"Guests of the Ayatollah" (9 p.m., Discovery): The hostage crisis in Iran that began in 1979
"Guests of the Ayatollah" (9 p.m., Discovery): The hostage crisis in Iran that began in 1979 dominated news coverage and even resulted in the creation of ABC's "Nightline," originally titled "The Iran Crisis: America Held Hostage." Twenty-five years after dozens of Americans were captured by Iranian college students in Tehran's U.S. Embassy, this four-part documentary chronicles the events that led to the hostages' 444-day ordeal. Author Mark Bowden interviews former hostages and their captors, as well as the political, diplomatic and military figures who were key players. Discovery airs an hour preview tonight; the full series airs Monday and Tuesday, 8-10 p.m., on Discovery Times Channel, available on digital cable and satellite.
"A Bug's Life" (8 p.m., ABC): Long before Pixar's gifted animators became obsessed with "Cars," they were fascinated with creepy crawlers. The 1998 film, "A Bug's Life" focuses on a well-meaning ant's efforts to find a team of warriors bold enough to fend off an impending grasshopper invasion. The voice talent includes Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Dave Foley.
"Banshee" (8 p.m., Oxygen): A car thief picks the wrong ride to steal -- it belongs to a serial killer.