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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThe 2024 U.S. holiday television season was less a single schedule than a patchwork of broadcast specials, cable movie marathons, streaming premieres, sports, and short free-access windows. It began in October with Hallmark and Great American Family premieres and ran through Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.
This is a retrospective guide to the 2024 season. The dates below have passed, and streaming libraries may no longer contain every title listed. Times are generally Eastern unless noted otherwise.
The 2024 holiday schedule at a glance
| Date | What aired or premiered | Where to watch |
|---|---|---|
| October 12 | Hallmark’s first listed 2024 Christmas movie premieres began. | Hallmark Channel and related services |
| November 19 | Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked, 10 p.m. | NBC; Peacock from November 20 |
| November 27 | A Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving, 9–11 p.m.; Countdown to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, 8–9 p.m. | NBC |
| November 28 | The 98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, 8:30 a.m.–noon; The National Dog Show, noon–2 p.m. | NBC and Peacock |
| November 28 | Is It Cake? Holiday premiered. | Netflix |
| December 1 | Freeform’s 25 Days of Christmas schedule began. | Freeform |
| December 2 | The Wonderful World of Disney: Holiday Spectacular aired; Mickey and the Very Many Christmases arrived. | ABC, Hulu, and Disney+ |
| December 4 | That Christmas premiered. | Netflix |
| December 5 | How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Frosty the Snowman. | NBC |
| December 6 | Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer; A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter. | NBC and Netflix |
| December 14–15 | A Charlie Brown Christmas was free to nonsubscribers for a limited weekend. | Apple TV+ |
| December 25 | Chiefs–Steelers at 1 p.m.; Ravens–Texans at 4:30 p.m. | Netflix, with local-market alternatives |
NBC’s holiday lineup
NBC provided one of the clearest traditional television schedules, starting with Thanksgiving programming and continuing into the new year. Its notable 2024 offerings included:
- A Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving on November 27.
- The 98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 28, simulcast on Peacock, followed by The National Dog Show.
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Frosty the Snowman on December 5.
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on December 6.
- Shrek the Halls and A Motown Christmas, hosted by Smokey Robinson and Halle Bailey, on December 11.
- Little Big Town’s Christmas at the Opry on December 16.
- A Saturday Night Live Christmas on December 18.
- Barry Manilow’s A Very Barry Christmas on December 19.
- It’s a Wonderful Life and Christmas Eve Mass on December 24.
- Christmas at Graceland on December 26 and New Year’s Eve: The Floor on December 31.
NBC identified next-day Peacock availability for several programs, but that did not apply identically to every special. A Peacock listing was worth checking rather than assuming that every NBC broadcast would appear there immediately.
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ABC, CBS, The CW, and Freeform
ABC’s seasonal lineup included The Wonderful World of Disney: Holiday Spectacular, Press Your Luck: Holiday Spectacular, and CMA Country Christmas. The Disney holiday special became available on Hulu the following day.
The CW scheduled Penn & Teller: Merry Fool Us, while CBS continued its annual mix of Christmas entertainment and holiday specials. Freeform’s 25 Days of Christmas remained the most concentrated cable block, with repeated showings and marathons built around movies such as Home Alone, The Grinch, and Edward Scissorhands. AMC’s comparable seasonal programming ran under the Best Christmas Ever banner.
Because these channels repeated films at different times, a single start time was not always the whole story. Local affiliates, sports overruns, and regional scheduling could also change a broadcast slot.
Streaming highlights by service
Netflix
Netflix treated the holidays as a mixture of original films, returning unscripted series, music specials, and live sports. Its 2024 slate included:
- Is It Cake? Holiday — November 28
- That Christmas — December 4
- A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter — December 6
- The Great British Baking Show: Holidays — December 9
- The Merry Gentlemen, Hot Frosty, Meet Me Next Christmas, and Our Little Secret
- Carry-On, The Snow Sister, and Mary
Netflix also carried two live NFL games on Christmas Day: Kansas City at Pittsburgh at 1 p.m. ET and Baltimore at Houston at 4:30 p.m. ET. Local over-the-air broadcasts were available in the participating teams’ markets, and NFL+ offered another mobile-focused option.
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Disney+
Disney+ added Mickey and Minnie’s Christmas Carols on November 30, followed by Mickey and the Very Many Christmases on December 2. The service also carried CMA Country Christmas and the December 25 Doctor Who special Joy to the World.
Its library included Mickey’s Christmas Carol, Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas, Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas, Mickey Saves Christmas, Duck the Halls: A Mickey Mouse Christmas Special, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, The Hip Hop Nutcracker, and the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special.
Prime Video
Prime Video’s new 2024 holiday releases included Jack in Time for Christmas, released December 3, along with titles such as Your Christmas or Mine 2, Candy Cane Lane, and Red One. As with other services, the difference between a Prime-included title, a rental, and a separate channel add-on could affect what a subscriber actually saw at checkout.
