bolstering anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment popping up on a near-daily basis, the obvious response is for queer people and their allies to be louder and prouder than ever. But that’s easier said than done, especially when incidents like actor Jonathan Joss’ death as the result of an alleged hate crime are a stark reminder that the mere act of existing can still be enough to get queer people killed.
The question of how to live as a queer person, whether your life is constantly under a microscope or not, lies at the heart of “Pee-wee as Himself.” Director Matt Wolf’s two-part documentary about the life and times of the late and, it should go without saying, great Paul Reubens has been garnering universal praise since making its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, so it was only to be expected that Warner Bros. Discovery would roll it out on streaming just in time for Pride Month. WBD CEO David Zaslav and his regime may not know how to name a streaming service, but they sure as heck know how to manipulate a marginalized community for their benefit. (Don’t think we forgot about that “Our Flag Means Death” stunt renewal you pulled for Pride 2022.)
Of course, just because its streaming rollout was a calculated strategy doesn’t make “Pee-wee as Himself” any less impactful and important than it is. That’s why it’s gratifying to see the film is ranking among HBO Max’s top 10 most-streamed TV shows as of June 4, 2025, as reported by FlixPatrol. (Again, it’s really a two-part documentary feature and not a series, but we’ll take the win all the same.)
