Desires and Downfalls, Hope and Love

The frailties of human nature and the power of divine forgiveness are recurring themes in the fall season’s movie lineup, which features films about Latin American dictators, two about assassins, the life of Jesus, familial love and how one dying man’s spirit changed another man’s life.

ABC

“Annie”: A stellar cast featuring Tony Award winners Audra McDonald and Alan Cumming, Oscar winner Kathy Bates and 11-year-old Broadway veteran Alicia Morton star in an original “Wonderful World of Disney” presentation of the popular musical. Victor Garber plays “Daddy” Warbucks. Nov. 7.

‘Sabrina, Down Under”: Melissa Joan Hart, the teenage witch of prime time, travels here to Australia to take up an ecological cause. Sept. 26

“Oprah Winfrey Presents: Tuesdays With Morrie”: Based on the acclaimed book by Detroit sportswriter Mitch Albom, this Winfrey-produced movie revisits the real-life tale of Albom (Hank Azaria) and Morrie Schwartz, his former college professor played by Jack Lemmon. When Albom learns Schwartz is stricken with ALS, a one-time sympathy visit turns into weekly visits where he learns the true meaning of a successful life. Nov. 7.

A&E;

“Vanity Fair”: William Makepeace Thackeray’s heralded novel charts the rise of scheming social climber Becky Sharp (Natasha Little) during the Napoleonic wars. Oct. 24 & 25.

CBS

“A Song From the Heart”: Amy Grant, Keith Carradine and D.W. Moffett star in a love story about a beautiful, blind cellist who falls for the wrong guy. Sept. 26.

“Shake, Rattle & Roll”: A lineup of current and former superstars of music--among them B.B. King, Billy Porter and Trent D’Arby--are featured in this two-part, four-hour saga that chronicles America’s love for music. Nov. 7 & Nov. 10.

“Aftershock: Earthquake in New York”: The Big Apple is shaken to its core when a massive temblor devastates the city in this two-part, four-hour movie. As the mayor (Charles S. Dutton) and other city officials rush to put an emergency plan in place, they are distracted by the search for their own loved ones. Nov. 14 and Nov. 17.

“Sarah, Plain and Tall: Winter’s End”: Glenn Close and Christopher Walken return for the latest installment of this “Hallmark Hall of Fame” presentation. Jacob (Walken) is forced to deal with the return of the father, played by Jack Palance. Nov. 21.

“Secret of Giving”: The determination and spirit of a down-on-her-luck woman (Reba McEntire) who is aided by a mysterious lone rider (Thomas Ian Griffith), enable her to not only pick herself up, but to restore the faith of a whole town in time for Christmas. Nov. 25.

“One Special Night”: Julie Andrews and James Garner (“The Americanization of Emily”) reunite for this romantic drama about two strangers realizing fate has brought them together during a blizzard on Thanksgiving Day. Nov. 28.

HBO

“Excellent Cadavers”: The true story of two ambitious prosecutors who brought the Mafia to justice. Chazz Palminteri and F. Murray Abraham star in this drama. Oct. 16.

“RKO 281”: This reality-based drama tells the behind-the-scenes story of “Citizen Kane,” a film many believe to be the best motion picture of all time. HBO’s retelling of the tale focuses on the personal conflict between Orson Welles (Liev Schreiber), the film’s young director, and media magnate William Randolph Hearst (James Cromwell), the subject of the movie and the man who tried to stop its release. Melanie Griffith plays Hearst mistress and actress Marion Davies. Nov. 20.

“Witness Protection”: Tom Sizemore and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio star in this drama presenting an intimate look at one family’s journey through the government’s top-secret witness-protection program. Dec. 12.

Lifetime

“My Little Assassin”: The real-life story of a young American woman (Gabrielle Anwar) who is sent to kill Fidel Castro (Joe Mantegna), but instead falls in love with the Cuban revolutionary leader and becomes pregnant by him. Oct. 11.

NBC

“Road Rage”: Yasmine Bleeth stars as a commuter who cuts off a delivery truck driver (Jere Burns) whose wife and daughter were recently killed in a grisly car accident. The incident stirs up a blind rage within him and he begins stalking the commuter and her family to satisfy a strange personal vendetta. Oct. 3.

“A Touch of Hope”: Based on the best-selling book of the same name, this movie profiles the life of Dean Kraft (Anthony Michael Hall) and his struggle to come to grips with his astonishing gifts as a hands-on healer and ability to treat the chronically ill despite the skepticism of the medical community. “ER’s” Abraham Benrubi also stars. Oct. 10.

