bill Melendez, told Schulz, "You can't read from the Bible on network television."
Schulz's desires prevailed, however, and the simple cartoon special garnered an unbelievable 50 percent of the nation's viewers that first year. It went on to win both an Emmy and a Peabody award. Pop Culture experts affirm that the program, now considered an icon, draws strength from its back-to-the-basics approach.
The ironic thing is that the program, which intentionally turned away from a materialistic view of Christmas, has become a huge corporate moneymaker. During its 40th broadcast, it won its timeslot in terms of total viewers (15.4 million), and led all adult, teen, and children's demographics. It also earned over $6 million in ad revenue, as companies paid over $200,000 for each commercial airing with it.
Schulz's widow, Jeannie, is not surprised that the show has earned such large profits, saying, "[Charles] said there would always be a market for innocence."
Editor’s Note: A Charlie Brown Christmas will not air on TV for 2022. PBS previously confirmed in a tweet that they do not have the rights to the Peanuts films and specials this year. That said, you can still watch it free of charge without an Apple TV+ subscription from Dec. 22 through Dec. 25, 2022.
