Critic's corner

By Matthew Gilbert, Globe Staff  |  July 3, 2008

8 a.m., Sci Fi
Thank you, Sci Fi, for your annual celebration of one of the best series of all time. The episodes run nonstop today and tomorrow, beginning this morning with a creepy, meditative Civil War episode called "The Passersby." The series, which ran from 1959 to 1964, was hit-or-miss, but creator Rod Serling was unfailingly ambitious. A lover of mystery and a visionary, his influence on TV is still felt (see under: "Lost").

9 p.m., Channel 5
For the sake of Heigl, don't watch.

10 p.m., Sundance
Her name is Vega.

9:30 p.m., TBS
Nia Vardalos is coming back atcha.

10 p.m., Channel 4
The show is just OK, but Molly Parker as Susan is giving the performance of the summer so far. By playing shades of gray, Parker makes Susan's growing self-awareness into a thing of beauty. I love the graceful way she has dealt with the tensions between her moralistic old friend Janet and her new swinging buddy Trina - just stepping back and letting them deal with it.

9 p.m., More Max
Kate Hudson, before she changed her name to "People magazine's Kate Hudson."

8 p.m., Channel 5
Wilhelmina has a Posh wedding.

1/2 Comcast, Free Movies
It looks like a handsome throwback to those World War II romantic spy thrillers, but it's often merely perfunctory. Melanie Griffith portrays a spunky working girl yanked from Wall Street to Berlin. (R; runs through July 17)