Amnesia has been the subject for dozens of movies through the years. Usually, it has been exploited for its novelty potential in thrillers and melodramas. "Stranger in My Bed" is probably the first "serious" TV treatment. It stars Lindsay Wagner, winner of a 1977 Emmy Award for her performance as Jaime Sommers, "The Bionic Woman."

The dilemma here is that the woman's sense of identity and her family relationships have been adversely affected: She feels like a stranger in her own house, and her husband (Armand Assante) senses the difference, too.

"It's unimaginable being totally without a past, not knowing what rain is or who you are. Yet Beverly (Slater) has been there so severely and has come back so miraculously," said Wagner of the real-life amnesia victim she portrays in the NBC-TV World Premiere drama, "Stranger in My Bed," airing at 8 p.m. Monday on WMAQ-Channel 5.

Wagner portrays Slater, a wife and mother who struggles to recover her self-identity after a traumatic auto accident wipes out all memories of her past.

Wagner met the real Slater while preparing for the role. "I admire her determination, her drive," said Wagner. "It must have been extremely painful not having a soul in the world accepting you for who you are and what you are. And there was nothing she could do about it."

The role had its challenges for Wagner, who "found the extreme mood swings" a unique part of playing the character. "All of a sudden, within one scene, I was crying and then laughing. It's not often, as an actress, one is asked to display such totally opposite emotions in the same scene."

As a result of a severe head injury caused in her accident, Slater had no knowledge of her family except for what she had been told. Wagner feels much of the credit for Slater's progress belong to her husband, Hal (played by Armand Assante in the movie), who refused to give up.

"He had no idea of what to expect," said Wagner. "It was just out of his love and belief about family that she began learning all over again."