Preview ’92 : Pulp, Mega-Stars and Politics : Fall movies and miniseries rely on fantasies, fact and friction

New miniseries and movies for the fall will include the story of the Jackson family (that’s Michael Jackson), fantasies from romance-novel divas Danielle Steel and Jackie Collins, a reunion on cable of Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie, plus Katharine Hepburn in a movie she has said will be her last.

Here are some of the highlights:

Miniseries

Biography

The Blue Eyes-authorized, Tina Sinatra-produced “Frank Sinatra Story” chronicles the legendary singer’s life from early childhood to the present. The five-hour film stars newcomer Philip Casnoff, Olympia Dukakis and Rod Steiger, Nov. 8 and 10, CBS.

“The Jacksons: An American Dream” follows the singing family from obscurity to pop chart sensations. The two-part film was authorized by the family and was produced by Jermaine Jackson and Margaret Maldonado Jackson, Nov. 15 and 18, ABC.

Western

A sequel to Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and popular miniseries, “Return to Lonesome Dove,” follows the surviving characters in this six-hour film, CBS.

Romance

The four-hour sequel to “Lucky/Chances,” “Jackie Collins’ Lady Boss” is about Lucky’s determination to become the most powerful woman in Hollywood. Kim Delaney, Jack Scalia and Vanity star, Oct. 11-12, NBC.

The five-hour “Danielle Steel’s Jewels,” starring Annette O’Toole and Anthony Andrews, traces four decades in the life of an American woman and the royal family she marries into, Oct. 18 and 20, NBC.

“Sidney Sheldon’s Sands of Time,” a four-hour, two-part miniseries, stars Deborah Raffin, Michael Nouri, Amanda Plummer and James Brolin, November, KTLA.

Mystery

The four-hour, fact-based “Shattered Vows” chronicles murder and corruption that reaches to highest levels of the Chicago police department and judicial system. Starring Brian Dennehy, Treat Williams and Susan Ruttan, NBC.

Made-for-TV movies

Biography

“Fergie and Andrew” tells the story of the rise and fall of the royal marriage, Sept. 28, NBC.

“Stalin,” starring Robert Duvall, was filmed in Moscow and Budapest, covering four decades in the life of the dictator. Jeroen Krabbe and Joan Plowright also star, November, HBO.

Comedy

“The Man Upstairs,” about a small-time thief who escapes from jail and finds friendship with an older woman, stars Katharine Hepburn and Ryan O’Neal, Dec. 6, CBS.

Roseanne and Tom Arnold star in “Graced Land,” a comedy about a woman who becomes fascinated with Elvis Presley. Bill Bixby directs, ABC.

Schoolteacher Jean Smart’s life is changed when an old classmate-turned rock star writes about her in his latest hit in “Just My Imagination,” NBC.

Drama

Reigning Miss America Carolyn Sapp portrays herself in “Miss America: Behind the Crown” about her abuse at the hands of her lover, Sept. 21, NBC.

“Running Mates” stars Diane Keaton as a woman whose life is turned upside down when her high school crush, who is running for president, re-enters her life, Oct. 4, HBO.

Blair Brown stars as a five-star general who becomes the first woman nominated for President of the United States in “Majority Rule,” Oct. 27, Lifetime.

“Doc: The Dennis Littky Story” is the story of the high school principal whose determination changed a school. Starring Michael Tucker and Jill Eikenberry, Nov. 30., NBC.

“The Betty Broderick Story: Part II,” starring Meredith Baxter, continues the fact-based story of a woman who killed her ex-husband and his new wife in cold blood, November, CBS.

Filmed on location in Little Rock, Ark., “The Ernest Green Story” tells of the only black student of the original “Arkansas Nine” to graduate from desegregated Central High, Disney Channel.

“Miracle on I-880” profiles the dramas that unfolded during the San Francisco earthquake. Reuben Blades, David Morse, Len Cariou and Sandy Duncan star, NBC

“A Mother’s Right” stars Bonnie Bedelia as Dr. Elizabeth Morgan, who went to jail rather than reveal the whereabouts of her daughter, whom Morgan claimed was sexually abused by her ex-husband, ABC.

“Jonathan: The Boy Nobody Wanted” stars Chris Burke about an institutionalized Down’s syndrome child caught between his parents and the social worker who cares for him, NBC.

Mystery

In the fact-based “Memory of a Murder,” Shelley Long is a woman who accused her father of the 20-year-old murder of her best friend, NBC.

Romance

Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie, who appeared together 19 years ago in “Don’t Look Now,” star in “The Railway Station Man,” about unexpected love set in Ireland against the backdrop of political conflicts, Oct. 18 at 5 p.m. on TNT.

“Bonds of Love” stars Treat Williams, Kelly McGillis and Hal Holbrook in a fact-based story of a mentally disabled man and the woman who loves him, CBS.

Holiday

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, the twins who play Michelle on “Full House,” star in “To Grandmother’s House We Go,” December, ABC.

Thriller

The politically themed “The President’s Child,” based on Fay Weldon’s book, stars Donna Mills and William Devane, Oct. 27, CBS.

“My Husband Is Going To Kill Me,” based on a true story about a family scarred by abuse, stars Michele Lee and James Farentino, November, CBS.

Rosanna Arquette and Anthony Perkins star in “In the Deep Woods,” about a serial killer who stalks young, successful career women, NBC.

A man in his 50s fulfills his dream with a much younger woman ... until she becomes “Obsessed.” Shannen Doherty and William Devane star, ABC.