Tribute: ‘American Masters: Starring Dick Van Dyke’
To say Dick Van Dyke is an entertainment legend seems like faint praise. The actor, singer and dancer, who turns 100 next Saturday, has been a pop culture staple for seven decades via TV shows and movies like “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Mary Poppins” and “Diagnosis Murder” — last year, he won an Emmy for soap opera “Days of Our Lives” and starred in a Coldplay video. This documentary (airing on PBS Friday at 9 p.m.) covers those triumphs but also the failures in a career that began when Van Dyke was 16 years old. Admirer Jim Carrey argues that anyone who feels like they’re losing faith in humanity should watch Van Dyke’s shows and movies — or at least this doc. — Debra Yeo
Dance: ‘Wintersong’
For months after the Harbourfront Centre abruptly ended its lease of the venue formerly known as the Fleck Dance Theatre, the future of the beloved performance space seemed uncertain. Now, however, under new management, the venue is set to reopen to the public later this week as the Terminal Theatre (207 Queens Quay W.). And first up is the Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre’s annual holiday showcase, “Wintersong: Dances for a Sacred Season.” The mixed program features five works, including a world premiere by the Swedish artist Elon Höglund, from the Montreal-based company Tentacle Tribe Dance Company. Also in the program is “A Day of Light” by one of my favourite contemporary choreographers, Hanna Kiel. — Joshua Chong
Documentary: ‘Sean Combs: The Reckoning’
Don’t let the fact that Diddy antagonist Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson executive-produced this four-part Netflix investigation into a rival hip-hop mogul dissuade you from diving in. This is a devastating and revelatory account of the chaos that has surrounded the former Puff Daddy since he promoted a 1991 celebrity basketball game that left nine people dead in a stampede. Interviews with childhood friends, former business associates and alleged victims go a long way to convince viewers that he was a despicable character way before he was publicly accused of sexual assault (which he denies). True-crime documentaries are rarely more lurid, star-studded or riveting. — Doug Brod
TV: “Canada’s Drag Race”
After a dismal last season, the Canadian instalment of the RuPaul franchise has come roaring back into our hearts with an exhilarating season so far. There’s great diversity among these queens (there’s even a drag king!), making for an electrifying cast of characters. So far, we’re most intrigued by beefy pot-stirrer and Toronto local Van Goth and the spry little mustachioed Vancouverite PM, but we’re rooting for the Acadian queen from Moncton, Sami Landri of viral “As-tu des cigarette?” video fame. — Briony Smith
