New ‘Peanuts’ special rewrites Franklin’s origin story to address racist past

More than 50 years after being introduced, the first Black “Peanuts” character will get his proper due in a new streaming special on Apple TV+. Premiering Feb. 16, “Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin” will explore the origin story of beloved character Franklin Armstrong, who was first introduced to prime-time viewers in 1973’s “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.” While the cartoon’s inclusion of diversity was welcomed in the aftermath of the tumultuous civil rights movement, the show hit a sour note with viewers by segregating its only Black character from the rest of the Peanuts gang — having...