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, and notoriety as himself.

Directed by Matt Wolf, the film is as fascinating about Reubens’ career as it is a piece of documentary filmmaking: the secretive Reubens, who had been battered in the media for specious arrests, is understandably cagey about revealing the details of his life, and keeps Wolf at arm’s length, demonstrating a lightly antagonistic relationship with the filmmaker, and is unwilling at most times to let his comedic guard down.

Despite the challenges, Wolf delivers a moving portrait of Reubens, who died in 2023 after a secret battle with cancer. His singular vision and creativity was highly influential in the 1980s and ‘90s, and the film showcases his development of the Pee-wee Herman character at the Groundlings, and the rich artistic background and unique sensibility that informed his work. It will likely make you want to dive into more Pee-wee (and Reubens’ other roles), so here’s where to stream them all.

When Pee-wee was still an L.A. cult character, Reubens first appeared as the cheerful, slightly snotty childlike young man in a bit part in “Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie” (1980), which is available to rent on iTunes and Amazon. As his stage show and cult status grew, the show was filmed for HBO in 1981, which is available to watch on Max.

The breakout moment into the mainstream was the 1985 film “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” directed by Tim Burton and written by Reubens with his Groundlings pals Phil Hartman and Michael Varhol. The hilarious film about Pee-wee getting back his bike stands the test of time, and is streaming on Max. That success led to the Saturday morning children’s show “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” which ran on CBS from 1986 to 1990, and featured such actors as Laurence Fishburne, S. Epatha Merkerson, Jimmy Smits, and his Groundlings pals Lynne Marie Stewart as Miss Yvonne, Hartman and John Paragon. Showcasing outlandish punk-inspired design, the show was subversive in its lessons about art, creativity, self-expression, gender and being yourself. It's streaming on Prime Video, Max and the Roku Channel.

While the 1988 “Big Top Pee-wee” was his circus-themed passion project, it flopped (rent it on iTunes and Amazon), though his Christmas special that same year was a hit and featured incredible guest stars like Cher, Grace Jones, Oprah and Joan Rivers. It’s streaming on Peacock and Tubi.

After his highly publicized arrest in 1991, Reubens had small parts in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” in 1992 (streaming on Prime Video), and played Penguin’s father in “Batman Returns” (1992) for his ‘Big Adventure’ director Burton (streaming on Max). He also appeared as one of the superheroes in “Mystery Men” (available to rent) and as a drug dealer in Ted Demme’s 2001 film “Blow” opposite Johnny Depp (available to rent).

But Pee-wee raised a generation of millennials with his movies and TV show, and he had to return. 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. Stream it on Netflix.

———

©2025 Tribune Content Agency, LLC