Best tv shows like Pee-wee's Playhouse
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Pee-wee's Playhouse is an American children's television program starring Paul Reubens as the childlike Pee-wee Herman. The show was developed from Reubens' popular stage show and the one-off TV special The Pee-wee Herman Show, produced for HBO, which was similar in style but featured much more adult humor. In 2004 and 2007, Pee-wee's Playhouse was ranked #10 and #12 on TV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Family, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, mysterious, absurd, offbeat, feel good, surreal, not serious, weird, campy, cult film
Best tv shows and movies like Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986):
Similar in 87%
The Pee Wee Herman Show (1981)
Plot Summary:
An adult-oriented version of what would eventually become an award-winning children's classic. This version of the show features Pee-wee's playhouse and many of the characters of the later series, but with adult and sexual overtones and jokes including "mirror shoes" and others.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 58 min
Plot tags: offbeat, feel good, humorous, surreal, not serious, slapstick, spoof, parody, campy
Similar in 83%
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters (1973)
Plot Summary:
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters was an American children's television series that ran from 1973 to 1975, produced by Sid and Marty Krofft and aired on Saturday mornings. There were 29 episodes spanning two seasons.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 940
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: spooky, humorous, semi serious, weird
Similar in 88%
The Muppet Show (1976)
Plot Summary:
The Muppet Show is a comedy-variety television series produced by puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring The Muppets. After two pilot episodes produced in 1974 and 1975 failed to get the attention of America's network heads, Lew Grade approached Henson to produce the programme for his ATV Associated Television franchise in the UK. The show premiered on 5 September 1976, and five series were produced until 15 March 1981 at ATV's Elstree Studio just north of London, lasting 120 episodes. The series shows a vaudeville or music hall-style song-and-dance variety show, as well as glimpses behind the scenes of such a show. Kermit the Frog stars as a showrunner who tries to keep control of the antics of the other Muppet characters, as well as keep the guest stars happy. The show was known for outrageous physical slapstick, sometimes absurdist comedy, and humorous parodies. Each episode also featured a human guest star. As the show's popularity rose, many celebrities were eager to perform with the Muppets on television and in film. Many of the puppeteers also worked on Sesame Street. Muppet performers over the course of the show include Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Fran Brill, Eren Ozker, Steve Whitmire, Louise Gold, Kathryn Mullen, Karen Prell, Brian Muehl, Bob Payne, and John Lovelady. Jerry Juhl and Jack Burns were two of the show writers.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 26000
Genere: Comedy, Family, Musical
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, feel good, exciting, sitcom, funny, light, retro, sketch comedy, slapstick, not serious
Similar in 76%
Yo Gabba Gabba! (2007)
Plot Summary:
Yo Gabba Gabba! is an American children's television show that airs on the Nick Jr. cable network in the United States and the Nick Jr. networks in the United Kingdom & Ireland, Italy, France and Australia as well as Treehouse TV network in Canada and RTE2 on RTÉjr in Ireland. The show stars five costumed toys-come-to-life and their friend DJ Lance Rock, who explore a single topic in each episode through songs and short storylines in the half-hour program while teaching children life and social skills. It also encourages viewers to move along with and dance with the characters in the program. The show is noted for its indie-culture guest stars and bands, and for drawing visual inspiration from 8-bit video games and H. R. Pufnstuff. Created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz, the show is produced by The Magic Store Productions and Wild Brain. The series premiered August 20, 2007 on Nickelodeon as part of its Nick Jr. block, and began broadcasting in reruns on February 23, 2008 on the Nick Jr. TV Channel. On April 30, 2008 the television show received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 23 min
Plot tags: humorous, not serious, feel good, surreal, exciting, weird
Similar in 86%
Salute Your Shorts (1991)
Plot Summary:
Salute Your Shorts is an American comedy television series that aired on Nickelodeon from 1991 to 1992 and in reruns until early 1999. It was based on the 1986 book, Salute Your Shorts: Life at Summer Camp by Steve Slavkin. The series, filmed at Franklin Canyon Park and the Griffith Park Boys Camp within Griffith Park in Los Angeles, was set at the summer camp Camp Anawanna. It focuses on teenage campers, their strict and bossy counselor, and the various capers and jocularities they engage in. The title comes from a common prank campers play on each other: a group of kids steals a boy's boxer shorts and raise them up a flagpole. Hence, when people see them waving like a flag, other kids would salute them as part of the prank.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, exciting, offbeat, humorous, realistic, not serious
Similar in 77%
The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway (2011)
Plot Summary:
Subversive humor and childlike wonder based on both Reubens' original stage show, "The Pee-wee Herman Show," and the Emmy-winning Saturday morning TV show, "Pee-wee's Playhouse.".
