The may sweeps are those end-of-the-season spasms of aspiring network blockbusters designed to enhance ratings records. Among the more obvious entries in coming weeks: ''Murder by Moonlight,'' a TV movie with Brigitte Nielsen, ''Trouble in Paradise,'' a TV movie with Raquel Welch, and, just in case, ''The 1989 Miss Universe Pageant.'' For the most part, then, it's business as usual. But there are a few exceptions to the firm-flesh formula. Among the best is ''My Name Is Bill W.,'' the story of the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous. This Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation can be seen on ABC this evening at 9.
Alcoholism is hardly a sexy subject. Back in 1945, the director Billy Wilder turned ''Lost Weekend'' into a film that couldn't be ignored, in the process winning Academy Awards for himself, the picture and its star, Ray Milland. But for the most part, drinking is a problem show business prefers to downplay. Drunks still tend to be portrayed as pleasant diversions (see the ''Arthur'' movies). The statistics connecting alcoholism with broken homes, car accidents and ruined lives are overwhelming, but there remains a national reluctance to admit that alcohol abuse is as much of a social menace as snorting cocaine.
''My Name Is Bill W.'' reunites the team of James Garner and James Woods, stars of a previous Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation called ''Promise.'' With Mr. Woods portraying a schizophrenic and Mr. Garner as his protective brother, ''Promise'' won just about every top award in broadcasting. This time around, Mr. Garner is taking what amounts to a cameo role. As Dr. Bob Smith, an Akron, Ohio, surgeon and alcoholic, he puts in appearances adding up to little more that 15 minutes in this two-hour film. But Mr. Garner - an executive producer along with Peter K. Duchow - knows what he is doing. The story of Alcoholics Anonymous is told almost entirely through the figure of Bill Wilson. The burden of the film rests on the performance of Mr. Woods and, once again, he proves to be one of the most riveting actors of this generation.
A brief opening scene shows an older and wiser Bill visiting the deathbed of Dr. Smith. The A. A. approach is telegraphed in passing: ''Keep it simple - none of that Freudian stuff - one day at a time.'' Clearly, William G. Borchert's script is trying to assure viewers that Mr. Garner is indeed part of the cast. The actor won't appear again until well into the second hour. The rest is flashback. Bill is seen returning from World War I, bursting with grand plans for the future - if only others would recognize his talents. His wife Lois (JoBeth Williams) is distressed but remains devoted. During the boom years of the 1920's, Bill becomes a successful Wall Street broker. But by the '29 crash, he is also a chronic alcoholic.
The next several years are a nightmare. Despite the best of intentions, Bill keeps ending up just barely above the level of full-fledged derelict. Lois works as a department-store clerk to support them, desperately believing that love will conquer all. Bill's best friend and drinking partner Ebby (Gary Sinise) finds temporary salvation with the help of the Oxford Group, its primarily religious orientation geared toward admitting that ''there is a power greater than your own.'' Bill, however, wants nothing to do with ministers and priests. His own turning point, though, is decidedly mystical, taking the form of an epiphany that occurs during a hospital stay for detoxification. Bill recalls a room filled with light and the sudden realization that ''I was at peace.''