There is no Show of the Week this week. The spirit was willing, the screener selection weak.

Short Takes

Idina Menzel in concert in “Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage?”
PHOTO CREDIT: Eric Maldin/Walkman Productions Inc.

Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage? (Dec. 9, Disney+)

Those of us who aren’t famous tend to think of it as a constant in the lives of those who are: you get famous, you’ve got it made. This documentary about singer and actor Idina Menzel reminds us that it’s more of a roller coaster with highs and lows. Menzel, a New York native, first hit it big in 1996 with “Rent,” but it was another seven years before she got her next big break, creating the Tony-winning role of Elphaba in “Wicked,” and then another decade before she was catapulted to even higher heights with the song “Let It Go” and the movie “Frozen.” This doc follows Menzel on a 2018 concert tour culminating in her dream gig of playing Madison Square Garden. It balances concert footage with archival film of her performing in high school musicals, and at weddings and bar mitzvahs, with personal moments: interacting with her father, husband and son, Walker, and undergoing ultimately unsuccessful IVF treatments. If you don’t know much about Menzel — or Adele Dazeem, as she was dubbed in a memorable moment at the 2014 Oscars — this doc is a reminder of her hits and of the glorious voice underlying them all.

Disney+ also has “Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again” (Dec. 9), an animated sequel to the live action “Night at the Museum” films; the star-stuffed comedy caper film “Amsterdam” (Dec. 7); animated series “Alice’s Wonderland Bakery” (Dec. 7) and Season 2 of “The Mysterious Benedict Society” (Dec. 7).

Yannick Bisson and Cory Lee in “Baking All the Way.” PHOTO CREDIT: Vortex Media

Baking All the Way (Dec. 10, 8 p.m., Super Channel Heart & Home)

I am not a fan of holiday rom-coms, but I make allowances for Canadian offerings like this one. Sure, it’s set in Chicago and Wisconsin, but it was made in Ontario with a Canadian cast, led by “Murdoch Mysteries” star Yannick Bisson, who also directs. Bisson is Kris Thompson, widowed owner of a small-town bakery that’s being pummelled by an outpost of a corporate baked goods franchise. He also has the requisite precocious daughter (Bianca Sas) and wisecracking mother (Jayne Eastwood). Things start to turn around when cookbook author Julia Wilson (Cory Lee) comes to town because she wants to include Kris’s gingerbread recipe in her new book — it reminds her of the cookies she used to bake every Christmas Eve with her late mother. Colin Mochrie and wife Debra McGrath co-star as friendly B&B owners who take Julia under their wings. Baking and romance ensue, naturally. Let’s be honest, this is as saccharine as the treats Kris and Julia create to turn his business around, but such is the nature of Christmas movies. And if you get through it without raiding your kitchen for something sweet you’re a better person than me.

Also, if you are a Jayne Eastwood fan, I’m told she guest stars in “A Pink & Green Christmas” (Dec. 8, Bell Fibe TV1), the holiday episode of the comedy about a women’s prison in Hamilton.

Odds and Ends

Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, in “Harry & Meghan.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

The big Netflix release this week is “Harry & Meghan,” an explosive new docuseries about the royal runaways that drops on Dec. 8. I have only seen the trailer, like everyone else, but if you thought the Oprah Winfrey interview put the monarchy in a bad light, hoo boy, I think this will probably have royal knickers in a twist when it’s released.

Netflix also has “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (Dec. 9), the Oscar-winning director’s stop-motion, animated vision of the classic story, in which the wooden boy (Gregory Mann) is brought to life by a bereaved father (David Bradley) in Italy in the 1930s. It boasts a stacked voice cast, with Ewan McGregor, Ron Perlman, John Turturro, Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett, Christoph Waltz, Finn Wolfhard and more. Also releasing on Netflix, the Mexican coming-of-age series “The Most Beautiful Flower” (Dec. 7); Spanish gay rom-com series “Smiley” (Dec. 7); the documentary “The Elephant Whisperers” (Dec. 8), about a couple in India who devote their lives to caring for an orphaned baby elephant; doc “In Broad Daylight: The Narvarte Case” (Dec. 8), about a corruption and murder case in Mexico; and lots of other stuff.

I wasn’t able to get a look in time for today’s post at Jann Arden’s Christmas special, “Jann: Alone for the Holidays” (Dec. 9, 9 p.m., CTV/CTV.ca), in which Arden’s sitcom character finds herself with just her assistant Trey (Tenaj Williams) for company at Christmas. The special includes Arden performing holiday standards, and guest appearances by Michael Buble and Bryan Adams.

Also in the Bell Media family, Crave via HBO has the third season of “His Dark Materials” (Dec. 5, 9 p.m.); the docuseries “Unveiled: Surviving La Luz Del Mundo” (Dec. 6, 9 p.m.), about a sex abuse scandal at a Christian church; and Season 2 of “Random Acts of Flyness” (Dec. 9, 9 p.m.). Also on Crave, Season 4 of “Doom Patrol” (Dec. 8, 9 p.m.); the Jennifer Lopez rom-com “Marry Me” (Dec. 9); and supernatural crime series “The Rising” (Dec. 11), in which a dead woman in purgatory has to find her killer.

Apple TV+ has the Will Smith comeback film “Emancipation” (Dec. 9), which was not offered for review, at least not on Apple’s press site. Antoine Fuqua directed the movie, in which Smith plays a runaway slave. Apple also has Season 2 of “Little America” (Dec. 9), the first episode of which was directed by Indo-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta, who has firsthand knowledge of the immigrant experience.

Prime Video has British World War II series “SAS: Rogue Heroes” (Dec. 9), starring Connor Swindells (“Sex Education”), Jack O’Connell (“Godless”), Alfie Allen (“Game of Thrones”) and Dominic West (“The Crown”).

CBC Gem has comedy series “Avoidance” (Dec. 5), starring Romesh Ranganathan (“Cinderella”); Season 2 of “The History of Comedy” (Dec. 8) and the New Zealand comedy series “Kid Sister” (Dec. 9), about a young Jewish woman facing family pressure in Auckland.

Finally, if you’re a fan of “As Time Goes By,” the long-running British sitcom that starred Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer, BritBox has the “As Time Goes By Reunion Special” on Dec. 6.

NOTE: The listings here are in Eastern Standard Time and I’ve verified the times where possible, but it’s always best to check listings for your own area. The selection of programs reviewed reflects what I’m given access to by networks and streamers, whether reviews are embargoed, how many shows I have time to watch and my own personal taste. The Odds and Ends section includes shows that I have not watched.