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 845
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: humorous, feel good, offbeat, surreal, not serious, independent film, slapstick, campy
Similar in 79%
Big Top Pee-wee (1988)
Plot Summary:
Paul Reubens stars as Pee-wee Herman in his second full-length film about a farmer who joins the circus after a storm drops a big tent in his front yard. Pee-wee, along with an outlandish cast of animals and circus performers, puts on the best show ever.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: humorous, light, feel good, slapstick, surreal, captivating, entertaining, mysterious, offbeat, not serious
Similar in 80%
Perfect Strangers (1986)
Plot Summary:
Perfect Strangers is an American sitcom that ran for eight seasons from March 25, 1986, to August 6, 1993, on the ABC television network. Created by Dale McRaven, the series chronicles the rocky coexistence of midwestern American Larry Appleton and his distant cousin from eastern Mediterranean Europe, Balki Bartokomous. Originally airing on Tuesdays for the short six-episode first season in the spring of 1986, it moved to Wednesdays in prime time in the fall of 1986. It remained on Wednesdays until March 1988, when it was moved to Fridays. The show found its niche there as the anchor for ABC's original TGIF Friday-night lineup, though it aired on Saturdays for a short time in 1992.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, game show, offbeat, feel good, realistic, not serious, slapstick, buddy comedy
Similar in 86%
The Fresh Beat Band (2009)
Plot Summary:
The Fresh Beat Band is a children's TV show with original pop songs produced for Nick Jr. The Fresh Beats are Shout, Twist, Marina, and Kiki, described as four best friends in a band who go to music school together and love to sing and dance. The show was filmed at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, California. All episodes follow the same basic structure: ⁕Each episode begins with a song that foreshadows a problem that the band will solve. ⁕The band works together to solve the problem. ⁕When the problem is solved they perform a song with the problem and solution incorporated into the lyrics. ⁕Each episode concludes with a version of The Fresh Beat Band's closing song, "Great Day". ⁕The main characters dance to choreography by Mandy Moore; Sean Cheesman; Chuck Maldonado; Scotty Nguyen; Dreya Weber; Mary Ann Kellogg; Nakul Mahajan; Mihran Kirakosian; Susan Austin and Fred Tallaksen.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 613
Genere: Family, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: semi serious, feel good, humorous, realistic
Similar in 87%
Cousin Skeeter (1998)
Plot Summary:
Cousin Skeeter is an American children's television show, which ran on Nickelodeon from 1998 to 2001. It starred Robert Ri'chard as Bobby, a young boy whose life changed when his strange cousin Skeeter came to live with his family. With Skeeter's help, Bobby learns life lessons and tackles the ups and downs of growing up. The show also included Meagan Good as Bobby's friend Nina, Rondell Sheridan as Bobby's father Andre, and Angela Means as Bobby's mother Vanessa. Skeeter is portrayed by a hand puppet with Bill Bellamy providing his voice, and Drew Massey performing the puppetry, assisted by Alice Dinnean. Within the show, Skeeter is treated like a regular human and no mention of him being a puppet is made. Although the series was shot in a single-camera format, the show used a laugh track. No plans for a DVD release of the series or of the TV movie "New Kids On The Planet" have been announced. The show's theme song is an alternate version of 702's 1997 hit "Steelo", written by Missy Elliott.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, semi serious, family comedy
Similar in 78%
So Random! (2011)
Plot Summary:
So Random! is an American Disney Channel musical sketch comedy series that premiered on June 5, 2011. It was announced as an independent series after Demi Lovato left the parent series, Sonny with a Chance. The series features the actors who acted in Sonny with a Chance, besides Lovato: Tiffany Thornton, Sterling Knight, Brandon Mychal Smith, Doug Brochu, and Allisyn Ashley Arm along with other featured actors who recur in the series. The series premiere was watched by 4.1 million viewers. On May 2, 2012, Tiffany Thornton indicated that the series had not been renewed for a second season.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Family, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: humorous, funny, light, feel good, captivating, entertaining, satirical, sitcom, parody, not serious
Similar in 86%
Crash & Bernstein (2012)
Plot Summary:
