In tonight's NBC movie "Beyond Suspicion" (8 p.m., Ch. 2), one of the actors is Salt Lake City.

Utah's capital stands in for St. Louis, Mo., in this fact-based drama.For once, a show about a crazy killer that was shot here doesn't deal with events that transpired here.

Instead, this is the story of a dentist, Stan Benderman (Corbin Bernsen), who murders for profit. Not only does he get rid of people who are causing him trouble, but he has a tendency to plan murders for financial gain.

Oh, he doesn't do anything quite so crass as killing a close relative. Instead, he kills the relatives of his female associates and then splits the insurance money with them.

Actually, "Beyond Suspicion" is really about the woman who finally stops him - his ex-wife, Joyce (Markie Post). Post does double duty here, as not only the star but the co-executive producer.

Post's character, married to the guy for 12 years, had no idea what he was doing until after she divorced him. Then, at the risk of her own life, she cooperated with federal agents to get him to confess - while being taped.

"What I found so interesting in this story was what she had to go through, and how difficult it was for her," Post said. "She put herself in a lot of danger to catch this guy."

Kelsey Grammer co-stars as an ATF agent, and the cast includes a number of local actors - most notably Suzanne Barnes as one of Stan's girlfriends and accomplices to Matthew Best as Stan and Joyce's son.

Although this is supposed to be St. Louis, it isn't hard to pick out lots of local sites - from malls to restaurants to apartments on the Avenues.

And, unrecognizably, the old Primary Children's Hospital was used to film scenes in the dentist's office, the ATF office, a library and a prison.

NBC is advising viewer discretion because of violence in "Beyond Suspicion," and parents will also want to beware of some strong sexual content. There's no nudity, but several sexual encounters steam things up.

CANCELLATIONS: Two more programs have bitten the dust, and - surprise! - neither of them are on CBS.

ABC has axed "Moon Over Miami," the Wednesday night romantic comedy that never caught on with viewers.

On a brighter note, Fox has dumped the dreadful "Daddy Dearest," the absolutely abominable Richard Lewis-Don Rickles sitcom that many critics - including this one - dubbed the worst new show of the fall season.

No replacements have been named yet.

THEY MUST BE SO PROUD: Last week's two-part interview with John Wayne Bobbitt garnered the syndicated "American Journal" by far its best ratings ever.

I shudder to think what this says about American television viewers.

BUSY COUPLE: Not only does Tom Arnold have a midseason replacement sitcom coming on CBS - tentatively titled "Tom" - but Tom and his wife, Roseanne Arnold, have a couple of other projects in development.

Would you believe a pair of sitcoms, one starring Sandra Bernhard and the other headed by En Vogue?

By the way, "Tom," according to CBS, is "about a working-class guy pursuing his dream of taking over the family farm and building a dreamhouse for his family. Tom (Arnold) and his wife, Laura (Laura Kightlinger), have moved their five children into a borrowed construction trailer on his newly acquired land, which is several miles outside a small town in Kansas - and right next to the city dump. The farm is far from up and running, with just a few cows and pigs hanging around, and the dream house is always `a little behind schedule' because Tom also works as a welder with his best friend and brother-in-law, Rodney (Danton Stone), who married Tom's little sister, Kara (Colleen Camp). Laura is a law student by day and the `trailer referee' by night. The kids miss living in town and are forced to spend most of their free time with each other, much to their dismay. The whole family's nerves are on edge with their new and close quarters, but they are a family nonetheless."

I know that my nerves would be on edge if I had to live in a trailer with Tom Arnold.

ARE YOU ON THE LIST? The matriarch of television celebrity journalism hosts "Barbara Walters Presents The 12 Most Fascinating People of 1993," an hourlong special, on Wednesday, Dec. 8.

According to Walters, "The names came from our staff - and whoever happened to be walking by during those weeks we were putting the list together. And not surprisingly, in most of the cases we all came up with the same names."

ABC isn't releasing the full list, but it includes Clint Eastwood, David Letterman, k.d. lang, Shaquille O'Neal, Maya Angelou and Rush Limbaugh.

But you'll just have to tune in to see the other names - and find out who they've decided is the single most fascinating person of 1993.

Ooh, how special.

BARNEY SPECIAL: NBC has nailed down the details, and "Bedtime with Barney" will be broadcast this coming April.

It marks the purple dinosaur's first network special.

ED'S BACK: Edward Asner, last seen as Markie Post's father on "Hearts Afire" and best known for "Mary Tyler Moore" and "Lou Grant," is starring in a backup series for ABC.

In "Thunder Alley," he plays a widowers and retired stock-car racer whose divorced daughter - along with her three kids - moves in with him.

It's from the people who bring you "Home Improvement" every week.

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NOT-SO-`LATE SHOW': There's no confirmation of this, but Advertising Age reported that David Letterman has put his foot down about making his "Late Show" later during CBS coverage of the Winter Olympics in February.

Letterman wasn't exactly thrilled that his show was delayed by the baseball playoffs and World Series earlier this fall, although he did manage to beat the competition despite his late starts.

And, according to Advertising Age, Letterman is refusing to go on an hour later than usual during the two-week run of the Olympics. Instead, he'll air in his regular 11:35/10:35 time slot - at least in markets where that is his regular time slot - followed by an hourlong Olympic highlights show.

QUOTABLE: David Letterman: "According to a survey of 1000 adults, the No. 1 fear among Americans is giving a speech in public. No. 2 oddly enough, is that Pat Riley will come over to your house and put his head on your couch pillows."

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