Big-Screen Deja Vu : NETWORKS AND CABLE OFFER VERSIONS OF ‘EMMA,’ ‘IN COLD BLOOD,’ ‘HUNCHBACK’ AND YES, ‘THE SHINING’

As usual, the new TV season will feature its fair share of melodramatic original movies. You won’t have to search too hard to find films dealing with terminal illness, stalking and physical or emotional abuse.

Yet there are also plenty of upcoming TV movies geared toward classic movie fans and viewers with literary sensibilities. NBC, for example, will present versions of Shirley Jackson’s unforgettable short story “The Lottery” and Sinclair Lewis’ “Elmer Gantry.” The network also will deliver two four-hour movies, “Homer’s Odyssey” and “The Long Fatal Love Chase,” the latter based on recently discovered manuscripts by Louisa May Alcott.

CBS brings esteemed literature to television by way of new movie versions of Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” and “Harvey” by Mary Chase. Both ABC and CBS are slated to air interpretations of Jules Verne’s undersea adventure “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”

Cable television also gets into the literary act. TNT has scheduled an original film based on Victor Hugo’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” And a new version of Jane Austen’s “Emma” will be presented by A&E.;

Here are other highlights of the 1996-97 TV movie season (unless noted, air dates were not available):

BIOGRAPHY

“Angel of Harlem”: The true story of Harlem basketball legend Earl “The Goat” Manigault’s rise, fall and redemption. November. HBO.

“Get to the Heart: The Barbara Mandrell Story”: The life of the country music star is dramatized. NBC.

“The Man Who Captured Eichmann”: Robert Duvall plays the other infamous Nazi with the first name Adolf. Also starring Arliss Howard. Nov. 10. TNT.

ACTION-ADVENTURE

“John Woo’s Once a Thief”: The acclaimed action director presents a new version of his Hong Kong film. Sept. 29. Fox.

“20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”: An updated version of the Jules Verne novel about a young scientist who signs on to sail with an American frigate in search of a rash of ship sinkings, starring Michael Caine and Patrick Dempsey. ABC.

“20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”: Another adaptation of Verne’s novel, starring Richard Crenna, Paul Gross and Ben Cross. CBS.

“Vanishing Point”: A desperate man in a supercharged car leads police and the FBI in a high-speed chase across four states in this new film with actor Viggo Mortensen. Fox.

COMEDY

“The Almost Perfect Bank Robbery”: A dark comedy about a beautiful bankteller and her boyfriend, who decide to pull a heist. Stars Brooke Shields, Dylan Walsh ad Rip Torn. CBS.

“Cherokee Kid”: This comedy-western features Sinbad as a man who becomes a legendary outlaw when he embarks on a quest to avenge his parents’ death. December. HBO.

“Harvey”: A new adaptation of Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy about an eccentric man’s friendship with a 6-foot-8 rabbit. Harry Anderson of “Dave’s World” stars in the role that James Stewart played on the big screen, with Swoosie Kurtz and Leslie Nielsen lending support. CBS.

“London Suite”: Kelsey Grammer, Michael Richards, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Kristen Johnson are some of the noteworthy actors who appear in this ensemble comedy written by award-winning playwright Neil Simon and directed by Jay Sandrich. A London hotel is the setting for a series of interwoven vignettes that take place on the same day. Sunday night, this week. NBC.

“The Munsters Reunion Movie”: The ghoulish Munster family returns for a Christmas adventure. December. Fox.

DRAMA

“Apollo 11”: A historical drama about the first U.S. moon landing and the astronauts on the mission. Family Channel.

“Bastard Out of Carolina”: Jennifer Jason Leigh stars in a film version of the best-selling novel about a young girl’s abusive childhood in South Carolina in the 1950s. December. Showtime.

“Clinic Defense Project”: The abortion issue takes center stage in this true story about a battle between Operation Rescue and Clinic Defense. October. Showtime.

“Dallas: J.R. Returns”: Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, Linda Grey and Ken Kercheval reunite in a continuation of the series that ran for 12 seasons. CBS.

“Danielle Steel’s ‘The Ring”’: Nastassja Kinski and Michael York star in this four-hour project about a young German woman whose privileged life is changed forever by World War II. Oct. 20-21. NBC.

“The Diana Kilmury Story”: Based on the true story of a Vancouver trucker’s fight with the Teamsters. Oct. 22. TNT.

“Emma”: Another version of Jane Austen’s novel about a wealthy young girl who is so busy matchmaking for her friends that she nearly misses her own chance at romance. February. A&E.;

“First Do No Harm”: Meryl Streep stars as the mother of a boy with severe epilepsy. She fights to persuade the medical establishment to give her son a little-known diet. ABC.

“For Hope”: A schoolteacher is stricken with a rare and sometimes fatal disease, scleroderma. Dana Delany stars. ABC.

“Homer’s Odyssey”: The ancient tale recounting the journey of Odysseus, king of Ithica. Armand Assante stars. NBC.

“The Hunchback”: Mandy Patinkin, Richard Harris and Salma Hayek star in a new adaptation of Victor Hugo’s Gothic classic. March. TNT.

“In Cold Blood”: A new version of Truman Capote’s book about the 1959 murders of the Clutter family in central Kansas, with Anthony Edwards of “ER” playing one of the killers. Nov. 24. CBS.

