Watch it

“Night at the Movies: The Suspenseful World of Thrillers” (8 p.m., Turner Classic Movies). Series premiere. The first installment of  TCM’s new documentary series focuses on the evolution of suspense films. It sounds pretty interesting, with lots of classic clips and interviews with a diverse group of people who give insight into every stage of the filmmaking process. Among them: Diablo Cody, Mel Brooks, Kenneth Branagh (man, I loved “Dead Again”), Bryan Singer, Martin Landau, Illeana Douglas and Ken Follett.

“Shadow of a Doubt” (9 p.m., Turner Classic Movies). So after watching a documentary about suspense films, watch one of the best ones ever made. The Hitchcock classic about a teenage girl who suspects her favorite uncle is a murderer was shot in Santa Rosa, so there’s a local history angle too.

Record it

“Stargate Universe” (9 p.m., Syfy). Series premiere. Like “Star Trek,” the “Stargate” franchise just keeps churning out series after series. This is the third spinoff of the ’90s sci-fi movie, and this one looks like it’ll have a more serious,  “Battlestar Galactica”-like vibe. You know, less straight-up action and more human drama. The series kicks off with a bunch of human evacuees fleeing an alien invasion when their spaceship gets sucked through the Stargate. Now they’re stuck in deep space (talk about the middle of nowhere) with a broken-down spaceship and have to find their way home. Hmmm, sounds a lot like “BSG.” Robert Carlyle, Lou Diamond Phillips and Ming Na star. Could be decent.

“National Parks” (8 p.m., PBS). OK, you’ve made it this far, go ahead and watch the last episode. This one focuses on the postwar era that made the parks what they are today, and the effort to preserve the Alaskan wilderness.

“Dollhouse” (9 p.m., Fox). If you’re into it, you’re into it. I’m so far behind that I have no idea what’s going on anymore.

Skip it

Everything else. Friday is a wasteland. Go out for dinner and stimulate the economy.