Latest news with #Reubens
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
This Chilling True Crime Docuseries About The Tylenol Murders Is The Top Show On Netflix
'Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders' is the top TV show on Netflix this week, according to the streamer's public ranking system. The docuseries, which debuted on Monday with three episodes, investigates who is to blame for the 1982 killings of seven people in the Chicago area who took extra-strength Tylenol laced with cyanide and died shortly after. The series features interviews with the victims' families, journalists, federal investigators — and the case's primary suspect, James Lewis, who gave his last interview about the investigation for the project. He died in July 2023. Like the title of the docuseries notes, the case is cold, and authorities never found out who was responsible for the deaths. But the series is a gripping exploration of a public health crisis and one of the largest unsolved crimes in U.S. history. Read on for more trending shows of the moment across streaming services, including Hulu, Apple TV+, Max and Prime Video. And if you want to stay informed about all things streaming and entertainment, subscribe to the Culture Catchall newsletter. Gordon Ramsay's new restaurant reality series premiered on Hulu last week and is already pulling in audiences. The chef, known for his brusque yet helpful culinary direction, is assisting struggling restaurateurs to turn their businesses around. In the first episode, he takes his talents to a Greek restaurant in Washington, D.C. The second episode debuts on Thursday on Hulu. Max released 'Pee-Wee as Himself,' a two-part docuseries featuring actor Paul Reubens, on Friday. In his own words, Reubens shares his life story and talks about his beloved character, Pee-Wee Herman. Director Matt Wolf said that he didn't realize Reubens, who died in 2023, was terminally ill while interviewing him for the docuseries. If you love NASCAR and family dynasties, perhaps you should check out 'Earnhardt,' Prime Video's new docuseries on racing extraordinaire Dale Earnhardt. The four-part series made its series premiere on May 21 with two episodes and the final two parts air on Wednesday. It explores the 'legendary racing career and complex family dynamics of the NASCAR superstar,' according to its logline. Apple TV+'s 'Your Friends and Neighbors' is creeping to the end of its first season this week — the finale airs on Friday — and is continuing to capture eyeballs on the streamer. Starring Jon Hamm, Olivia Munn and Amanda Peet, the TV series follows Coop (Hamm), a finance whiz who loses his job and decides to rob his wealthy neighbors to keep himself afloat. It's a fun and twisty drama that, thankfully, has already been renewed for Season 2. If you're looking for other TV shows to watch, check out our What We're Watching blog. 'The Last of Us' Season 2 Finale Confirms A Huge Missed Opportunity 'The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives' Is A Fascinating Look At Faith And Social Media Fame This 1 Moment Saves The New 'Mission: Impossible' From Being A Total Letdown
New York Post
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
HBO debuts new documentary about Pee-wee Herman — How to watch live and on Max
New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change. A new documentary airing on HBO tonight will serve as the definitive portrait of Paul Reubens and his comedic alter-ego Pee-wee Herman. 'Pee-wee as Himself' was primarily filmed prior to Reubens' death in July 2023 and includes voice recordings done the day before he passed. The comedian, 70, died following a private battle with cancer. The candid documentary will reportedly show Reubens and director Matt Wolf sparring over creative control, something Reubens wanted more of despite ceding the director's chair to Wolf. The doc, a 2025 Sundance Film Festival selection, traces Reubens' comedic origins as he left his Florida hometown for California, began performing with the storied Groundlings improv group, and created the character he would become known for: Pee-wee Herman. It will also discuss the effects that his 1991 public indecency arrest at a porno movie theater had on his career going forward. Advertisement Ultimately, in this set of emotional final interviews, Reubens reflects on his life as a closeted gay man who made the decision to conceal his private life entirely behind the Pee-wee Herman persona. 