TONIGHT'S BEST
The Secret Life of Bees 5:05 p.m. on (STRZ1); 11:20 p.m. on 34
Anyone fond of such stories as “Fried Green Tomatoes” and “How to Make an American Quilt” will take immediately to directorscreenwriter Gina Prince-Bythewood’s (“Love & Basketball”) well-cast, nicely acted version of the Sue Monk Kidd novel. Dakota Fanning plays a troubled youngster who goes on the run with her caretaker (Jennifer Hudson) in the early 1960s, ultimately finding refuge with several sisters (Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okenedo).
Whitney Houston & Bobbi Kristina: Didn’t We Almost Have It All 6 p.m. on (103)
This new two-hour documentary chronicles the tragic family saga of music superstar Whitney Houston and Bobbi Kristina, Houston’s daughter with Bobby Brown. Both women’s lives ran on parallel tracks, leading each of them to turn to a heavy dependence on drugs and alcohol to cope with their complicated issues. Sadly but inevitably, their lives came to the same untimely end as a result. The film includes interviews with family, colleagues and friends who were part of Whitney and Bobbi Kristina’s inner circle.
The Big Sick 7 p.m. on 9 p.m. on (TMN1) W
Real-life couple Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon took a painful chapter from their relationship and artfully turned it into a touching and funny romantic comedy, earning an Academy Award nomination (among several other accolades) for their screenplay to director Michael Showalter’s 2017 film. Nanjiani (essentially playing himself) stars as a struggling comic whose budding relationship with Emily (played by Zoe Kazan), a psychology student, is threatened when she falls critically ill. Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Anupam Kher, Zenobia Shroff and Aidy Bryant also star.