Mike Hughes on TV

1) “The Nutcracker,” 8-9:30 p.m., PBS. This lush English National Ballet production (shown here) does everything right –gorgeous sets, costumes and stagecraft, backing 100-plus dancers, all of them deeply talented. The “Nutcracker” structure leaves the first 15 minutes fairly flat; then the magic begins. Read more…

1) “Tabernacle Choir: Hope For the Season,” 8 p.m., PBS, rerunning at 9:30. Here is epic-scale music at its best. There are great moments from soprano Ruthie Ann Miles (shown here) and narrator Dennis Haysbert. But the peak comes when the 360-voice choir goes directly from two “Alleluia” pieces (by Bach and Ginastera) to Handel’s thundering “Hallelujah” chorus. Read more…

1) “Avatar: The Way of Water” (2022), 7-11 p.m., ABC. Five days before the third “Avatar” film opens, here’s the second (shown here) — a $2.3-billion hit worldwide. Producer-director James Cameron continues the mystical world he created in 2009, now adding Kate Winslet, his former “Titanic” star. Read more…

1) “Taylor,” 8-10 p.m., CW. At a New Jersey park, a girl saw 12-year-old Taylor Swift, confidently singing original songs to a few people. She soon was a Swift fan, playing her songs constantly during tough times. Such early glimpses are the best parts of this biography. We see the current stardom (shown here) and commotions, but we also see a young star-to-be and her fans. Read more…

1) “American Masters,” 9 p.m., PBS. Here’s a joyous journey through Dick Van Dyke’s life. He turns 100 Saturday, so there’s a lot to cover. We see his elastic face and body in a nightclub act. His TV shows floundered until the brilliant “Dick Van Dyke Show” (shown here). Then came “Mary Poppins” and some serious turns, reflecting his struggle with alcoholism. Read more…