'Pee-wee as Himself' streaming release date: 'Pee-wee as Himself' premieres tonight, May 23, at 8 p.m. ET. The two-part documentary will air back-to-back on HBO linear premium cable channel with the episodes dropping on the Max streaming service at the same time. How to watch 'Pee-wee as Himself': If you don't have HBO through traditional cable, you'll need a Max subscription to watch 'Pee-wee as Himself.' Advertisement Max, which you can subscribe to via Prime Video, starts at $9.99/month with ads and costs $16.99/month ad-free. That's not the only way to subscribe, though. Sling TV is among the best value for money among live tv streaming services, thanks to some great offers. You'll need Sling's Blue plan with a Max add-on to watch HBO live. And when you subscribe to Max through Sling, the money-saving never stops! You'll get 50% off your first month, plus $5 off your bill every month after that. 'Pee-wee as Himself' episode guide: Both parts of 'Pee-wee as Himself' will air back-to-back tonight, May 23. Advertisement Part One ( 8:00-9:40 p.m. ET ): 'Part one details Reubens' childhood and desire to be an actor, inspired by such television shows as 'Howdy Doody,' 'Captain Kangaroo,' and'I Love Lucy.' He finds acceptance at CalArts, where he hones his performance art skills. At the Los Angeles improv group The Groundlings, Reubens creates the alter ego of Pee-wee Herman and puts on a live late-night show that becomes a cult sensation and evolves into a popular tour. The hit 1985 film 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure' made him a global sensation. Subsuming himself into the character of Pee-wee, Reubens hides his personal life, and recognizes too late that fame makes for a complicated companion.' 'Part one details Reubens' childhood and desire to be an actor, inspired by such television shows as 'Howdy Doody,' 'Captain Kangaroo,' and'I Love Lucy.' He finds acceptance at CalArts, where he hones his performance art skills. At the Los Angeles improv group The Groundlings, Reubens creates the alter ego of Pee-wee Herman and puts on a live late-night show that becomes a cult sensation and evolves into a popular tour. The hit 1985 film 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure' made him a global sensation. Subsuming himself into the character of Pee-wee, Reubens hides his personal life, and recognizes too late that fame makes for a complicated companion.' Part Two (9:40-11:20 p.m. ET): 'Reubens' profile continues to grow with an Emmy®-winning weekly Saturday morning television show 'Pee-wee's Playhouse,' which unabashedly celebrates diversity and nonconformity. The episode explores the casting, production design, and creative process of the show that ran for five seasons. Reubens talks candidly about his fame as a pop culture icon and the lows he endured as he faced rumors, vilification, and the vitriol of the media. Reemerging as a cult figure with cameo roles in films and TV shows, a Broadway revival of his Pee-wee stage show, and a final Pee-wee film, Reubens refuses to have his legacy be defined by media scandals based on false rumors. He shares final words with the public, reinforcing his lifelong dream to bring joy, creativity, and acceptance to everyone.' 'Pee-wee as Himself' trailer: Who will appear in the 'Pee-wee as Himself' documentary? In addition to footage from over 40 hours of interviews and over 1,000 hours of archival material, the following people sat for interviews that will be featured in the documentary: Reubens' sister Abby Rubenfeld; artists Gary Panter and Wayne White; actors Lynne Stewart, John Moody, Alison Mork, Natasha Lyonne, S. Epatha Merkerson, Laurence Fishburne, Debi Mazar, David Arquette, Laraine Newman, and Cassandra Peterson; and filmmakers Tim Burton and Judd Apatow. Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Writer/Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping and New York Post's streaming property, Decider. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on each streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she's also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. Prior to joining Decider and New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews
USA Today
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
'Pee-wee as Himself' examines Paul Reubens' controversial past, delivers final message
'Pee-wee as Himself' examines Paul Reubens' controversial past, delivers final message Show Caption Hide Caption The most anticipated TV shows of 2025 USA TODAY TV critic Kelly Lawler shares her top 5 TV shows she is most excited for this year You remember the distinctive laugh, the gray, slender-fitting suit and the cherry red bowtie. But do you have any recollection of the man who brought Pee-wee Herman to life, save for a fuzzy memory of a few incriminatory headlines? In 'Pee-wee as Himself,' Paul Reubens makes it clear that he didn't want the two-part docuseries debuting in its entirety on May 23 (HBO, 8 ET/PT and streaming on HBO Max) to be a 'legacy movie.' 'I really want to set the record straight on a couple things, and that's pretty much it,' says Reubens (born Paul Rubenfeld). But unbeknownst to director Matt Wolf and the public, Reubens had been privately battling cancer for years. He died on July 30, 2023, at 70, while fighting acute myelogenous leukemia and metastatic lung cancer, according to reports. 