You don’t have to be a lover of ballet to find the poignancy and even tragedy in “Nureyev: The Russian Years” a presentation of “Great Performances” (8 p.m., PBS, check local listings).

Arguably the greatest and most influential dancer of the second half of the 20th century, Rudolf Nureyev defected to the West in 1961, at the height of the Cold War.

The circumstances of his “leap to freedom” at a Paris airport under the frustrated eyes of Soviet agents unfold like something out of a spy novel. It made headlines all over the West and provided a propaganda black eye to the Soviets, who would later try the dancer for treason, in absentia.

But what of the friends, lovers, dancers and choreographers Nureyev left behind? Four and a half decades after his dramatic departure, his dancing partner Ninel Kurgapkina still thrills to his brilliance and eccentricity. We hear of a German filmmaker and likely lover, Teja Kremke, who encouraged Rudolph’s defection and who probably never recovered from the separation from his “blood brother.” Kremke’s never-before-seen films appear here, offering a glimpse of the young Nureyev’s performances at the Kirov Ballet.

“Russian Years” offers a wonderful portrait of a young artist and the friends and family who believed in him, even while indulging and delighting in his ego and eccentricities. It also provides a historic peephole on the daily life of artists and bohemians under the Soviet regime. But it is also a tale of deep sadness, of a celebrity who became the toast of the cultured classes on both sides of the Iron Curtain, who amassed fame, fortune and even his own private island, but who lived the bulk of his life as an exile, disowned by his father and cut off from the people and culture that created him.

¢ Described by its network as “the lighter side of incurable cancer,” the documentary “Crazy Sexy Cancer” (8 p.m., TLC) follows one woman’s search for a cure and her celebration of other women “determined to become survivors.”

¢ While some think that rising temperatures in the arctic region may be a boon to transportation and oil exploration, it hasn’t been easy on the critters that call the North Pole home. The “National Geographic” special “Masters of the Arctic Ice” (7 p.m., PBS, check local listings) follows climate change from the point of view of the North Pole’s ringed seals and the near mythic narwhal, long considered the “unicorn of the sea.”

¢ Don’t go looking for “Anchorwoman.” That Fox “comedy,” reviewed rather harshly in this space just last week, was watched by a miniscule audience and canceled after just one episode. That doesn’t happen very often. It just goes to prove, give the people what they hate and they’ll stay away in droves.

Fox will air back-to-back repeat episodes of “‘Til Death” (7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Fox) in its place. If you really must watch “Anchorwoman,” you can still catch unaired episodes at Fox.com.

Tonight’s other highlights

• Pennant rivals New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox clash (6 p.m., ESPN2).
• Artists reflect on the fate of the Crescent City on “Going Back to New Orleans” (7 p.m., MyNetwork).
• Soledad O’Brien and Spike Lee lead teenagers armed with video cameras to document New Orleans on “Children of the Storm” (7 p.m., CNN).
• “Last Comic Standing” (8 p.m., NBC) grinds on.
• Brennan must find a new partner on “Bones” (8 p.m., Fox).
• Tips for the kitchen clueless on “Pantry Raid” (8 p.m., Style).