American drama television series
Tiny Pretty Things is an American drama television series based on the novel of the same name by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton, created by Michael MacLennan. It premiered on Netflix on December 14, 2020, and aired for one season.[1][2]
The series revolves around the goings on at a ballet school in Chicago, and focuses on the school's students, instructors, administrators, and benefactors. The dancing in the show is performed by the actors themselves, not doubles.[3]
Critical reaction to the series has been mixed. According to the actor Brennan Clost, the show was quietly cancelled by Netflix after failing to garner sufficient views in its first season.[4]
Cast and characters
Main
- Brennan Clost as Shane McRae,[5] an openly gay dancer who is secretly sleeping with his roommate, Oren
- Barton Cowperthwaite as Oren Lennox,[6] a dancer who has an eating disorder and Shane's roommate whom he is secretly sleeping with
- Bayardo De Murguia as Ramon Costa,[7] one of the best choreographers in the world
- Damon J. Gillespie as Caleb Wick,[5] a dancer who is secretly sleeping with Monique, the Archer School of Ballet's director
- Kylie Jefferson as Neveah Stroyer,[6] a dancer from Inglewood, California, who is given a full scholarship at the Archer School of Ballet after a student falls from a rooftop and into a coma
- Casimere Jollette as Bette Whitlaw,[6] a dancer who is living in the shadow of her older sister, Delia, and Oren's girlfriend
- Anna Maiche as Cassie Shore, the dancer who falls from the rooftop and is in a coma
- Daniela Norman as June Park,[6] Cassie's former roommate and Neveah's roommate
- Michael Hsu Rosen as Nabil Limyadi [5] a French dancer who is Muslim, Caleb's roommate, and Cassie's boyfriend
- Tory Trowbridge as Delia Whitlaw,[8] Bette's older sister and a graduate of the Archer School of Ballet; she is living with Costa and is considered a rising star
- Jess Salgueiro as Isabel Cruz,[9] a Chicago Police Department police officer who is investigating Cassie's case
- Lauren Holly as Monique DuBois,[6] the director of the Archer School of Ballet in Chicago, Illinois, who is secretly sleeping with Caleb
Recurring
- Alexandra Bokyun Chun as Maricel Park, June's mother
- Shaun Benson as Topher Brooks, the ballet master at the Archer School of Ballet
- Michelle Nolden as Katrina Whitlaw, Bette and Delia's mother who is part of the Archer School of Ballet's executive committee
- Paula Boudreau as Selena Covey, Monique's secretary
- Jessica Greco as Torri Fuller, the Archer School of Ballet's resident advisor
- Morgan Kelly as Alan Renfrew, the head of sports medicine at the Archer School of Ballet and Topher's husband
- Clare Butler as Esmé Halterlein
- Araya Mengesha as Tyler Stroyer, Neveah's older brother
- Ashley Coulson as Gwen Resnik
- Nicole Huff as Paige Aquino
- Alex Eling as Matteo Marchetti, Bette's love interest
- Daniel Kash as Sgt. Dan Lavery, Isabel's boss at Chicago Police Department
- Luke Humphrey as Travis Quinn
- Josh Pyman as Dev Ranaweera, Shane's love interest
- Erin Pitt as Laura
Guest
- Karen Robinson as Makayla Stroyer, Neveah's mother who has served time in prison for murder and is looking to make amends.
- Tiler Peck as Sienna Milken
- Emily Skubic as Lindy[10] (uncredited)
Episodes
Production
Development
Insurrection Media, Inc. optioned the source material from HarperCollins and developed the project for a year before getting a series order on August 6, 2019, from Netflix for 10 episodes. The series is created by Michael MacLennan who executive produced alongside Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, Jordanna Fraiberg, Deborah Henderson, Gary Fleder, Gabrielle Neimand, and Carrie Mudd. Felder also directed the first episode of the series. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of Insurrection Media and Peacock Alley Entertainment, Inc.[1] The series premiered on December 14, 2020.[2]
Casting
Upon the series order announcement, Lauren Holly, Kylie Jefferson, Casimere Jollette, Daniela Norman, Brennan Clost, Michael Hsu Rosen, Damon J. Gillespie, Bayardo De Murguia, Barton Cowperthwaite, Tory Trowbridge, and Jess Salgueiro were cast as series regulars.[1] On September 20, 2019, Anna Maiche joined the main cast.[11] On December 9, 2020, it was reported a professional ballet dancer, Emily Skubic is set to make her debut guest role in the series.[10]
Filming
Principal photography for the series began on August 6, 2019 and ended on December 3, 2019 in Toronto, Canada.[12]
Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Tiny Pretty Things received an approval rating of 53% based on 19 critic reviews, with an average rating of 5.38/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Tiny Pretty Things has some solid moves, but an over-reliance on empty scandal over emotional substance make for unsatisfying viewing."[13] Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 47 out of 100 based on 6 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[14]
References
- ^ a b c Petski, Denise (August 6, 2019). "Netflix Orders 'Tiny Pretty Things' Ballet Drama Series Based On Book; Sets Main Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ a b Mallenbaum, Carly (November 24, 2020). "Netflix in December 2020: What's new and what's expiring". USA Today. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
- ^ Kourlas, Gia (January 15, 2021). "'Tiny Pretty Things' Falls for Big Ugly Ballet Stereotypes". The New York Times.
- ^ Norman, Dalton (October 29, 2023). "Why Netflix Canceled Tiny Pretty Things (According To Brennan Clost)". ScreenRant. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ a b c Kocan, Liz (December 16, 2020). "'Tiny Pretty Things' Cast Guide: Who Are the Tiny Dancers of Netflix's High-Stakes Ballet Drama". Decider. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Trejos, Carolina (December 14, 2020). "Meet the Cast of Tiny Pretty Things on Netflix". LATV. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- ^ Keller, Joel (December 14, 2020). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Tiny Pretty Things' On Netflix, About An Elite Ballet School And The Rivalries And Pressures The Students Endure". Decider. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- ^ Bjornson, Greta (December 14, 2020). "Is the 'Tiny Pretty Things' Cast Really Dancing in the Netflix Show?". Decider. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- ^ Miller, Shannon (December 14, 2020). "Netflix's Tiny Pretty Things has sex on the mind but little else". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ a b Read, Jordyn (December 9, 2020). "Local dancer makes TV debut in Netflix series, Tiny Pretty Things". CTV News. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ Petski, Denise (September 20, 2019). "'Tiny Pretty Things': Anna Maiche Joins Netflix's Ballet Drama Series Based On Book". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ "Current Productions | IATSE 873". IATSE 873. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ "Tiny Pretty Things: Season 1 (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
- ^ "Tiny Pretty Things: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
External links
- Tiny Pretty Things on Netflix
- Tiny Pretty Things at IMDb