'I was completely unaware that he was sick,' Wolf tells USA TODAY. 'I could tell something was up, but I had no sense of the gravity of it. So when he died, it was a complete shock to me, and I went to work immediately to figure out how to make meaning out of these extraordinary circumstances and to better understand the relationship that I had with him and what unfolded through the process of making this film.' Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox Throughout 40 hours of interviews, Reubens, a perfectionist, and Wolf verbally tussle over control on the project. The entertainer opens up about his decision to allow his avatar Pee-wee, star of 'Pee-wee's Playhouse,' to swallow Reubens in a stop-at-no-costs search for stardom ignited at an early age. Reubens grew up performing plays on a stage that his father built in the basement of their home in Sarasota, Florida, with early aspirations of becoming an actor. 'I wanted to be the focus of everyone's attention,' he says. Reubens also addresses topics more difficult for him to talk about, including his sexuality and trouble with the law. Reubens was arrested in 1991 and charged with indecent exposure for allegedly masturbating at an adult movie theater. Following a raid of his Los Angeles home in 2001, Reubens was charged with possessing child pornography. Wolf, a filmmaker interested in 'unconventional visionaries who beg for reappraisal,' investigates the incidents in search of the truth. Paul Reubens 'was anxious' about coming out as gay In 'Pee-wee as Himself,' Reubens remembers he 'fell in love instantly' at a party with a painter named Guy, who inspired some of Pee-wee's mannerisms. But Reubens says their relationship eclipsed his sense of self and ambitions, and that was a threat too great to bear. 'When we split up, I just made a conscious decision and went, 'I'm not doing this again,' ' Reubens says. 'I not only wasn't going to be openly gay, but I wasn't going to be in a relationship. 'My career would've absolutely suffered if I was openly gay, and so I went to great lengths for many, many years to keep it a secret.' Wolf says Reubens wanted to come out in the docuseries but 'he didn't know how he was going to do it, and he was anxious about it.' 'He pulled me aside while we were on set and said, 'I don't know how to do this,' ' says Wolf, who told him, "All you have to do is say, 'I'm gay' (and) take it from there.' Reubens didn't want his sexuality to define him, Wolf says. 'He didn't want his work to be seen through a gay lens or to be perceived as a gay icon,' Wolf says. 'That just wasn't how he defined himself.' 'We loved you right back': Bette Midler, Tim Burton, more stars remember Paul Reubens Paul Reubens' arrests: 'It was important to really go there to clear his name' The film examines what happened in both of Reubens' arrests, and 'it was important to really go there to clear his name,' Wolf says. 'The response that I've heard is that people really believe that what happened to Paul was unjust, and I feel that way based on having absorbed and looked at the facts very closely.' Reubens denied the masturbation accusation at the time and says in 'Pee-wee as Himself,' 'I still feel the effects all the time.' He pleaded no contest to move on. A decade later, authorities raided Reubens' home, where he kept an art collection of gay erotica. Reubens was charged with one count of misdemeanor possession of child pornography. A plea deal was made 'that addressed this being material that was offensive somehow, but on an obscenity standard, not anything to do with child pornography,' Reubens' attorney Blair Berk says in the docuseries. The charge was lessened to one count of possession of obscene material, and Reubens pled guilty. Still, he needed to attend mandatory counseling and register as a sex offender for three years. The message Paul Reubens recorded a day before his death Reubens died before he could sit for a final interview with Wolf. 'In the last months of Paul's life, he was in a loving relationship,' Reubens' assistant Allison Berry says. 'He was surrounded by his closest friends. He had a lot of joy. I think he was embracing the fullness of his life in those last days and in awe of the life that he had lived.' The day before he died, Reubens recorded an audio message for the docuseries. 'The reason I wanted to make a documentary was to let people see who I really am and how painful and difficult it was to be labeled something that I wasn't,' Reubens says in part, seemingly putting in great effort to speak. 'I wanted people to understand that occasionally where there is smoke, there isn't always fire. 'I wanted somehow for people to understand that my whole career, everything I did and wrote, was based in love and my desire to entertain and bring glee and creativity to young people and to everyone.'
