In a compelling, two-part, three-hour-long HBO documentary, “Pee-wee as Himself,” we hear from fans and friends, but mostly from Paul Reubens himself.

Episode Notes On this week’s show, the secret word is: Pee-wee. Dana, Steve, and Julia discuss the new documentary Pee-wee as Himself.

The new two-part documentary “Pee-wee as Himself” premiered on HBO and Max on May 23, a complex portrait of a complicated man, Paul Reubens, who found fame as his alter ego, Pee-wee Herman ...

Driven by a soul-baring interview with Paul Reubens, the man behind the iconic character Pee-wee Herman, Pee-wee as Himself is the definitive portrait of the comedic performer, and a window into ...

Commentary: 'Pee-wee as Himself' looks at Paul Reubens' legacy, but it's also a reminder of a unique era in pop culture that shaped a generation.

But in Matt Wolf’s “Pee-wee as Himself” – as wonderful as much of the archival stuff is – nothing is more compelling than when Paul Reubens is simply himself.

Paul Reubens, the actor who famously starred as Pee-wee Herman in the 1980s, did not tell the director of his documentary that he was dying from cancer.

In 2016, after a successful return to the stage on Broadway, Reubens reprised the character in the movie “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday,” directed by John Lee and written by Reubens and Paul Rust.

Paul Reubens, who starred in the film "Pee-wee’s Big Adventure" and on the TV series “Pee-wee’s Playhouse," died in 2023 after a six-year struggle with cancer that he kept private. He was 70.

Pee-wee as Himself, a new two-part documentary about Sarasota’s Paul Reubens —a.k.a. Pee-Wee Herman—is now streaming on HBO Max.