There's No Question `Zoya' Is Straight From Steel Mold

----------------------------------------------------------------- "Zoya," NBC miniseries, 9 p.m. Sunday and Monday, KING-TV. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Danielle Steel has become a brand name, like Pepsodent, M&Ms or Toyota: You order a certain product, you know exactly what you'll get.

This probably explains why Steel has had such phenomenal success with her zillion novels - and why NBC prefers to call this two-part movie, "Danielle Steel's Zoya." "Zoya" by any other name wouldn't cut the mustard or even intrigue viewers; put Steel's name in front of it and you know exactly what you're getting.

Steel heroines are as identical as Barbie dolls - you may get Malibu Barbie, Career Girl Barbie or Rock 'n' Roll Barbie but they're basically the same. Only the costumes and hair have been changed.

All Steel heroines triumph over daunting odds. They generally have handsome, rich husbands who tend to die, leaving their wives to face problems which they surmount, often with the help (and money) of another good man. They generally have children who may or may not turn out well but which are treated the same as the jewels, cars, furs and beautiful homes a Steel heroine usually possesses.

Changing emotions

And at the finale of the saga - the tale must be told as a saga - the heroine, strong, beautifully-coiffured and dressed, looks back with tinges of regret and sadness about life, then moves indomitably on.

It's a comforting formula - small wonder Steel has legions of female fans, none of whom will be disappointed in "Zoya," which stars Melissa Gilbert as St. Petersburg Barbie, er, Zoya.

It begins in the time of the Russian Revolution. Zoya is Czar Nicholas' niece. She flees to Paris with Grandmama, meets and marries a handsome (rich) American soldier (aide to General Pershing, no less!), comes to America, bears two children, loses everything (including her husband) at the time of the Crash of 1929, begins a successful career in the garment industry, meets a fabulously wealthy magnate, marries him, loses more family members in World War II, after which her son becomes wealthy and successful but has a failed marriage, as does her neurotic daughter, who marries badly.

Zoya raises her granddaughter who becomes a dancer, just as Zoya had hoped to be, and the two return to Russia on a visit, still toting the Faberge egg Grandmama had given Zoya as a child.

That's a lot to cram into four hours (with commercials), so much of the action is reduced to soundtrack narration by Gilbert. Whole decades fly by, about which we learn through casual conversation.

Great acting not required

It's not the kind of movie that demands great acting from any of its participants - and the entire cast eagerly complies, with the exception of Diana Rigg, who would give Grandmama some depth of character if only L. Virginia Browne's adaptation of Steel's novel would have given her anything with which to work. Bruce Boxleitner and Philip Casnoff, two quite dull actors, play Zoya's husbands. Denise Alexander is splendidly annoying as Zoya's whiny daughter.

But none of this will surprise Steel fans - they know her heroines are the most important characters. The rest are puppets whose strings are pulled by Steel, so Gilbert's performance as Zoya is at the center of this film. She looks great in an extensive wardrobe and terrific hairstyles and seems to age very little from the time of the Russian Revolution to Glasnost. Steel fans expect no less.

Same old thing ----------------------------------------------------------------- "The Stranger Beside Me," "ABC Sunday Night Movie," 9 p.m., KOMO-TV. -----------------------------------------------------------------

The dread words "inspired by an actual event" appear at the beginning of this film, which means some dysfunctional relationship is about to be portrayed. And since the young couple played by Tiffani-Amber Thiessen and Eric Close are so idyllically happy so near the start of the film you know some dreadful flaw will soon be uncovered.

You won't be disappointed. Thiessen, newest star of "Beverly Hills 90210," suffers beautifully, and Close does a fairly good job of masking menace with charm.

The real problem is that writer Bruce Miller has been unsuccessful in imbuing either with much depth or interest, beyond coping with the Problem in their life, so it's difficult to really care much about them as people.

