--- description: Trailer for "Whitney," Lifetime's Whitney Houston biopic directed by Angela Bassett. title: Watch the Trailer for Lifetime's Whitney Houston Biopic image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7567b99ea5938da4/69876cfdcd6848531f09870d/whitney-houston-biopic.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Watch the Trailer for Lifetime's Whitney Houston Biopic  by [Eliza Berman](/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Dec 5, 2014 4:15 PM CUT  From left: Yaya Dacosta; Whitney Houston From left: Yaya Dacosta; Whitney HoustonGetty Images (2)  by [Eliza Berman](/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Dec 5, 2014 4:15 PM CUT In the wake of Lifetime’s universally panned Aaliyah biopic — the critical reaction to which Gawker pretty much captured by [calling it](http://gawker.com/lifetimes-aaliyah-biopic-is-the-laughingstock-of-the-in-1659376805 "undefined") “the laughingstock of the Internet” — the network has some redemption to seek. Though expectations may be middling and Houston’s family is [unhappy about the project](http://www.etonline.com/news/148723%5Fwhitney%5Fhouston%5Fmother%5Fcissy%5Fresponds%5Fto%5Flifetime%5Fbiopic/ "undefined"), there is still hope that their upcoming Whitney Houston biopic _Whitney_ might restore favor with viewers and fans alike. The trailer focuses on Houston’s relationship with Bobby Brown, and Lifetime’s press site confirms that the tumultuous union will be the focal point of the production. First-time director Angela Bassett has some experience with biopics, as she played Tina Turner in the 1993 biopic _What’s Love Got to Do With It_, which centered on the singer’s abusive relationship with Ike Turner. Between the relationship drama and substance abuse, the biopic looks like an appropriately heavy affair, with only sequins and shoulder pads to lighten things up. Yaya DaCosta, who started her career as runner-up on _America’s Next Top Model_ but proved her acting chops in _The Kids Are All Right_, will play Houston, with vocals by Deborah Cox. Arlen Escarpeta, best known for _Friday the 13th_ and a smattering of TV appearances, will play Brown. The special airs on Jan. 17, followed by a documentary that takes a closer look at Houston’s life and death. Houston was such an incomparable talent that it’s a little disappointing the biopic seems to put her love life above her remarkable accomplishments as an entertainer. But the offstage tensions, it would appear, provide more juice for drama than the onstage triumphs. Watch the trailer at [BuzzFeed](http://www.buzzfeed.com/jarettwieselman/whitney-houston-lifetime-movie-trailer "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3620233/lifetime-whitney-houston-biopic/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3620233/lifetime-whitney-houston-biopic/"},"headline":"Watch the Trailer for Lifetime's Whitney Houston Biopic","datePublished":"2014-12-05T16:15:02.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T02:36:47.895Z","description":"The biopic attempts to capture the turmoil behind the scenes","url":"https://time.com/3620233/lifetime-whitney-houston-biopic/","keywords":["Television","Music","Lifetime","Biopic","Whitney Houston"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7567b99ea5938da4/69876cfdcd6848531f09870d/whitney-houston-biopic.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliza Berman","jobTitle":"Berman is a senior editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7567b99ea5938da4/69876cfdcd6848531f09870d/whitney-houston-biopic.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"whitney-houston-biopic","caption":"From left: Yaya Dacosta; Whitney Houston","creditText":"Getty Images (2)","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3620233/lifetime-whitney-houston-biopic/","name":"Watch the Trailer for Lifetime's Whitney Houston Biopic"}}]}] ```