“Mr. Rock ‘n’ Roll”: Inspired by the life of Alan Freed and starring Judd Nelson as the man who coined the phrase “rock ‘n’ roll,” this story tracks the legendary deejay’s radio career from its controversial start with a rhythm & blues show in Cleveland, to the height of his national fame, through his scandal-plagued decline. Oct. 17.

“Leprechauns”: Robert Halmi Sr. combines the magic of “Merlin,” the fantasy of “Alice in Wonderland” and the mythology of “The Odyssey” into this miniseries starring Randy Quaid, Colm Meaney, Roger Daltrey and Kieran Culkin. Nov. 7 & 8.

“Mary & Jesus”: Pernilla August and Christian Bale star in this unique telling of the timeless story of Christ, seen from the perspective of his mother, Mary. Nov. 14.

“Y2K”: The network heads into the millennium with this thriller about what could happen when the clock strikes midnight, ushering in the year 2000. Averting disaster falls to Ken Olin, who stars as a computer analyst. Nov. 21.

SHOWTIME

“Sirens”: When a man dies a “wrongful death” at the hands of a cop, the officer’s partner and ex-wife team up and risk everything to make sure that justice is done. The thriller stars Dana Delany, Keith Carradine, Justin Theroux and Vondie Curtis Hall. Sept. 26.

“In a Class of His Own”: In a drama based on a true story, high school custodian Rich Donato (Lou Diamond Phillips) learns he will lose his job if he does not pass the GED exam--a test he has failed three times. Inspiration comes from an unlikely group of special-education students. Oct. 17.

“In the Company of Spies”: Tom Berenger, Ron Silver, Alice Krige and Clancy Brown star in this story of a retired CIA operative brought back to save a captured colleague from North Korean authorities bent on nuclear blackmail of the West. Oct. 24.

“Gift of Love: The Daniel Huffman Story”: Debbie Reynolds and ex-NFL standout Ed Marinaro star in the true story of a high school football player who gives up his chance for a college scholarship as well as the sport he loves to donate his kidney to his grandmother. Nov. 21.

“Execution of Justice”: The true-life story of Dan White, the San Francisco politician who murdered supervisor Harvey Milk, the city’s first openly gay elected official, and liberal mayor George Moscone. Based on the play by Emily Mann, the film’s cast includes Tim Daly, Peter Coyote, Stephen Young, Tyne Daly and Khalil Kain. Nov. 28.

“Brotherhood of Murder”: William Baldwin, Peter Gallagher and Kelly Lynch star in a story as timely as today’s headlines. A member of a neo-Nazi cell goes undercover for the FBI in an effort to capture his friend, the leader of the hate group. Based on the autobiography by Tom Martinez and John Guinther. Dec. 5.

TBS

“The Timeshifters”: It’s a race against time to find a man that a tabloid journalist (Casper Van Dien) notices in photographs from famous disasters spanning more than 100 years. Among those shifting time are Catherine Bell, Martin Sheen, Theresa Saldana, Peter Outerbridge and Catherine Oxenberg. Oct. 17.

TNT

“Animal Farm”: An all-star cast of voices, digital effects and animatronic technology developed by the late Jim Henson bring this George Orwell classic to life. Oct. 3.

“Scrooge”: The latest take on the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol” stars Patrick Stewart as the 19th century miser who finds himself undergoing an unexpected transformation. December.

UPN

“Avalon: Beyond the Abyss”: An underwater, high-tech adventure from the producers of “Baywatch.” The sudden disappearance of a small, secluded island off the coast of Mexico pits a researcher (Parker Stevenson) against the powerful and mystical forces of nature as he and his team of deep-sea dive experts race to reach the bottom of the ocean to solve a mystery. Nov. 5.

“Monster”: A fun, youthful monster movie set in a small town that was once the location of a 1950s drive-in picture. The old film turns out to be more than just legend, however: The monster really does live in the little town and it’s up to our young hero to save the day. Nov. 12.

USA

“Evolution’s Child”: Starring Ken Olin as a fertility specialist, this film traces the travails of a young boy, “Party of Five’s” Jacob Smith, actually conceived from the DNA of a Bronze Age Man. Oct. 22.

“Hefner: Unauthorized”: Randell Batinkoff (“As Good As It Gets,” “?Peacemaker”) stars as legendary playboy Hugh Hefner in this look at his life. Dec. 8.