Plenty of action ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Bloodknot," Showtime Original Picture, 8 p.m. Sunday. -----------------------------------------------------------------

Kate Vernon, who recently appropriated the character of another woman for nefarious ends in USA's "Sister-in-Law," is at it again in "Bloodknot," a creepy movie written by Randy Kornfield and directed, with sometimes exasperating suspense, by Jorge Montesi.

Vernon plays a sexy young woman who arrives at the doorstep of a family still grieving over the death of a soldier son killed in a military accident. She tells them she was their son's lover which they accept at face value, even though the son never mentioned her in letters.

In no time she's charming the dead soldier's little sister (Ashley Ann Wood), seducing the dead soldier's younger brother (Patrick Dempsey), consoling the dead soldier's mother (Margot Kidder), fascinating the dead soldier's father - and taking up with a local low-life, played by Craig Sheffer.

Soon there's trouble on all fronts, although only Dempsey's jealous girlfriend, well-played by Krista Bridges, is suspicious.

So what's the reason behind the Vernon character's behavior? What is she up to? When the revelation comes, you wonder why you didn't think of it sooner - especially considering her last movie. While she's good as a sexy, evil persona, perhaps she should try for a change of pace.

`Client' dawdles ----------------------------------------------------------------- "The Client," premiere of CBS series, 9 p.m. Sunday, KSTW-TV. -----------------------------------------------------------------

John Gresham's hit novel-and-movie, "The Client," comes to TV this season, beginning with this two-hour TV movie-cum-pilot. (The series starts on a one-hour weekly basis at 8 p.m. Tuesday.)

Jobeth Williams plays family lawyer Reggie Love, played in the film by Susan Sarandon. John Heard is the publicity hungry D.A. (in Atlanta), played by Tommy Lee Jones in the film. Polly Holliday plays Reggie's lovable mom. Ossie Davis, in the only carry-over from the movie, again plays a judge who is Reggie's friend.

Judith Paige Mitchell drew upon Grisham's novel for the pilot - so we once again have Reggie defending young Rafe Collins whose life is endangered when he accidentally learns details of a murder (although the circumstances of the story have been greatly changed).

Plot differences aside, the biggest change between "The Client" on the big screen and "The Client" on TV is that the story and characters' sharp edges have been considerably softened for TV.

Sarandon brought a nice toughness to mask her vulnerability. Williams' version of Reggie spends a lot more time lamenting her absent children, kept from her by her ex-husband. And while the original film had a fine sense of suspense and danger, this two-hour TV "Client" dawdles along intent upon winning over your heart.

Don't miss this! ----------------------------------------------------------------- "A&E Stage: Lucifer's Child," 6 and 10 p.m. Thursday, A&E channel. -----------------------------------------------------------------

William Luce, who created one-woman shows for the great Julie Harris based on Emily Bronte and Emily Dickinson, did it again with "Lucifer's Child," a portrait of the famous Danish storyteller Isak Dinesen, best known for "Out of Africa" and "Babette's Feast."

Five-time winner of the Tony Award for her many Broadway appearances, Harris was nominated again for "Lucifer's Child" when she performed it on Broadway in 1991. Now Harris re-creates that colorful performance in this A&E special, adapted by Luce and directed by Tony Abatemarco, who directed the original production.

Dinesen's ability to spin stories and Harris' ability to create three-dimensional characters are well met in "Lucifer's Child," in which Dinesen talks about her life in Africa, her colorful Danish relatives, and her love affair with Denys Finch Hatton, scenes alternating between the hilarious and the touching, all the while wearing wonderful costumes and moving about a colorful set filled with objects that clearly could have been souvenirs of Dinesen's life.

Even though "Lucifer's Child" is a bit too long - Luce should have been a bit more ruthless in his adaptation - all time spent in the presence of Harris is enthralling. "Lucifer's Child" adds one more memorable performance to a long string of TV appearances that are as treasured as her live performances in the theater.