Pee-wee as Himself: Paul Reubens Documentary Streaming Details, Cast and Episode Guide

The life story of the creator of Pee-wee Herman is now available to stream. The documentary Pee-wee as Himself presents the definitive portrait of actor and comedian Paul Reubens, who died in July 2023. The project, directed by Matt Wolf, combines over 40 hours of interviews with Reubens and features a final message he recorded the day before his death. The two-part series launched on May 23, 2025 on HBO and its streaming service, Max.

Where to Watch Pee-wee as Himself

The documentary is available exclusively on the Max streaming service in the United States. It is not available to watch for free.

International viewers and those using other services can also access it through platforms that offer Max as a channel. These include the HBO Max Amazon Channel and Spectrum On Demand. It can also be purchased for download on Amazon Video, Apple TV, and Fandango At Home. Some streaming bundles, like the Disney+, Hulu, and Max bundle, also include access to the documentary.

The series has a total runtime of approximately 101 minutes and is rated TV-MA.

Complete Cast and Guest Appearances

The documentary centers on Paul Reubens telling his own story. It also features a wide array of people from his personal and professional life.

Immediate Family and Close Associates:

• Abby Rubenfeld: Reubens’ sister.
• Milton Rubenfeld and Judy Rubenfeld: Reubens’ father and mother, appearing through archive footage.
• Allison Berry: Reubens’ personal assistant.
• Guy Brown: Reubens’ boyfriend, shown in archive footage.

Key Collaborators from Pee-wee’s World:

• Lynne Marie Stewart: Played Miss Yvonne on Pee-wee’s Playhouse.
• Laurence Fishburne: Played Cowboy Curtis.
• S. Epatha Merkerson: Played Reba the Mail Lady.
• John Moody: Played Mailman Mike.
• John Paragon: Played Jambi and was a writer for the Christmas special.
• Phil Hartman: A writer for Pee-wee’s Big Adventure and a member of The Groundlings with Reubens.
• Gary Panter: An artist who worked on the distinctive look of the Playhouse.

Celebrity Friends and Notable Interviews:

• Tim Burton: Directed Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.
• Judd Apatow: Produced Pee-wee’s Big Holiday.
• Cassandra Peterson: The actress known as Elvira.
• Debi Mazar and David Arquette: Actors and friends of Reubens.
• Natasha Lyonne: Played Opal on Pee-wee’s Playhouse.

The documentary also includes a large amount of archive footage featuring other famous guests from Reubens’ career, such as Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Cher, and Magic Johnson.

Episode Guide and What the Documentary Covers

Pee-wee as Himself is structured as a two-part documentary series.

Part One focuses on Reubens’ early life, his start in comedy with the Los Angeles group The Groundlings, and the creation of the Pee-wee Herman character. It covers the massive success of his first film, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, and his feelings about its direction. The episode also highlights the friction between Reubens and director Matt Wolf, as Reubens was used to having full creative control and struggled with the documentary interview process.

I just felt I could be the beacon out there and say it’s okay to be different. It’s okay to be creative. In fact not only is it okay, but let’s celebrate it. – Paul Reubens

Part Two deals with the peak of his fame with Pee-wee’s Playhouse and the box office disappointment of the follow-up film, Big Top Pee-wee. A major focus is the series of scandals that severely damaged his career, including arrests in 1991 and 2002. In the documentary, Reubens speaks about the homophobia he faced and publicly comes out as gay for the first time. The documentary reveals that after 40 hours of interviews, Reubens ultimately refused to discuss the scandals on camera. It ends with a final voicemail he left for the director, recorded the day before he died from cancer, a illness he had kept private for six years.

Critical Reception and Awards

The documentary has been met with significant critical praise. It holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics have called it “the definitive Pee-wee Herman documentary project” and “one of the great celebrity documentaries”.

The series has also won several major awards:

• Three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Documentary, Directing, and Picture Editing.
• A Gotham Award for Outstanding Original Film.
• A Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information.

The project premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2025.

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