Pee-wee Herman

If you ever wondered what Pee-Wee Herman would do if he were given a talk show today, tuning in to his appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' (Weeknights, 12AM ET on ABC) would have answered the question. Using a shrinking potion, he shrunk Kimmel down and took over the desk.

His first demand now that he had his own talk show? He had the band fire up some circus music. Kimmel finally complained -- in a very goofy, high-pitched voice -- one time too many, and Herman dropped a trick-or-treat basket over him.

Pee-wee Herman wants to dance! Let's make this happen.

Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee's alter ego) told E! Online that he's ready to go after the mirrorball trophy on 'Dancing With the Stars.' He's been in the audience as support, but he wants to get on that dance floor.

"[I go] to support my friend David Arquette," Pee-wee said. "I hope to be dancing myself on Dancing With the Stars next season! That's why I'm there all the time, to get my face up there. Trying to butter up the producers and everything. Jury's out, I haven't heard yet."

When Bravo's 'Top Chef: Texas' debuts on Wed., Nov. 2 at 10PM ET, there will be 29 contestants. Twenty-nine.

However, by the end of the premiere, only 16 will get to put on the 'Top Chef' coat and compete as official cheftestants. The 16 official contestants will then compete across the state of Texas in Austin, Dallas and San Antonio.

"I'm so excited for everyone at home to get a glimpse of all the great and talented chefs," 'Top Chef' host Padma Lakshmi said in a statement. "This season is bigger and better than ever! Yum!"

Jimmy had a stroke of genius on 'Dirty Money' (Wed., 10PM ET on Discovery). Looking at a pile of bicycle parts they'd salvaged, he suddenly remembered what iconic creation could be made from them.

"What is the most famous Schwinn in the world?" he asked. "Why don't we turn this into the Pee-wee Herman bike?"

The only financial investment they put into it was the new tires, at fifty bucks. The rest of it was from on-hand materials, and they did an absolutely beautiful job in recreating the bicycle made famous in 'Pee-Wee's Big Adventure.'

According to Pee-wee Herman, staging a production as complicated as his Broadway show can be tough. And yet, despite the difficulties, Herman would absolutely return to the stage, he said on 'The Rachael Ray Show' (weekdays, syndicated).

"It was very complicated to put it all together. It took a long time because it was very ambitious technically," said Herman. "There's puppets and there's flying and all kinds of things happening."

After a long absence from the pop-culture scene, Pee-wee Herman has enjoyed a renaissance in the last year or two.

A well-received live show that was staged in Los Angeles in early 2010 transferred to Broadway later that year -- and as actor Paul Reubens made the publicity rounds in character as the exuberant, suit-clad Pee-wee -- it was hard not to feel a swell of nostalgia. Pee-wee's goofball innocence is hard to resist, and it was good to have his irreverent energy buzzing around again.

That said, 'The Pee-wee Herman Show on Broadway' (10PM ET Saturday, HBO) feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. It's mildly amusing, but it comes off as an extended appetizer, not a meal.

To reduce his carbon footprint, Jimmy Fallon decided to turn the lights down off for his interview with Ted Danson on 'Late Night' (weeknights, 12:37AM ET on NBC). Under the beam of a flashlight, Danson shared that he and wife Mary Steenburgen made a special video honoring Steve Carell as he prepares to leave 'The Office.'

In the clip, Steenburgen wore her Dunder Mifflin bathrobe in solidarity. But when the camera panned to Danson, he was clutching his two Emmys from 'Cheers' and gaping longingly at the television. 'Cheers' clips played, accompanied by the series' famous theme song at full blast.

"Beware, Steve Carell. This could happen to you," Steenburgen noted somberly. Back in the 'Late Night' studio, Fallon decided it was time to turn the lights up to get their bearings. Danson suddenly had a guest-couch buddy: Pee-Wee Herman.

Hoda Kotb and Andy Cohen show off their versions of Pee-wee Herman's trademark dance to 'Tequila' on 'Today' (weekdays, 7AM ET on NBC). Herman seems to appreciate the homage, but the hosts don't make much of an effort, leading us to wonder if he's simply being kind.

Cohen swings his arms back and forth while seated, somehow doing a dance that's even jerkier than the original. "That's pretty good. That's good! It's like looking in the mirror!" said Herman.

