TV Reviews : ‘Truddi Chase’: Lots of Lives but Little Life

“What are you?” Norman asks Truddi. “Who are you? How many of you are you?”

The same questions apply to the people responsible for “Voices Within: The Lives of Truddi Chase,” the two-part ABC drama airing at 9 p.m. Sunday and Monday on Channels 7, 3, 10 and 42. It’s often as confused and incomprehensible as the real-life, multi-minded character played here by former “Cheers” star Shelley Long.

Just what this story is supposed to show that “Three Faces of Eve” and “Sybil” haven’t already shown--beyond having Long cavort with John Rubinstein as Chase’s fuddy husband--is not immediately apparent.

About all that works here are heartbreaking scenes of Truddi as a child being tormented and sexually abused by her evil stepfather (convincingly played by Ernie Lively). These and other flashbacks are laboriously woven through the story as Chase reviews her tumultuous life while on a jet taking her to someone she plans to murder. It’s not hard guessing who.

Based on Chase’s autobiography, “Voices Within” takes forever establishing her as a multi-personality character (she just seems to be in a foul mood all the time). When her “troops,” as she calls her many selves, do fully reveal themselves, and Chase finally does confront her past with the help of her therapist (Tom Conti), the glaze on your eyes is so thick that it doesn’t matter.

“Voices Within” was written by E. Jack Neuman and directed by Lamont Johnson, whose name has been attached to some of TV’s best work. This is not one for his scrapbook or ours, as four hours of Shelley Long talking to herself and looking like a carhop are something best forgotten.