“Pee-wee as Himself” Trailer: HBO’s New Documentary Series on Pee-wee Herman

HBO just dropped the trailer for “Pee-wee as Himself,” a zany and heartfelt two-part documentary about the one and only Pee-wee Herman! Before his passing in 2023, Paul Reubens sat down for 40 hours of interviews with filmmaker Matt Wolf — and now, those never-before-seen chats are the secret word (AHHH!) at the heart of this can’t-miss HBO series.

Paul Reubens is a fascinating enough figure to anchor a traditional biographical documentary, and “Pee-wee as Himself” certainly has the runtime to explore his life in depth. Reubens proves to be a charismatic and generous storyteller, openly reflecting on his career and the whimsical world he created, while also, perhaps for the first time, pulling back the curtain on the private life he guarded so fiercely. In a revelation never made public during his lifetime, Reubens shares in the documentary that he was gay — a moment of vulnerability that adds emotional weight to the film.

Yet what truly sets this documentary apart is the raw, at times uneasy tension within the interviews themselves. The dynamic between Reubens and director Matt Wolf becomes a compelling subplot — two creative forces, each deeply invested in how the story should be told, subtly vying for narrative control. It’s this push-and-pull — a dance between candor and curation — that gives “Pee-wee as Himself” its distinctive edge and emotional resonance.