Crash & Bernstein is a live action television comedy with puppetry which premiered on October 8, 2012 on Disney XD. Created by Eric Friedman, the series centers around a 12-year-old son, among three sisters, who wishes to have a brother. His wishes come true when a puppet named Crash comes to life. Production for the series began in May 2012. On November 9, 2012 Disney XD extended the series' first season to 26 episodes. Disney XD renewed the series for a second season on April 15, 2013, which will premiere on October 7, 2013. Sesame Street and Muppets performer Tim Lagasse stars as the voice and puppeteer for Crash while Greg Ballora serves as the puppet captain.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 872
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: not serious, humorous, absurd, odd
Similar in 82%
The Naked Brothers Band (2007)
Plot Summary:
The Naked Brothers Band is an American musical comedy series created by Polly Draper. The show depicts the daily lives of Draper's sons, who lead a fictional world-renowned rock band from New York City. As a mockumentary, the storyline is a hyperbole of their real lives, and the fictional presence of a camera is often acknowledged. Lead vocals and instrumentation are provided by the siblings; they wrote the lyrics themselves. The show stars Nat Wolff and Alex Wolff, who encounter conflicts with each other that are later omitted. Nat's fictional female admirer and real life preschool friends—including the guitarist who had no prior acquaintance with the family—feature as the band members, with the siblings' genuine father and Draper's husband as their accordion-playing dad and Draper's niece as the group's babysitter. The series is a spin-off of Draper's 2005 film of the same name that was picked up by Nickelodeon, premiering in January 2007. Draper, star of Thirtysomething and her writings The Tic Code and Getting Into Heaven, is the executive producer of the series, and often writer and director. Albie Hecht, affiliated with Nickelodeon and founder of Spike TV, is the executive producer, under his Worldwide Biggies tag. Draper's husband Michael Wolff, of The Arsenio Hall Show fame, serves as the music supervisor and co-executive producer with Draper's brother Tim as the consulting producer.
IMDB Rating: 3.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Family, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 23 min
Plot tags: semi serious, humorous, realistic, tense, mockumentary, captivating
Similar in 87%
Mighty Med (2013)
Plot Summary:
Mighty Med is a live-action comedy series starring popular Disney Channel stars Bradley Steven Perry and Jake Short, premieres as a special one-hour event, October 7 on Disney XD. The series is created by Jim Bernstein and Andy Schwartz, and is executive produced by Bernstein and Stephen Engel.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: not serious, humorous, captivating, light, cult classic, sitcom, surreal, odd
Similar in 84%
Hank Zipzer (2014)
Plot Summary:
12-year-old Henry ‘Hank’ Zipzer is a smart and resourceful boy with a unique perspective on the world. Hank has dyslexia, and when problems arise, he deals with them in a way no-one else would – putting him on a direct collision course with his teachers and parents, who don’t seem to appreciate his latest scheme as much as he thought they would... But, Hank always remains positive and convinced that the next big plan will deliver – after all, tomorrow is another day!.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 348
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: UK
Duration:
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, entertaining, light, feel good, clever, touching, realistic, fast
Similar in 78%
Mork & Mindy (1978)
Plot Summary:
Mork & Mindy is an American science fiction sitcom broadcast from 1978 until 1982 on ABC. The series starred Robin Williams as Mork, an alien who comes to Earth from the planet Ork in a small, one-man egg-shaped spaceship. Pam Dawber co-starred as Mindy McConnell, his human friend and roommate. In 1997, the episode "Mork's Mixed Emotions" was ranked #94 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time list.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, slapstick, game show, hilarious, offbeat, surreal, not serious, parody, spoof
Similar in 86%
Fraggle Rock (1983)
Plot Summary:
The Fraggles are a fun-loving community of creatures who live in a subterranean fantasy land where they love to play, sing and dance their cares away, sharing their world with the tiny Doozers and the giant Gorgs. The series teaches empathy and tolerance and encourages children to understand people different from themselves.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Musical
Country: Canada, UK, USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: retro, humorous, semi serious, nostalgic
Similar in 78%
Fred 3: Camp Fred (2012)
Plot Summary:
Schools out and Fred Figglehorn's dream of water slides, horseback riding and monkey butlers during the summer turns into a nightmare of gruel and poisonous berries when his mom signs him up to an unsanitary camp.
