Fawcett Wants to Keep Homestead in ‘Silk Hope’

“Silk Hope,” the soft and slender yet engaging story of a carefree woman turning over a new leaf, is certainly not a sow’s ear. Amusingly enough, however, this CBS romantic drama, airing Sunday night, does feature the cutest little pig this side of “Babe.”

Happily, you won’t find a single hammy performance in this nicely acted, albeit schematic, tale starring Farrah Fawcett as a “good-time girl” determined to change her wayward ways and hold onto the North Carolina family farm after the death of her mother.

As we meet Fawcett’s free-spirited, fun-loving Frannie, she learns her ever-responsible sister Natalie (Ashley Crow) and buttoned-down boyfriend (Scott Bryce) are planning to sell the ol’ homestead.

Rather than split the substantial income, Frannie vows to stay out of trouble, get a job and establish roots in the house she loves, thereby sparking the obligatory conflict with Natalie, who wants the money to move on and start a family. Frannie then finds employment at the local garment factory, where she meets a handsome, reserved fellow named Ruben (Brad Johnson), the mill’s reliable foreman.

And so it goes in the low-key teleplay by Dalene Young, which progresses amiably under the calm direction of Kevin Dowling.

Truth to tell, the casting of Johnson (born in 1959) doesn’t ring true, given a line of dialogue in which Ruben says he’s two years younger than Frannie (played by 52-year-old Fawcett). Nonetheless, there’s a genuine rapport between these appealing performers, and Fawcett also has solid scenes with Crow, most recently seen in the CBS series “Turks.”

By the way, if you’re wondering about the aforementioned swine, let’s just say Frannie realizes she doesn’t have what it takes to run a pig farm. Corny as it sounds, it’s because this little piggy went straight to her heart.

* “Silk Hope” will be shown Sunday at 9 p.m. on CBS. The network has rated it TV-PG (may be unsuitable for young children).