HBO Takes a Fresh Look at Pee-Wee Herman

HBO takes a fresh look at Pee-wee Herman

HBO’s new two-part docu-series “Pee-wee as Himself,” streaming Friday, prompts an eye-opening reconsideration of the phenomenon that was Pee-wee Herman, the celebrated children’s host whose shows conquered television, movies and Broadway. Pee-wee was created and performed by Paul Reubens. Matt Wolf, the documentary director and interviewer, had a dramatic “making of” behind-the-scenes saga that matches the film’s surprise-filled portrait. Over 1…

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Matt Wolf, the Filmmaker Behind “Pee-wee as Himself”

By Bailey PennickOne of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. While we can learn a lot about the filmmakers from the 2025 Sundance Film Festival through the art that these storytellers share with us, there’s always more we can learn about them as people. We decided to get to the bottom of those artistic wells with our ongoing series: Give Me the Backs…