Boston Globe
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
‘Pee-wee as Himself' is a bittersweet look at the price of fame
Former Groundlings Laraine Newman (of 'Saturday Night Live' fame) and Cassandra Peterson (a.k.a. 'Elvira, Mistress of the Dark') appear as talking heads here. The late Phil Hartman, alum of both 'SNL' and The Groundlings, is seen in archival clips. Hartman, along with Reubens and Michael Varhol, wrote the 1985 box office hit, 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure,' the movie that put both Pee-wee and its novice director, Tim Burton, on the map. Additionally, Laurence Fishburne and S. Epatha Merkerson appear to remind us they were on ' A frame of Tim Burton and Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman while filming 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure" at the Alamo in the documentary "Pee-wee as Himself." Warner Bros. With documentaries like this one, I've often wondered how much control, if any, was ceded by the filmmakers in exchange for access. Especially when the subject is credited as an executive producer, as the late Reubens is here. Wolf pulls back the curtain by providing clips of Reubens talking about how upset he is at not being in control of the footage. There's even a scene at the beginning of the second episode where Reubens FaceTimes Wolf to ask if he can submit questions for the other interviewees. Advertisement 'You know the answer to that question is no,' says a stunned Wolf after a brief pause. We're privy to Wolf's relieved response when Reubens reveals that he's pranking him. 'Do you trust me?' Wolf is heard asking at another point. Reubens responds that he never will, though he admits there might be a little bit of trust between them. It's occasionally hard to ascertain how serious Reubens is in his responses; even without his trademark makeup, the familiar, mischievous Pee-wee smirk appears in those moments. Actor Paul Reubens transforms himself in the mirror into his character Pee-wee Herman in May 1980 in Los Angeles. MichaelThe title 'Pee-wee as Himself' is an intriguing summation of the documentary. Reubens, The title is also bittersweet. As the first, and more interesting, episode reveals, Paul Reubens was always himself until he tasted enormous success. Those of us old enough to have seen 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure' in theaters, or watched the five seasons of the CBS hit 'Pee-wee's Playhouse,' remember the darker elements that populate the second episode. Advertisement But despite watching ' 'I was as out as you can be,' he tells us, 'and then I went back in the closet. Because I could pass.' Being identified as gay was always potentially career-ending, which is why so many Hollywood stars, like Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter, stayed closeted at the height of their fame. Reubens's situation is the opposite, and much of 'Pee-wee as Himself' implicitly deals with the psychological repercussions of going into the closet after tasting the freedom of avoiding it for so long. A frame of Pee-wee Herman's playhouse in the documentary "Pee-Wee as Himself." Warner Bros. Still, there was plenty of gay subtext on 'Pee-wee's Playhouse' (and some of the clips here highlight how sneaky the show could be). But not enough to negate plausible deniability. And when folks expressed concern about the believability of Pee-wee's relationship with his girlfriend in 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure,' Reubens counter-attacked by staging that ridiculously long kiss between him and Valeria Golino in the box office flop, 'Big-Top Pee-wee.' In a way, the success of Pee-wee Herman was a reward for Reubens hiding his true self. I found this idea to be so profoundly sad that the overall documentary left me somewhat depressed. I can imagine how painful it would be if I had to go back into the closet, so my reaction is strictly personal. Advertisement The saddest part of 'Pee-wee as Himself' is that Reubens's death from the cancer he privately battled for six years prohibited him from appearing on camera to speak about his most devastating scandal. Not the 1991 Overall, 'Pee-wee as Himself' is a worthwhile documentary for fans of Pee-wee Herman and for folks who want to know more. But even at its most entertaining, it can be an emotionally difficult viewing experience. PEE-WEE AS HIMSELF Starring: Paul Reubens On: HBO Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Pee-wee as Himself' gives Paul Reubens the final word on his identity
