WEEKEND TV : NETWORKS SQUARE OFF WITH THREE MOVIES

The three major networks slug it out with new TV movies Sunday night--two of them about deadly serious subjects, the other a comedy about summer camp hijinks.

Battling one another in the dramatic arena at 8 p.m. Sunday will be CBS’ “The Atlanta Child Murders” and ABC’s “Surviving.”

“The Atlanta Child Murders” (Channels 2 and 8) is a docudrama based on the string of killings that occurred in Atlanta between July, 1979, and June, 1981. The first two-hour installment deals with how the city’s leaders and law enforcement officials dealt with the bloody crime spree; a second part, airing Tuesday at 8 p.m., chronicles the trial of Wayne Williams, the man who ultimately was charged in connection with the murders.

The movie, which has stirred controversy and protest in Atlanta, stars Jason Robards, Martin Sheen, Calvin Levels, Rip Torn, James Earl Jones and Ruby Dee, among others.

The topic of “Surviving” (Channels 7, 3, 10 and 42) is teen-age suicide. Ellen Burstyn, Marsha Mason, Len Cariou and Paul Sorvino play the parents of two young people who take their own lives. (Please see Howard Rosenberg’s review, this page.)

If those films sound too heavy for you, NBC is serving up “Poison Ivy,” a comedy starring Michael J. Fox of “Family Ties” and Nancy McKeon of “The Facts of Life.” Airing Sunday at 9 p.m. (on Channels 4, 36 and 39), it’s about the shenanigans and romance that go on at a summer camp.

Elsewhere on the tube this weekend, several programs take further note of Black History Month.

Ted Lange, who plays Isaac on “The Love Boat,” hosts a salute to black performers in “Hollywood: A Legacy in Silhouette.” Among the celebrities who’ll be seen in clips are Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier, Louis Armstrong, Hattie McDaniels, Cab Calloway, Tim Reid, Marla Gibbs, Eartha Kitt and Paul Robeson. The program airs today at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 8 p.m. on Channel 9.

On Sunday, “Odyssey” looks at the role that blacks have played in the Roman Catholic Church at 8 a.m. (Channel 4), while at 10 a.m., “Tony Brown’s Journal” offers the first of a four-part “docu-opera” about the history of gospel music in the United States (Channel 28).

Here are other weekend programs:

TODAY: Young people discuss the pain of shyness on “Teen Talk,” 8 a.m. (9). . . .

Fans of the old “Dick Van Dyke Show” can see seven episodes back-to-back, beginning at noon (56). . . .

“Headlines on Trial” tackles the question of whether juveniles ought to be subject to the death penalty, 6:30 p.m. (4). . . .

KCET wraps the self-help tips it has been running this week on such subjects as traffic safety, fire safety and earthquake preparation into a half-hour special, “Emergency Line: Preparing for the Unexpected,” 6:30 p.m. (28). . . .

Harry Anderson of “Night Court” hosts “Saturday Night Live” with musical guest Bryan Adams, 11:30 p.m. (4) (36) (39).

SUNDAY: State Sen. Ed Davis (R-Northridge), who is planning to run for the U.S. Senate, visits “News Conference 4 L.A.,” 9 a.m. (4). . . .

“Face the Nation” looks at the State of the Union with Malcolm Forbes, editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine; Beverly Sills, director of the New York City Opera; former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan and Calvin Trillin, columnist for the New Yorker magazine, 9:30 a.m. (2) (8). . . .

“Meet the Press” is due at 9:30 a.m. (4) (36) (39), with the two majority whips of Congress guesting: Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.) and Rep. Thomas Foley (D-Wash.). . . .

“This Week With David Brinkley” will air at 11:30 a.m. (7) (3) (10) (42). . . .

“2 With You” looks at the needs of the homeless in Los Angeles, 4 p.m. (2). . . .

Stanley Sheinbaum, just back from the Athens meeting of the Five Continent Peace Initiative, will be interviewed on “Newsmakers,” 5 p.m. (2). . . .

The pros and cons of deregulation are debated on “Firing Line,” 5 p.m. (28). . . .

“60 Minutes” looks at efforts to train police to deal with terrorist situations and profiles rock singer Little Richard, 7 p.m. (2) (8). . . .

David Attenborough explores the life forms that live in the earth’s coldest climates on “The Living Planet: A Portrait of Earth,” 7 p.m. (28) (15). . . .

Harry Handler, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, is the guest host on “School Beat,” 9:30 p.m. (9).