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TV picks: 'Bolshoi Babylon,' a 'MythBusters' marathon and more

No wonder ballet movies tend to be dark. In a week dominated by Christmas programming, we get this sugarplum-fairy-free documentary, which looks at Russia's celebrated ballet in the wake of an acid attack on ballet director Sergei Filin. Prima ballerina M

Prima ballerina Maria Alexandrova in a scene from "Bolshoi Ballet," an HBO documentary premiering Monday, Dec. 21
Prima ballerina Maria Alexandrova in a scene from "Bolshoi Ballet," an HBO documentary premiering Monday, Dec. 21Read moreHBO
    by Ellen Gray, Daily News
    Published 

BOLSHOI BABYLON
9 tonight, HBO

No wonder ballet movies tend to be dark. In a week dominated by Christmas programming, we get this sugarplum-fairy-free documentary, which looks at Russia's celebrated ballet in the wake of an acid attack on ballet director Sergei Filin. Prima ballerina Maria Alexandrova (pictured) is just one of the dancers whose workplace is apparently not as beautiful as the audience might imagine, although you'd have to read between the subtitles to know for sure what's going on.

THE I LOVE LUCY CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
8 p.m. Wednesday, CBS3

The Christmas and famous "Vitameatavegamin" episodes have been colorized and combined.

MYTHBUSTERS HOLIDAY MEGA MARATHON
Midnight Wednesday, Science Channel

Before it begins its final season next month, the "MythBusters" team plans to go out with "248 episodes, 2,950 experiments, 1,050 myths, and 900 explosions" in a marathon running, in chronological order, through Jan. 3.

DOCTOR WHO
9 p.m. Friday, BBC America

The traditional "Doctor Who" Christmas special (which we get to see the same day they do in Britain) this year features the return of Alex Kingston as the Doctor's time-traveling wife, River Song.