Television series

Tiny Pretty Things

Name: Tiny Pretty Things
Genre: Drama, Romance, Mystery
Released: 2020
Cast: Kylie Jefferson, Casimere Jollette, Daniela Norman, Brennan Clost, Michael Hsu Rosen

Coming-of-age

An elite ballet academy becomes a pressure cooker of ambition, jealousy, and secrets. Tiny Pretty Things combines soap opera intrigue with genuine dance sequences, following young dancers competing for spots in a professional company. It's CW melodrama energy transplanted into the world of classical ballet—heightened emotions, shocking betrayals, and the kind of plot twists that make you immediately text a friend.

TVMaze rating

3.0

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like your backstage drama glossy and sharp-tongued, with rivalries that tangle friendship and ambition and a mystery that keeps you guessing about who is hiding what.

Skip it if you want restrained, grown-up storytelling, because the melodrama runs hot, the plotting gets soapy, and the tone rarely cools off.

What it asks of you: Ten episodes of about fifty-seven minutes each, so a binge is easy, but it wants you to keep track of several rivals and secrets as the threads braid together.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Center Stage2000

The spiritual ancestor of this story: dancers at a competitive academy, class struggle, romance, and the question of who has what it takes. It understands both the technical world and the human stakes. Plus, it's genuinely fun to watch people dance beautifully.

But Made in 2000, so the dialogue and fashion choices feel very much of their time. Some of the dramatic beats are broad enough to see coming.

Flesh and Bone2015

Starz's prestige take on ballet world toxicity. Darker and more psychologically precise than Tiny Pretty Things, it takes the same setting and pushes into real trauma and artistic obsession. Sarah Michelle Gellar leads a brilliant ensemble cast.

But Cancelled after one season. If you need closure, this won't give it to you. Also genuinely disturbing in places—not a fun watch, even when it's excellent.

Black Swan2010

The art film version of what Tiny Pretty Things is playing with: ambition, obsession, and the cost of excellence in ballet. Darren Aronofsky makes the pressure itself visual and terrifying. Natalie Portman's performance is mesmerizing.

But Deliberately unsettling and surreal. If you want clarity and straightforward drama, this goes deliberately abstract instead. Also quite violent in its final act.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Tiny Pretty Things

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Suspiria1977

Both center the ballet world as a space where power is opaque and dangerous, where pretty surfaces hide ugly truths. Both ask: what are you willing to sacrifice, and for what?

Dario Argento's baroque horror masterpiece about a young dancer at a prestigious ballet academy that's hiding a centuries-old secret. Utterly unlike anything else—sumptuous, nightmarish, operatic. The production design and score alone are spellbinding.

But A 1970s Italian horror film with dubbing, surreal logic, and sustained weirdness. It's about atmosphere and style, not plot clarity. If you need it to make conventional sense, it won't. Also genuinely gruesome.

Dirty Dancing1987

A masterclass in romantic tension and dance sequences that actually showcase movement. It's not about an academy, but the same world of passionate performers and the romance that blooms when boundaries blur. Endlessly rewatchable comfort viewing.

But The plot is simple and predictable. The villain is one-note. If you're looking for narrative complexity, this isn't it.

Fame1980

The original ensemble cast drama about young artists in a competitive academy, following eight characters through one year. It's sentimental but earned, and features real performers doing real work. The HBO remake (2009) is also solid if you want more episodes.

But Episodic and occasionally TV-movie in feeling. Some storylines land better than others. The original film version can feel a bit dated in execution.

Glee2009

If you're here for soap opera plotting and musical performances, Glee delivers exactly that energy in high school form. First two seasons especially: genuinely funny, propulsive, and unafraid to go wild with its storylines. Great soundtrack too.

But Notoriously uneven. Quality drops significantly after season two. The show became increasingly chaotic in its narrative decisions and tonal shifts.

The OA2016

A mystery series that also features an ensemble of young people with hidden depths and strange connections. Like Tiny Pretty Things, it's unafraid to be strange and overstuffed with plot. Visually inventive and genuinely surprising.

But Cancelled after season two on a cliffhanger. Convoluted mythology that not everyone loved. Demands significant attention and willingness to sit with weirdness.

Make It or Break It2009

ABC Family's soap opera about gymnasts at a competitive training center. High school drama meets athletic obsession, with the same blend of romance, betrayal, and ambition. Surprisingly grounded about what these kids are actually going through.

But Aired over a decade ago and feels it. Some plotting is repetitive. If you're looking for cutting-edge television, this is comfort viewing, not innovation.

Bunheads2012

Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) made a series about a failed Vegas dancer who inherits a ballet studio and has to run it. Snappy dialogue, genuine affection for the dancers, and some real technical dance sequences woven through.

But Only lasted one season. Sherman-Palladino's rapid-fire dialogue style isn't for everyone. Less melodramatic plotting than Tiny Pretty Things—more character comedy and heart.

Pina2011

Both understand dance as a way bodies speak truths that words can't—as a language of desire, rage, identity, and escape. Pina shows what ambition looks like when it's about art rather than institutional success.

Wim Wenders' documentary-dance film about the late choreographer Pina Bausch, shot in 3D with dancers performing her pieces. It's not narrative—it's an experience of movement, grief, and artistic legacy. Hypnotic and unlike watching conventional drama.

But It's a documentary about modern dance, not a story. No plot, no characters to follow. Demands patience and openness to movement as its own meaning. The 3D theatrical experience is essential; watching at home diminishes it.