Streaming Peanuts

I just think it’s a shame that the Peanuts Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas specials will be moving to Apple TV. Not everybody has access to all the streaming apps, and even though you can apparently still see these specials for free for a limited time, not everybody out there is able to download the apps. We have the DVDs from years ago but who knows how accessible they are to people now.

 

Perennial holiday specials like these should be accessible to everybody, which means network TV. No cable, no streaming, no nothing. Just basic old VHF, like it’s been for 50 years. These old shows appeal to the masses so they need to reach the masses.

 

I know the answer to why they moved these shows is “money” (the answer to many, many questions in life) but this is a shame. There’s something very comforting knowing Peanuts and the other specials are on at a special time and all you need is a basic TV. The magic is gone when these shows move to niche streaming services.

 

Streaming is a great invention and lets us access TV and movies that we otherwise might not, but it definitely has its drawbacks. Shows keep disappearing and moving so you have to subscribe to so many just to keep up. This is why I will never part from my DVDs and blu-rays, because as long as they make players, I’ll have access.

 

So you might get access to more but we’ve lost something. We’ve lost the communal experience of watching It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown at the same time, or seeing The Wizard of Oz on TV in March, or The Ten Commandments for Easter and Passover, or It’s a Wonderful Life at Christmas, or everyone tuning in to Cheers on Thursdays at 9 p.m. I just think it’s a shame to lose that.