NBC presents a made-for-TV movie, directed by Larry Elikann and written by Audrey Davis Levin. Airing from 8 to 10 tonight on WMAQ-Channel 5.

"Stranger in My Bed," an NBC movie airing from 8 to 10 tonight on WMAQ-Channel 5, is about ... Uh, wait a minute, it'll come to me. Oh, yeah. It's about amnesia. I almost forgot.

Starting Lindsay Wagner and Armand Assante, "Stranger in My Bed" (despite its provocative title) is fairly routine, lukewarm, well-intentioned television drama based on the true life experience of Beverly Slater. She suffered total memory loss after being struck by a car.

As Slater, Wagner must struggle to rebuild her life and her loving, 15-year marriage to Hal (Assante), who suddenly becomes a total stranger to her.

Amnesia is the perfect television affliction. Unlike cancer, it requires no special makeup. AIDS involves potentially messy social mores, which can turn off advertisers. Yep, amnesia! That's the ticket. It's clean, easy to express and has just the right amount of drama.

And like most television dramas dealing with disease, or other forms of infirmity, "Stranger in My Bed" opens with scenes underscoring the storybook romance of Wagner and Assante, who are living the idyllic American dream with their two children.

People who fall ill on TV always lead storybook lives and live in nice houses. If "Stranger" had dealt with the total memory loss of a Cabrini-Green welfare mother, would it ever have made the airwaves? Now that would represent a considerable acting challenge.

When Wagner is struck by a car, she experiences a 100 percent memory loss. She also goes through a personality change after awakening in the hospital. Confronted by parents she does not recognize, children she does not remember and a husband she does not know, Wagner must face the fact that her past, her emotional feelings and her memory of the life she built with her family are gone forever.

The balance of "Stranger in My Bed" has Wagner struggling to learn anew about her life and family. She also must deal with the conflict of a husband who wants things to be the way they were. Meanwhile, she gets the rare opportunity to rediscover the world through innocent eyes.

While "Stranger in My Bed" is a pleasant tale of renewed love, patience and perseverance, it is basically grounded in the common formula so frequently found in TV's medical/disease movies.

Whether the problem is cancer, AIDS or amnesia, most of these dramas follow a predictable pathway: tragedy, struggle, conflict, counseling, resolution. "Stranger in My Bed" is no different, as Wagner tries to deal with her sexual urgings. Well, at least she remembered something.

"Stranger in My Bed" has a kind of Harlequin Romance feel to it. It's full of walks on the beach, affluent settings, beautiful people, poetic dialogue and, of course, a happy ending.

Wagner is a reliable and capable actress who probably never will shake her identification with "The Bionic Woman." Her steady effort in "Stranger in my Bed" seems designed as a career move to re-establish her as a credible dramatic performer. To that extent, she succeeds.

Assante, another terrific actor too often typecast as mobsters and heels, gets an opportunity to expose his sensitive side. To that extent, he also succeeds.

The real-life Slater, meanwhile, spent last fall on the talk-show circuit, promoting a book about her amnesia and the restructuring of her life. (The NBC movie was preempted by the World Series). She quite likely will sell a few more books as a result of "Stranger."

And the casual viewers also will have their interests served tonight. They can expect a nice, old-fashioned, B-movie sob session. Then, as easily as they brush away their tears, they can wipe "Stranger in My Bed" from their memories.