"I was born in 1938 in a little house on the edge of the Mississippi River; my father worked on a steamboat and his name was Steamboat Milton," says Paul Reubens by way of misdirection in Matt Wolf's sideways-titled documentary epic "Pee-wee as Himself," premiering Friday on HBO. (Pee-wee is always only himself, but Paul Reubens was often — and the only — Pee-wee Herman.) Identity is at the heart of this story — the unresolvable relationship between the real self, the created self and the public self. He wants to "be more known," to "explain myself," to "answer some questions … who I really am, and what's my story, and how did it all, like, shake down" and "to set the record straight on a couple of things, and that's pretty much it." It is also joyful and delightful in a way that needs no explanation because it is full of Pee-wee Herman, knocked down to rise again. "It turns out you're not supposed to direct your own documentary," says Reubens, who also tells Wolf, "I feel like I'm going to come out at the other end of this process and be like, tch, I told everybody, I could have directed this documentary." Read more: Everyone knew Pee-wee Herman. But few knew the man behind the man-child Unknown to Wolf, Reubens, who sat for 40 hours of interviews before withdrawing from the project for unstated reasons in the film, had been sick with a blood cancer for six years. (He died in 2023.) But the subject offers some foreshadowing. "This is such a dumb thing to say, but death is so final that to be able to get your message in at the last minute, or at some point, is incredible." Whose film is it anyway? Control is a recurring theme, as it regards his work but also his person and what he would and wouldn't show the world. First he decided to abandon all his other comedy characters — he had several — to concentrate on Pee-wee, and then to retreat into the character, conducting his public business exclusively in costume. He had already determined, in the service of his career, to hide the fact that he was gay, and walked away from a relationship that was making him feel too settled: "I was as out as you could be, and then I went back in the closet. I could pass." (There would be "many, many secretive relationships.") These were different times, at least for an actor looking for mainstream success. Reubens can look like an uncooperative subject — though no subject who sits for 40 hours of interviews can really be said to be uncooperative — and there is a certain puckishness, or Pee-wee-ness, in his fencing with Wolf: "I think really if you don't agree with me then you're wrong — no, I don't really think that — all right, maybe I do think that a little bit — no, I don't, I'm kidding. Or am I? I don't know. I don't know if I'm kidding. I know. But you don't." And he does make a point. While many celebrity documentaries are innocuous self-celebrations produced by the subjects or by their estates, in a more open arrangement, the person behind the camera may have leave to form and express their own ideas about the person in front of it. And though "Pee-wee as Himself" is rich and respectful, it is, like any such slice of life, also selective — edited and ordered, shaped to an end: "I feel like it's very easy to turn my story into, 'I'm a victim' in some way or 'I'm the man behind the mask, the tears of a clown' … I don't want it to be that." Wolf has not made that movie, and though he might have left such comments out of the film — and while it's possible to make too much of them, or to take seriously what's meant ironically — they do fill out the portrait, interestingly. Read more: Paul Reubens, actor and comedian behind Pee-wee Herman, dies at 70 The bulk of it, of course, is illustrated history, framed by remarks from Reubens and his colleagues, co-stars, family and friends. It's the story of a person driven to make a show of himself — from circus camp and performances with Sarasota's Asolo Repertory Theatre, to California Institute of the Arts, where Reubens let his freak flag fly (theater department classmates included Katey Sagal and David Hasselhoff — if there's a big revelation in "Pee-wee as Himself" it's that