“The Last Don”: A six-hour miniseries based on Mario Puzo’s upcoming novel of the same title. It’s the story of an aging head of the most powerful Mafia family in America. CBS.

“The Long Fatal Love Chase”: This four-hour film is based on a long-lost manuscript by Louisa May Alcott that was only recently recovered. It’s a 19th century tale involving love, betrayal and danger. NBC.

“The Lottery”: Dan Cortese stars in this adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s classic tale about a town with a shocking secret. NBC.

“Mary & Tim”: Candice Bergen plays a widow whose life changes when she begins tutoring a young man (Thomas McCarthy) who had been working as her gardener. Oct. 6. CBS.

“The Member of the Wedding”: A version of Carson McCuller’s coming-of-age novel of a girl and her relationship with the family cook. Stars Alfre Woodard and Anna Pacquin. January. USA.

“The Retta Williams Story”: A woman discovers her child has been abducted by a convicted child molester. Diana Ross stars. Fox.

“Robert J. Waller’s Border Music”: This romantic adventure tells the story of two people driven together by passion but torn apart by their past. The four-hour miniseries is based on a book by Waller, the best-selling author of “The Bridges of Madison County.” ABC.

“Samson and Delilah”: The Old Testament epic is brought to life by Elizabeth Hurley, Dennis Hopper, Diana Rigg and Eric Thal. Dec. 8. TNT.

“The Search for Jack O’Grady”: A mother and daughter must deal with the loss of a loved one when a U.S. soldier is deemed missing in action after his helicopter is shot down during the Vietnam War. Barbra Streisand is one of the executive producers. NBC.

“Subway Stories”: The colorful world of the New York subways is brought together in 11 short stories. Rosie Perez, Mercedes Ruehl, Denis Leary and Jerry Stiller are some of the actors who appear. Jonathan Demme and Spike Lee are among the directors. HBO.

“Titanic”: Imagined stories surrounding the sinking of the Titanic fill up four hours. The cast includes George C. Scott, Marilu Henner, Peter Gallagher and Eva Marie Saint. Nov. 10. CBS.

“Two Mothers for Zachary”: Valerie Bertinelli plays a mother who fights for custody of her toddler son when her own mother (Vanessa Redgrave), disapproving of her gay lifestyle, takes her to court. Based on a true story. Sept. 22. ABC.

“An Unexpected Family”: Stockard Channing stars as an emotionally remote woman whose life is altered when her sister’s children are abandoned on her doorstep. Dec. 4. USA.

“The Wedding”: In the 1950s, plans for a wedding involving a black girl from a prominent family and a white jazz musician causes a stir in an insular community on Martha’s Vineyard; four hours. ABC.

“When Somebody Loves You”: Kirstie Alley stars as a woman who is left an embittered paraplegic after an accident. ABC.

FAMILY

“A Child’s Wish”: President Clinton makes a guest appearance in this movie about a family’s courage in the face of a daughter’s terminal illness. The facts behind this story served as the catalyst for the introduction and passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act. CBS.

“Mrs. Santa Claus”: Tony Award-winner Angela Lansbury has the title role in this holiday film featuring songs by Jerry Herman (“Mame”). CBS.

“Santa and Me”: Shelly Long stars as a busy attorney and potential mayoral candidate who has forgotten the magic of Christmas. Lifetime.

“A Waltons Easter”: Richard Thomas, Ralph Waite, Michael Learned and other original cast members from “The Waltons” reunite in a new movie featuring the rural clan. CBS.

WESTERN

“Last Stand at Saber River”: The film adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s Western novel stars Tom Selleck and Keith and David Carradine. Jan. TNT.

SUSPENSE

“Asteroid”: This two-parter finds an asteroid on a collision course with Earth. NBC.

“Dead Eyes”: Nancy Travis plays a struggling clothes designer who fears for her life when she begins receiving bizarre notes and phone calls. NBC.

“Once You Meet a Stranger”: Jacqueline Bisset and Theresa Russell team up in this thriller about two women who become bound together in a pact to commit murder. Sept. 25. CBS.

“Pandora’s Clock:” The pilot (Richard Dean Anderson) of a jetliner must grapple with where and whether he can land after a deadly virus breaks out among the passengers. Robert Guillaume, Jane Leeves, Daphne Zuniga, Stephen Root and Robert Loggia also star. Nov. 10-11. NBC.

“Payback”: When a woman reports a crime committed by a police officer, he vows to ruin her life and that of her family. Mary Tyler Moore and Edward Asner star together for the first time since “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in the ‘70s. ABC.

“The People Next Door”: A thriller about a young mother (Nicollette Sheridan) whose children are kidnapped by her new next-door-neighbor. Faye Dunaway plays Sheridan’s mother. Oct. 1. CBS.

“Robin Cook’s Alien Infestation”: Two college students are infected with alien DNA, which starts an infestation among young women who will bear advanced, aggressive alien children. NBC.

“Stephen King’s The Shining”: Jack isn’t back, but the hotel with a malevolent will of its own is. The sprawling manse has new, unsuspecting caretakers (a recovering alcoholic and his family) in a six-hour miniseries. Steven Weber and Rebecca DeMornay star. ABC.