Fall is always crazy in the TV realm, but the middle of the current season has been just as bananas.

As soon as 2011 rolled around, the networks unleashed a bumper crop of new and returning shows, and only in the past couple of weeks did the relentless pace of premieres and returns simmer down to a manageable level.

We can't get complacent, however, because in the next few weeks, cable and broadcast networks will release yet another barrage of notable new shows, from 'Game of Thrones' to 'The Killing' to 'The Borgias.'

To make sure you don't miss anything, here's a handy list of 19 notable March and April programs. I've put a * next to new programs I've seen at least one episode of. Look for full reviews of most of these programs on TV Squad in coming weeks.

Sometimes it pays off to do things that are completely random. Pee-Wee Herman and George Lopez struck coincidental gold when they decided to poll the 'Lopez Tonight' (Weeknights, 12AM on TBS) audience for tattoos.

They thought it was going well enough when beautiful women started flashing skin to showcase some of their artistic expressions. What they didn't expect was for one to stand and announce, "I have a tattoo of Pee-Wee Herman on the back of my leg."

Lopez got her up onto the stage so they could get a closer look at it, and Herman got down on his hands and knees so he could be caught in the shot with his visage on the back of her leg.

In the latest 'Saturday Night Live' (Sat., 11:30PM ET on NBC) digital short, Andy Samberg and Pee-Wee Herman (aka Paul Reubens) bonded over tequila shots. This turned into a big adventure that included riding a mechanical bull, whopping Anderson Cooper with a chair and dancing on the bar -- Pee-wee style -- to the 'Tequila' song.

The pair returned home to find their friends conducting an intervention. Even a few of Pee-wee's buddies ("Chairy?!") got serious. "You're a b-b-b-bad influence on each other," said Conky the Robot.

After nearly two decades, Paul Reubens is becoming Pee-wee Herman, that silly man-child in the tight gray suit, again.

Reubens stars in the revival of the 1981 production, 'The Pee-wee Herman Show,' which premieres Oct. 26 on Broadway. And the character isn't just making a comeback on stage -- Reubens and Judd Apatow are also working on a third Pee-wee Herman film.

It's wonderful to see our favorite childhood comedian working again. It inspired us to watch a few episodes of 'Pee-wee's Playhouse,' and we were surprised to see how many faces we recognized. Not just because we remembered the characters, but because many of them have gone on to be acting stars themselves.

Regis Philbin gives Pee-wee Herman a tour of New York that turns out badly for both of them on 'Live With Regis and Kelly' (weekdays, syndicated).

Pee-wee Herman is back! And he's bringing Jimmy Fallon along for the ride. The star of 'Pee-wee's Playhouse' has been out of the spotlight for a while. But now, he's starring in a new Broadway version of his classic kids' program. Pee-wee showed up on 'Late Night' (weeknights, 12:37AM ET on NBC), and he and Fallon had a big adventure.

Most actors who go on talk shows just sit in a chair ... and talk. But Pee-wee (real name: Paul Reubens) is all about the spirit of childlike fun. Sure, he was promoting his latest project, but that didn't mean that things had to be boring!

So Pee-wee took Fallon for a ride on a bicycle built for two. But first, there was one little thing to take care of... "Shotgun!" Herman yelled.

Look out, Mister Potato Head! Pee-wee Herman is back.

Not only is he bringing his famous 'The Pee-wee Herman Show' to Broadway (at The Stephen Sondheim Theatre in NYC beginning Oct. 26), he's also working on a new Pee-wee Herman movie. And, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure' and the film's famous 'Tequila' biker bar dance scene, Pee-wee attended the 70th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, S.D.

On Wednesday's 'The Tonight Show With Jay Leno' (weeknights, 11:35PM ET on NBC), Pee-wee reported from Sturgis, conducting interviews with some of those attending the event, using his irreverent 'Pee-wee's Playhouse' style of humor -- but with an adult twist.

He interviewed a woman with big beads, a man who recycled ****, a female gynecologist ("I'm gonna become one myself," Pee-wee said), then showed off a cool new app for his iPhone that his biker friends gave him (shown above).

Pee-wee, we sure missed ya.