The first Black character introduced in the “Peanuts” comic strip has landed his own Apple TV+ special.
On Friday (February 16), “Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin” premiered, highlighting Franklin Armstrong’s background and friendship with lead character Charlie Brown, KSBY reports.
The special comes after Franklin was written into the “Peanuts” comic in 1968. The creation of “Peanuts'” first Black character stemmed from a schoolteacher urging creator Charles Schultz to add more diversity to the comic in the wake of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Like the comic, the new special is set to begin with Franklin meeting Charlie Brown at the beach after he retrieved the lead’s beach ball from the ocean. The two later become partners in a soap box derby competition, building a friendship and bonding over music along the way.
In a preview for the Apple TV+ special, Franklin introduces Charlie Brown to James Brown, the “Godfather of Soul.” The special is also set to correct some misinterpretations of “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.” showing how Franklin grew friendships “in real time, in the way that real friendships do” with Charlie Brown’s gang, director and story editor Raymond S. Persi told the Associated Press.
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