TV Reviews : Charlie Brown and Friends Get Serious in CBS Special

When a schoolmate has cancer, Charlie Brown and friends get serious in tonight’s CBS special, “Why, Charlie Brown, Why?” (8 p.m. on Channels 2 and 8).

The mood is subdued in a surprising departure from the usual “Peanuts” adventures revolving around Charlie Brown’s angst, Linus’ security blanket or Snoopy’s grandiose fantasies. Charles Schulz’s aim here is to teach. Young viewers are given simple information about leukemia symptoms, what the tests for it are and what side effects are caused by chemotherapy.

The show is also a lesson in understanding. The sick child, Janice, has sisters who are jealous of the attention she’s getting; Charlie Brown asks her if she’s going to die (she doesn’t) and Lucy thinks Janice must have gotten cancer because “she’s a creepy kid.” When Janice comes back to school after losing all her hair, Linus defends her from a taunting bully.

Snoopy lightens things sporadically with a few of his usual flights of fancy--he’s a world famous surgeon at one point--but he’s very much peripheral.

The program, developed in cooperation with the American Cancer Society, was originally conceived as an educational film to demystify childhood cancer for youngsters. A paperback version has been distributed to more than a million school children nationally. Young viewers without advance preparation will benefit from parental input during and after the show.