There’ll be no "Nutcracker" in 2020. Among the many pleasures of life we’ve lost to this plague-ridden year are performances of Tchaikovsky’s "The Nutcracker," a showcase for young dancers that has been a boon to many careers.
One small compensation is the docuseries "On Pointe," streaming on Disney+. The film follows classes, students, teachers and parents involved in instruction at the School of American Ballet in New York City, a feeder program for American Ballet Theatre (ABT). One aspect of the series is the casting and rehearsals for a "Nutcracker" in the tradition of legendary choreographer George Balanchine, who staged several works specifically for the ABT.
We follow teachers recruiting talent from every neighborhood in the city, with some dancers as young as 5 and 6. Older, and by that, I mean high school-age, students, come from all over the world. One young dancer, from Florida, is the daughter of a Russian hockey star drafted into the NHL. Dad knows nothing about ballet, but has passed on a habit of practice, dedication and discipline.
Viewers in search of something like "Dance Moms" or the many series exploiting the misbehavior of backstage moms and cutthroat pageant queens are barking up the wrong Christmas tree.
Early on, we’re shown an orientation for all of the students, where they are told they are part of a great tradition, nearly a century old, and that mean-spirited, gossipy behavior has no place in their elite endeavors.
Even if you have no interest in ballet, it’s a pleasure to watch a docuseries where the reality TV traditions of casual backbiting and cruelty have been banished and where teens and young people are celebrated for their talent and passions and not their sexuality.
"On Pointe" offers a complete contrast to Netflix’s ballet hothouse "Tiny Pretty Things," a series steeped in carnality, cruelty and alleged murder.
— Netflix begins streaming "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom," adapted from August Wilson’s stage production. Produced by Denzel Washington, Todd Black and Dany Wolf, the film stars Viola Davis in the title role and Chadwick Boseman ("Black Panther") in his final film appearance.
— Shudder, the premium streaming service dedicated to horror, offers "A Creepshow Holiday Special," starring Anna Camp ("Pitch Perfect") and Adam Pally ("The Mindy Project").
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— Jane Lynch hosts "Weakest Link" (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG).
— Traditions new and old loom large in the 2017 special "Olaf’s Frozen Adventure" (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
— Oregon and USC meet in college football action (8 p.m., Fox).
— A debate about gift-giving and -receiving on a holiday-themed episode of "Raven’s Home" (8 p.m., Disney, TV-G).
— The final four compete on "Christmas Caroler Challenge" (8 p.m. CW, TV-PG).
— A celebrated chef returns home to her mother’s quaint bed & breakfast in the 2020 romance "Christmas on the Menu" (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-PG).
— The 2020 documentary "The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" (8 p.m., HBO2, TV-MA) celebrates the remarkable career and many hits of harmonizing brothers Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb.
— An ogre’s festivities go sideways on "Shrek the Halls" (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG), from 2007.
— A dive into the shallow end of the Reagan gene pool on "Blue Bloods" (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— A popular historian looks at Yuletide as Henry VIII may have known it on "Lucy Worsley’s 12 Days of Tudor Christmas" (10 p.m., PBS, r, TV-PG, check local listings).
CULT CHOICE
While hardly a "Christmas movie," few films capture the potential for melancholy at office holiday parties quite like "The Apartment" (9:45 p.m., TCM, TV-PG), the 1960 drama starring Jack Lemmon as a corporate drone who lends his bachelor pad to his boss (Fred MacMurray) for assignations with the elevator girl (Shirley MacLaine). Directed by Billy Wilder.
SERIES NOTES
Mac frees a murderer to catch a kidnapper on "MacGyver" (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … Assault on a federal building on "Magnum P.I." (9 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … "Dateline" (9 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) … "20/20" (9 p.m., ABC).
LATE NIGHT
George Clooney and Black Pumas are booked on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Olivia Colman, Lucas Hedges, Jhene Aiko and Nas on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC) … "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" (11:35 p.m., ABC) is a repeat.
Jimmy Fallon, Joe Manganiello and Kaz Rodriguez visit "Late Night With Seth Meyers" (12:35 a.m., NBC, r) … Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson, Rebel Wilson, Jason Derulo, Francesca Hayward, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tom Hooper appear on "The Late Late Show With James Corden" (12:35 a.m., CBS, r).
