# Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986)

> Pee-wee Herman hosts a whimsical, campy children's variety show in a magical playhouse full of friends and talking objects.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/4390

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 45
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, family
- Created by: Paul Reubens
- Network: CBS
- Cast: Paul Reubens, Lynne Marie Stewart, Phil Hartman, Laurence Fishburne, Gilbert Lewis, Suzanne Kent, S. Epatha Merkerson, John Paragon
- TMDB rating: 8.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090500/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: whimsical, campy, joyful, breezy, irreverent

## What critics say

Audiences broadly regard the series as an acclaimed, idiosyncratic children's comedy whose surreal, campy playhouse world rewards repeat viewing.

## Synopsis

Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986-1990) is a United States children's comedy series created by Paul Reubens for CBS. Reubens stars as the eccentric, childlike host Pee-wee Herman, who spends his days in a brightly cluttered, magical house with his talking chair Chairry, the sharp-tongued Miss Yvonne played by Lynne Marie Stewart, cowboy Curtis (Laurence Fishburne), and Jambi the Genie (John Paragon). Each half-hour episode is a loose collage of sketches, cartoons, music numbers and guest visits, with the playhouse's objects coming alive and the household's small crises turning into inventive games. Its engine is pure play: Pee-wee wants to entertain and be liked, and the day's mishaps and whims spill into the show's anything-goes format. The mood is breezy, joyful and deliberately campy, with a surreal, handmade visual charm and bright, cartoonish color throughout. Five seasons and forty-five episodes on CBS give the show a steady, episodic shape with no continuing plot. Fans of Sesame Street, The Electric Company and Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood will find the same imaginative, child-centered whimsy here, delivered with an unmistakably offbeat, theatrical sensibility.

## Shows like Pee-wee's Playhouse

- [Yo Gabba Gabba! (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/13756)
- [Fraggle Rock (1983)](https://ember.film/tv/2812)
- [Bobby's World (1990)](https://ember.film/tv/1665)
- [Shining Time Station (1989)](https://ember.film/tv/509)
- [The Adventures of Pete & Pete (1993)](https://ember.film/tv/2683)
- [Beakman's World (1992)](https://ember.film/tv/5066)
- [Big Comfy Couch (1993)](https://ember.film/tv/4204)
- [Muppets Tonight (1996)](https://ember.film/tv/6139)
- [Sigmund and the Sea Monsters (1973)](https://ember.film/tv/68)
- [The Jim Henson Hour (1989)](https://ember.film/tv/9525)

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