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ held the exclusive streaming rights to the Peanuts holiday specials in 2024. Subscribers could watch the specials throughout the season, while nonsubscribers received limited free windows:
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| Special | Free window for nonsubscribers |
|---|---|
| It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown | October 19–20 |
| A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving | November 23–24 |
| A Charlie Brown Christmas | December 14–15 |
The service’s seasonal catalog also included Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales, It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown, I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown, Happy New Year, Charlie Brown, Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special, and Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas.
Peacock
Peacock served as the streaming home for much of NBC’s holiday output and also offered a seasonal movie collection. Examples included The Christmas Quest, Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story, Kung Fu Panda Holiday, Merry Madagascar, The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper, Miracle on 34th Street, Krampus, and Edward Scissorhands. Some NBC programs streamed live, while others arrived the next day.
Paramount+
Paramount+ combined library Christmas films with seasonal television episodes. One highlighted 2024 addition was the SpongeBob SquarePants special “SpongeBob & Sandy’s Country Christmas.”
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Hallmark, Lifetime, and made-for-TV Christmas movies
The made-for-TV movie season began unusually early. Hallmark Channel and Great American Family started their 2024 Christmas premieres in October, while Hallmark Mystery, Lifetime, UPtv, BET+, OWN, The Roku Channel, Netflix, Prime Video, and other services added their own releases through December.
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TVLine’s November 2024 compilation counted approximately 100 announced original holiday movies across the networks and platforms. Notable Hallmark-related titles included The Finnish Line, The Christmas Quest, Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story, Three Wiser Men and a Baby, Our Holiday Story, The Christmas Charade, A Novel Noel, The Christmas Secret, and Hanukkah on the Rocks.
Hallmark+ also had a more prominent role in the 2024 season following the relaunch of Hallmark’s streaming service. That made the distinction between a Hallmark Channel premiere, a Hallmark Mystery broadcast, and a Hallmark+ release especially important when checking availability.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The Charlie Brown Christmas correction
Older holiday guides often listed A Charlie Brown Christmas as a PBS broadcast. That was not correct for 2024. Apple TV+ held the streaming rights, and the special was free to nonsubscribers only on December 14 and 15. It was otherwise part of the Apple TV+ subscription catalog. There was no standard PBS broadcast that year.
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- Check the country first. The dates and catalogs above describe the United States. International release schedules differed.
- Confirm the subscription tier. A service’s holiday page did not necessarily mean that every plan, bundle, or add-on included the title.
- Distinguish live access from on-demand access. Peacock simulcasts, next-day episodes, rentals, and library titles followed different rules.
- Use local listings for broadcast times. Eastern Time was the usual reference, but affiliates could move programs for news, sports, or regional events.
- Expect catalog turnover. A movie available during December 2024 may have been removed afterward or shifted to a rental service.
FAQ
Was A Charlie Brown Christmas on PBS in 2024?
No. In 2024, Apple TV+ held the streaming rights. Nonsubscribers could watch it free on December 14–15, while subscribers had access through the season. It did not receive a standard PBS broadcast that year.
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- 4K streaming made simple:With America’s number 1 TV streaming platform,* exploring popular apps—plus tons of free movies, shows, and live TV—is as easy as it is fun. *Based on hours streamed—Hypothesis Group
- 4K picture quality: With Roku Streaming Stick Plus, watch your favorites with brilliant 4K picture and vivid HDR color.
- Compact without compromises: Our sleek design won’t block neighboring HDMI ports, and it even powers from your TV alone, plugging into the back and staying out of sight. No wall outlet, no extra cords, no clutter.
- No more juggling remotes: Power up your TV, adjust the volume, and control your Roku device with one remote. Use your voice to quickly search, play entertainment, and more.
- Shows on the go: Take your TV to-go when traveling—without needing to log into someone else’s device.
Where could viewers watch the 2024 Christmas Day NFL games?
Netflix streamed Chiefs–Steelers at 1 p.m. ET and Ravens–Texans at 4:30 p.m. ET on December 25, 2024. Local over-the-air broadcasts were also available in the participating teams’ markets, with NFL+ providing another listed option.
When did the 2024 holiday TV season begin?
Hallmark Channel and Great American Family began their 2024 Christmas movie premieres in October. Hallmark’s first listed premieres began on October 12.
Was every NBC holiday special available on Peacock the next day?
No. NBC announced next-day Peacock availability for several programs, but streaming treatment varied by special. Individual program listings needed to be checked rather than assuming that every broadcast would appear immediately.
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The Bottom Line
The 2024 holiday season combined early cable movie premieres with a crowded streaming slate and a smaller number of major broadcast events. For a retrospective, the most useful distinctions are between original air dates and later availability, subscription access and free windows, and U.S. listings versus international catalogs. The most easily misreported item was A Charlie Brown Christmas: in 2024, it belonged to Apple TV+, not PBS.
Quick Recap
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