The Journal News from White Plains, New York • Page 208

I The cover story A vixen fakes her vows Ex-'Dynasty' sexpot hoping 'Sister Kate' will become a regular habit for sitcom fans Sister Kate 'Dynasty-days Networki NBC (Channel 4). Timet Previews 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Format! Weekly series. Gwirat Situation comedy.

Starring! Stephanie Beacham, Harley Cross, Jason Priestley. -Producers! Frank Dungan, Jeff Stein, Tony Sheehan, Plots The iinruly kids at a Catholic juvenile home meet their match In Sister Kate, a hard-edged, take-charge nun with hidden compassion. By Georgette Gouveia Staff Writer Actress Stephanie Beacham, formerly voluptuous vamp Sable Colby on "Dynasty," is in the midst of a minor crisis. She's cooking. Well, actually, it's more like burning at the moment.

The trouble is that she has these Teflon pots that are no longer really Teflon. "I've either got to get some new Teflon pans or some heavy metal or something," she says. Beacham may be something of a disaster in the kitchen, but she's cooking on all burners in her NBC series, "Sister Kate," which previews at 9:30 p.m. Saturday on Channel 4. (Another preview episode airs at 8:30 p.m.

Sept. 21 after i ne piain, siraigniiorwara Kate is, of course, a 360-degree turn from the sensual, serpentine Sable, whom Beacham first played on "The Colbys" for two seasons and then on "Dynasty" last year after "The Colbys" was cancelled. Whereas Sister Kate looks you straight in the eye and makes small, direct movements, Sable always slinked and slithered about. (The way a character moves is important to Beacham, who studied mime and ballet. Partially deaf, she once considered becoming a movement teacher for the deaf.) And whereas Sister Kate is comfortable with her vow of chastity, thank you veddy much, Sable was never above using the popular "Cosby Show," which tells you how highly the peacock network regards this sitcom.

"Sister Kate" moves into its regular time slot, 8 p.m. Sundays, on Sept. 24.) No Julie Andrews In "Sister Kate," Beacham trades in Sable's strapless designer gowns for a nun's habit. She's Sister Katherine Lambert, crusty archeologist-turned-reluctant-den mother for seven children at a Roman Catholic orphanage. We know what you're thinking a saccharine nun, Nutrasweet orphans.

Paging Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music." But hold on to your wimple. The pilot of "Sister Kate" is a delightful surprise, even playing on the stereotype of the insufferably sweet singing nun. "Where's your guitar?" asks Neville (Joel Robinson), one of two black orphans in Sister Kate's care. "Where are your tap-dancing shoes?" Sister Kate shoots back. (Actually, since Beacham is British, it comes out "tap-dahncing Sister Kate goes on to explain that just because a person is black, doesn't mean he can tap-dance.

And just because a person is a nun, doesn't mean she can sing and play the guitar or that she likes little children. ''Sifting through the bones of ancient skeletons," Sister Kate says in her clipped manner, "is my preferred way of dealing with people." Yes, "Sister Kate" has some snappy, realistic dialogue, thanks to executive producerswriters Frank Dungan, Jeff Stein and Tony Sheehan Miller," "Mr. The kids Robinson, Harley Cross, Hannah Cutrona, Jason Priestley, Erin Reed, Penina Segall and Alexaundria Simmons are attractive. And Beacham proves to be as adept at comedy as she was at the dramatic doings on the now-defunct "Dynasty." sex for her own purposes. "Mrs.

Marcos never thought having 2,000 pairs of shoes was wrong," Beacham says. "Sable never knew she was wrong." Though her character was less consistent on "Dynasty" than it was on "The Colbys," Beacham enjoyed being part of Dynasty." "It was a joyous cast to be around," she says. "You can't complain about doing love scenes with Michael Nader. He's such a giggler. He and J.J.

(John James), you just wanted to be around them, because they were always laughing." Beacham is looking forward to being part of the planned "Dynasty" movie, which would wrap up plot strands left hanging when the series was cancelled. If it comes off, it will probably be filmed next spring, Beacham says. "By then, I'll be longing to get into high heels and lipstick." Frost and fire Beacham knows that her move from the sartorially splendid Sable to the simpler Kate is a bit of a gamble. "It is a brave move, chucking out all this glamorous stuff," she says. "But oh, hell, if I wanted a pension, I should've become a civil servant." Beacham likes the fact that Kate is so different from Sable.

"I love to polarize things. I love to play the other side. They're so many different muscles an actor can flex." The challenge of playing Kate is to allow the audience to feel her warmth while maintaining the chilly exterior. "Kate is very witty, very dry," she says. "But she's pure love deep inside.

Sometimes you have to dig quite deep, though." Beacham is also feeling some pressure to be a role model for the young cast. "If anybody tries Page 44 The TV Book, Sunday, September 1 0, 1 989.