IMDB Rating: 2.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 81 min
Plot tags: humorous, not serious, feel good, entertaining, freeze frame, realistic, independent film
Similar in 76%
Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief (2008)
Plot Summary:
Maya Dolittle (Kyla Pratt) is back in a heartwarming adventure of presidential proportions! Maya's dream of going to vet school is put on hold when she gets a call from the president of the United States. It seems the First Dog is out of control, and the president needs Maya's help. It's up to Maya and her own dog, Lucky, to stop a canine catastrophe from becoming a national crisis!.
IMDB Rating: 3.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, semi serious, offbeat
Similar in 90%
Bear in the Big Blue House (1997)
Plot Summary:
Bear in the Big Blue House is a television program for adults and children produced for the Playhouse Disney channel by Mitchell Kriegman and The Jim Henson Company. It first aired in 1997. In 2004, The Jim Henson Company sold the Bear in the Big Blue House franchise to The Walt Disney Company. The characters and show are currently owned and operated by the Disney subsidiary, The Muppets Studio.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: educational, nostalgic
Similar in 78%
Christmas at Pee Wee's Playhouse (1988)
Plot Summary:
Pee-wee Herman and pals are celebrating Christmas in the Playhouse in their own creative ways: Pee-wee makes a list for Santa Claus 1 1/2 miles long, teaches Little Richard how to ice skate, goes for a sleigh ride with Magic Johnson, commands Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello to make Christmas cards, receives a long phone call from Dinah Shore, even has more musical fun with k.d. lang, the Del Rubio Triplettes and Charo! Finally, Big Red arrives and announces that Pee-wee's Christmas list was so big, he didn't have enough presents for all the children of the world. Will Pee-wee follow his own advice and help others?.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Family, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 49 min
Plot tags: offbeat, feel good, humorous, surreal, not serious, absurd, christmas special, campy
Similar in 85%
Mr. Bean (1990)
Plot Summary:
Mr Bean turns simple everyday tasks into chaotic situations and will leave you in stitches as he creates havoc wherever he goes.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 130000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: UK
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: humorous, sitcom, not serious, realistic, feel good, light, funny, retro, game show, hilarious
Similar in 75%
The Adventures of Pete & Pete (1992)
Plot Summary:
The Adventures of Pete & Pete is an American children's television series produced by Wellsville Pictures and broadcast by Nickelodeon. The show featured humorous and surreal elements in its narrative, and many recurring themes centered on two brothers both named Pete Wrigley, and their various interactions with family, friends, and enemies. The show was created by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi and began as minute-long shorts in 1989 that aired in between regular programs. Owing to the popularity of the shorts, five half-hour specials were made, followed by a regular half-hour series that ran for three seasons and continued in reruns until around 1999. The N aired reruns of the show between 2002–2003. The first two seasons were released on DVD in 2005; the third was planned for 2006 but was indefinitely postponed. Jason Ankeny of Allmusic called the series "the greatest children's show ever," while IGN called it "One of the most well-written kids shows ever.".