the Hoff went to CalArts). After graduation, the life of a young actor struggling in 1970s Hollywood led him to the Groundlings Theatre on Melrose Avenue, where he created and developed the character that would be his own making. The name comes from a brand of tiny harmonica and the last name of a kid he knew in school, and he liked it because he thought it sounded real: "If you were making up a name, wouldn't you make up a better name than that?" As in an old Hollywood movie where a show business career grows from stage to stage and scene to scene, "The Pee-wee Herman Show" moved up from the Groundlings to the Roxy Theatre, and then to an HBO special, as the star made appearances on David Letterman and went on a national tour at the end of which he was given the chance to make a movie. Then he was signed to make a Saturday morning kids show, the divine "Pee-wee's Playhouse," a colorful, chaotic bastion of diversity, inclusivity and all-around acceptance, before anyone was throwing around those words. Even if you were there for this, you might have forgotten the impact and excitement it generated. He was a cult figure, not just for some, but for everyone. "There wasn't really a moment in the '80s," says Reuben, "that it wasn't super cool to be me." On the (mildly) negative side, we learn that, as a perfectionist, he could be hard to work with. That he could hold a grudge. (Of Phil Hartman, who played Captain Carl in the original "Pee-wee Herman Show" until he left for "Saturday Night Live," Reubens says, "Good for him," not sounding like he means it — then, self-mocking, "I'll get my violin.") Reubens regretted the anonymity that made Pee-wee a hit, but at the same time didn't feel like he was properly recognized for his creative contribution to "Pee-wee's Big Adventure," which he co-wrote with Hartman and Michael Varhol, and notes that while Pee-wee has a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, he doesn't. ("Little bit of irony … Gives me somewhere to go.") And there are, unavoidably, two arrests that made a lot of headlines, and which said more about the investigators than the investigated. The first, for indecent exposure in an adult movie theater, "I lost control of my anonymity, and it was devastating." The second, a cooked-up charge of owning child pornography, hung on a single image from Reuben's collection of vintage erotica (out of some 30,000 examined), and was finally bumped down to a misdemeanor obscenity charge. Fans — many? most? all? — saw these arrests as special bad treatment accorded to a famous person, but, says Reubens, "30 years later, I still feel the effects all the time." Reubens made a recording the day before he died, which Wolf plays over shots of the actor's garden and its animal visitors. (He had, we learn, a green thumb, and loved nature.) His voice is audibly weaker and tired than his on-camera interviews. The idea of the film, says Reubens, who was still wounded by the idea that he might be mistaken for a pedophile, "was to let people see who I really am and how painful or difficult it was to be labeled something I wasn't … to be labeled a pariah and have people scared of you or unsure of you or untrusting, or who look at what your intentions are through some kind of filter that's not true … I wanted people to understand that where there's smoke, there isn't always fire." His whole career, he says, "was based in love and my desire to entertain and bring glee and creativity to young people, and to everyone." "Pee-wee as Himself" is essentially a love song, as is only proper; there'd be no reason to make the film if it weren't. Would Reubens have liked it? Maybe yes, maybe no, quite possibly yes and no. But it's a rewarding tour of the life and career of a person who long remained private about things that weren't really anybody's business, yet one day decided to talk about (some of) them, and had much to say about the things he shared with everyone. One would hope that viewers will find in Reuben's own life the message he beamed from the "Playhouse." Be creative, be brave, be yourself. Not everyone will love you for it, and life will not always be easy. But how dull would the alternative be. Sign up for Screen Gab, a free newsletter about the TV and movies everyone's talking about from the L.A. Times. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
