TV & Movies
'Superstar: Whitney Houston' is a new ABC special from the producers behind '20/20,' and arrives on the heels of what would have been the late singer's 58th birthday
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Whitney Houston may have passed away more than nine and a half years ago, but a new documentary on the multi-octave singer is hoping to keep her memory alive, while promising to reveal new “intimate details” about one of the most iconic performers of all time.
Superstar: Whitney Houston is a new ABC special from the producers behind 20/20, and arrives on the heels of what would have been the late singer’s 58th birthday on August 9th. The one-hour special kicks off ABC’s new Superstar series, which the network says “provides unmatched reporting and fresh insight into [popular] icons.”
While the new Whitney Houston special is unauthorized by the singer’s family, ABC says producers spoke to several of Houston’s friends and colleagues for the doc. The episode also includes interviews with Houston and Bobby Brown from the ABC News archives.
2021 Whitney Houston Documentary: Air Date, Time, Where to Watch
Superstar: Whitney Houston airs tonight, August 11th at 10pm EST / PST on ABC. If you have basic cable or a digital antenna like this one from Amazon, you can watch the new Whitney documentary on TV through your local ABC affiliate.
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The Whitney special is an hour-long episode (60-minute runtime) and airs live on ABC. It’s not clear yet if the new Whitney doc will re-air or repeat on TV.
How to Watch Whitney Houston Documentary Online Free
If you want to watch the new Whitney Houston documentary online free, there are a couple ways to do it.
1. Stream the Whitney Houston Documentary on fuboTV
fuboTV is one of the best live television streaming services online, and your subscription to fubo gets you instant access to ABC, along with more than 100 other live channels to watch from your TV, tablet, computer or phone.
Sign-up for a 7-day free trial to fuboTV here and watch the Whitney documentary online free. You’ll get to keep your fuboTV subscription for an entire week after that and you can cancel at anytime. The basic package also includes E!, Bravo, and a host of other popular channels that are likely to have coverage of the new Whitney doc this week.
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Buy Watch Whitney Houston Documentary fuboTV
2. Stream the Whitney Houston Documentary on Hulu
There are a couple ways to watch the new Whitney special on Hulu. The streamer’s Hulu + Live TV plan includes the ABC channel, so you can watch the Whitney documentary live on TV. Sign-up for a 7-day free trial to Hulu + Live TV here and watch the 2021 doc on TV or stream it from your device as it airs.
Buy Watch Whitney Houston Documentary Hulu + Live TV
If you can wait a day, you’ll be able to watch Superstar: Whitney Houston on-demand online via Hulu. Hulu will have the entire Whitney Houston doc available to stream for free on its platform the day after its live TV airing. The site is currently offering a 30-day free trial here that will let you stream Superstar: Whitney Houston for free online and on-demand, if you can’t watch it live.
Buy Watch Whitney Houston Documentary Hulu
Note that this free trial doesn’t get you access to Hulu’s Live TV platform, so if you want to watch the new Whitney documentary live on TV, you’ll want to grab Hulu’s 7-day free trial, which includes Live TV access to ABC.
Whitney Houston Documentary 2021: Spoilers, What to Expect
Superstar: Whitney Houston comes more than nine and a half years after the singer’s sudden death, in a Beverly Hills hotel room in February 2012. In addition to “never-before-seen private video” teased by ABC, the one-hour special includes new interviews with musicians Chaka Khan, Brandy, BeBe Winans and Darlene Love, as well as Narada Michael Walden, Michael Bearden and Savion Glover.
It’s worth noting that the unauthorized doc doesn’t include any new interviews with Houston’s family, but rather pieces together the singer’s ups and downs using archival footage and the recollections of her friends and colleagues. As this is an ABC special, the documentary is also expected to include clips from Houston’s contentious 2002 interview with Diane Sawyer.
Where to Watch Whitney Houston Movie, Documentary
This is the third documentary to be released about Houston since her passing. The first, titled Whitney: Can I Be Me?, premiered on Showtime in 2017 and used archival interview and concert footage to tell the story of the singer’s rise to fame, chart-topping success, her rocky marriage and family life, and subsequent downfall due to allegations of drug use.
Buy Stream 'Whitney: Can I Be Me?' Online $4.99
A 2018 documentary, simply titled Whitney, was released with the participation of Houston’s family members, and included new interviews with Houston’s mother, Cissy, older brothers Michael and Gary, and Houston’s longtime assistant, Mary Jones, who leveled accusations that Houston’s cousin, Dee Dee Warwick, had sexually abused the singer when she was a child.
Both films are available to stream now on-demand via Amazon.
Buy Stream 'Whitney' Online $3.99
A third film, the 2015 Lifetime movie, also titled Whitney, starred Yaya DaCosta as the singer, with Angela Bassett directing. You can stream the Lifetime Whitney Houston movie on Amazon Prime with a free trial to “Lifetime Movie Club” or purchase a digital download for $19.99 (this film is yours to keep for unlimited viewing). You can also buy the film on DVD here.
Buy Whitney (2015 Lifetime film) $19.99
Superstar: Whitney Houston marks the first episode of ABC News’ Superstar series. Subsequent episodes will include features on Kobe Bryant, Robin Williams and other “mavericks who shaped American culture,” per an ABC release.