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, offbeat, humorous, surreal, witty, not serious, mad, cult film
Similar in 89%
ALF (1986)
Plot Summary:
A furry alien wiseguy comes to live with a terran family after crashing into their garage.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 38000
Genere: Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, sitcom, cliffhanger, game show, hilarious, feel good, not serious, light, funny, offbeat
Similar in 81%
Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)
Plot Summary:
The eccentric and childish Pee-wee Herman embarks on a big adventure when his beloved bicycle is stolen. Armed with information from a fortune-teller and a relentless obsession with his prized possession, Pee-wee encounters a host of odd characters and bizarre situations as he treks across the country to recover his bike.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 58000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: road movie, funny, humorous, surreal, hilarious, entertaining, dark comedy, cult classic, uplifting, mind bending
Similar in 90%
Kenan & Kel (1996)
Plot Summary:
Kenan & Kel is an American teen comedy sitcom produced by Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert that originally aired on Nickelodeon from July 1996 to July 2000. The show starred friends and then-All That cast members Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. Sixty-five episodes and a made-for-TV movie were produced over four seasons. The first two seasons were filmed at Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando, Florida, and the remaining two were filmed at the Nick On Sunset theater in Hollywood. Thompson and Mitchell were ranked No. 40 and No. 39., respectively, on Vh1's 100 Greatest Kid Stars.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, feel good, sweet, hood, humorous, sketch comedy, teen comedy
Similar in 76%
Best Friends Whenever (2015)
Plot Summary:
The live-action comedy follows best friends Shelby and Cyd who, when their aspiring scientist friend Barry’s invention goes awry, gain the power to leap forward and backward in time whenever they want – and sometimes when they don’t. Now, they experience the twists and turns of friendship and must decide between fixing mistakes in the past or catching a glimpse of the future. While Barry and his assistant, Naldo, try to figure out how to replicate time travel for themselves, Cyd and Shelby use their newfound power to navigate high school life and Shelby’s mischievous twin brothers, Bret and Chet.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 21 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, corny, teen comedy
Similar in 86%
How to Rock (2012)
Plot Summary:
How to Rock is an American teen sitcom that ran on Nickelodeon from February 4 to December 8, 2012. It stars Cymphonique Miller as Kacey Simon. The series is based on the 2011 book, How to Rock Braces and Glasses by Meg Haston published by Little, Brown Books For Young Readers and Alloy Entertainment. The series was officially green-lit on May 23, 2011 with a 20-episode production order, later increased to 26. Two of the ordered episodes were merged into a special episode so 25 episodes actually aired. The series began filming in August 2011. It is the first television sitcom to be produced by Alloy Entertainment. The first promo aired with Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh on December 10, 2011. It was confirmed by the series showrunner David M. Israel on August 26, 2012 that How to Rock would not be returning for a second season.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Family, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: humorous, light, feel good, captivating, teen, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 75%
School of Rock (2016)
Plot Summary:
A group of rule-abiding prep school students – Zack, Lawrence, Freddy, Summer and Tomika – learn to take risks and reach new heights thanks to substitute teacher Dewey Finn, a down-on-his-luck musician who uses the language of rock ‘n’ roll to inspire his class to form a secret band. Throughout the school year, these middle-school classmates find themselves navigating relationships, discovering their unknown talents and learning lessons on loyalty and friendships.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Family, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, funny, feel good, light, captivating, teen comedy
Similar in 83%
The Weird Al Show (1997)
Plot Summary:
The Weird Al Show is a television show hosted by "Weird Al" Yankovic. Produced in association with Dick Clark Productions, it aired Saturday mornings on the CBS TV network from September to December 1997. The show was released on DVD on August 15, 2006. The show was similar to Pee-Wee's Playhouse which also premiered on CBS. Al's television set was called "Al TV", the name of a number of Yankovic's television specials.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 680
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Family, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: parody, offbeat, humorous, surreal, witty, not serious, spoof