Pee-Wee Herman speaks up, Sarah Silverman makes me laugh/cry and the best Jewish show of 2025.

It's been a terrible news week and great TV week.

Hello couch potato latkes. This has been a terrible news week and a great Jewish TV week. Let’s talk about it.

Sarah Silverman’s newest comedy special is INCREDIBLE

It’s been a while since my husband and I have found a comedy special that makes us want to keep quoting it to each other like some new holy text but Sarah Silverman’s “PostMortem” had us wanting to relive the magical experience of watching it over and over again. It’s pure brilliance, full of raunchy sex jokes that somehow make this special that honors the memory of Silverman’s late parents, her mother Beth Ann, stepmother Janice, and father Donald “Schleppy” Silverman, even more reverent. What a gift.

Stream “PostMortem” on Netflix.

Pee-Wee Herman finally speaks up

Paul Reubens, the genius Jewish comedian behind Pee-Wee Herman and the franchise of shows and movies that starred his red-bowtie wearing kid-voiced alter-ego, finally tells his story in this new documentary series that is, in my humble opinion, a must-watch. Watching it, my heart shattered into a bazillion pieces (which could have probably been made into a very compelling animation by the incredible visual team behind Pee-Wee, who also get their well-deserved spotlight in this film). It’s clear how scarring the homophobic witch-hunt he experienced in the ‘90s was, and how it pained him until his dying days that he — someone who was so passionate about changing kids’ lives for the better — was branded a pedophile with no proof. I also felt so much the tension between Reubens’ penchant for anonymity and desire for accolades, the push and pull of wanting to hide, to have privacy, to protect oneself, versus wanting to be seen and adored and remembered. It was a constant theme in his life, and remains a constant theme in this documentary series.

Stream “Pee-Wee as Himself” on HBO Max.

“The Studio” is one of the best shows of 2025

It may not yet be June, but I stand behind this statement. “The Studio” is some of the best TV can offer. I wrote about the Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg-helmed show and the way it juggles Jewish identity in Hollywood for Kveller, and my colleague Evelyn at Hey Alma wrote about how it subverts the “Jews run Hollywood” conspiracies and about Zoe Kravitz’s amazing Jewish battle cry in the show. Also, can we talk about how good Bryan Cranston is in that finale??

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Stream “The Studio” on Apple TV+.

Is this Mickey Mouse character a Messianic Jew?

Last year, I wrote about this Mickey Mouse Funhouse Hanukkah episode, my least favorite of the three new ones they put out in 2024. One thing I missed — and that a viewer drew our attention to — is that Hilda the cow, the Jewish character in the episode, has a messianic Jewish symbol on her outfit. I was totally discombobulated but also attributed it to an outsourcing of animation overseas, or perhaps some very non-Jewish-versed animator stateside. But a Forward writer noticed it last week, and wrote about it. What do you think — was this intentional?

When “The Dick Van Dyke” show went Yiddish

I just want to say, “The Dick Van Dyke Show” surprisingly holds up. I laughed out loud while watching and writing about the episode “Bupkis,” in which the show’s Jewish writer Sam Denoff turned his mom’s favorite Yiddish word into a catchy tune. His Jewish mother loved the episode but warned her son that the show couldn’t air.

Stream “Bupkis” on Tubi.

“The Last of Us” finale is coming…

No show has felt as illuminating to me about this grim reality we live in as the zombie drama “The Last of Us,” based on a game of the same name, which was, in case you didn’t know, created by Israeli dad Neil Druckmann. He is also the co-showrunner with fellow Jewish dad, “Chernobyl”’s Craig Mazin. The last episode of season 2 is coming this Sunday and I am nervous and excited for it. But also, I’m a little sad about the fact that Dina, protagonist Ellie’s love interest this season, seems to have had her Jewish roots from the game (where she wears a hamsa and talks Jewish holidays) erased in the show.

Stream “The Last of Us” on HBO Max.

And finally, some TV comfort

I feel so heavy this week with the news of the shooting of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, especially as someone who feels very personally connected to the Jewish community of Kansas City, one that Milgrim and her family belonged to. I think self-care is much-needed this weekend, in the form of some comfort watches. Here are some that I suggest — I would love to hear your recs in the comments:

• "Seven Figures” on Netflix (my review)

• “Somebody Feed Phil” on Netflix (my review)

• “Reformed” on HBO Max

• “Check Out” on Chaiflicks

• “Dismissed” on Izzy