‘Mixed’ a Sudsy Take on the Quest for Parenthood

Must be the season: On the heels of Sunday night’s ABC movie, “Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story,” about the soap star’s struggle with infertility, comes NBC’s “Mixed Blessings,” about the quest for parenthood undertaken by three couples.

While Hall’s film was based on her own life, this is best-selling novelist’s Danielle Steel’s sudsy take on the subject--although Steel, a mom several times over, could be considered something of an expert.

Infertility hits upscale young newlyweds Diana and Andy (Gabrielle Carteris and Bruce Greenwood) hard, as Diana goes off the rails, nobly wanting to release perplexed Andy from his marriage contract so he can go forth and multiply without her.

Age is the problem for older upscale newlyweds Pilar and Brad (Bess Armstrong and James Naughton). For blue-collar newlyweds Barbie and Charlie (Julie Condra and Scott Baio), the problem is not seeing eye-to-eye on children: He wants ‘em, she doesn’t. Enter a beautiful divorcee (Alexandra Paul) with an adorable little girl.

The dialogue is fraught: “If you care anything about me, leave,” “I don’t know who I am anymore” and the egregiously ubiquitous “You just don’t get it, do you?”

But if you’re in the mood for some shameless bathos about childbirth, miscarriage, abortion, twins, adoption and surrogate mothers from hell, with lots (and lots) of kissing, this soaper is for you. Besides, Armstrong, Greenwood and Baio almost make it respectable.

* “Mixed Blessings” airs at 9 tonight on NBC (Channels 4 and 36).