You have to love a movie called “Kraken: Tentacles of the Deep” (8 p.m. today, Sci Fi). Or at least you have to appreciate how the movie got that ridiculous name.

For some years now, Sci Fi has been delighting audiences, and at least one critic, with its Saturday-night franchise of cheap, silly thrillers. In an entertainment universe where Hollywood spends a quarter of a billion dollars to produce the third remake of “King Kong,” these features are a refreshing return to B-movie purity.

“Kraken” begins as a giant squid attacks a small boat containing a romantic couple and a small boy reading himself to sleep with Jules Verne’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” Two seconds after getting amorous, the couple become squid food. Fast-forward 20 years and that small boy has become Ray (Charlie O’Connell), a hunky sailor who joins forces with bikini-clad maritime archaeologist Nicole (Victoria Pratt). She’s in search of sunken treasure, but finds a giant squid instead. Or does the giant squid find her? She also has a team of bad guys on her tail. How do we know they’re bad? They dress in black!

Originally produced as “Deadly Waters,” the film was acquired by the geniuses at Sci Fi, who offered visitors to their Web site the chance to rename it. Thousands took a crack at the task, and “Kraken” was the best of the lot. Other entries included “Two Guys, a Girl and a Giant Squid,” “The Squid Stays in the Picture” and “Killamari.”

Today’s other highlights

¢ Scheduled on “Dateline” (7 p.m., NBC): Paris Hilton’s brush with the police.

¢ College football (7 p.m., ABC).

¢ Scheduled on “48 Hours Mystery” (9 p.m., CBS): An actress expires in her cabin during a posh cruise.

Sunday’s season premieres

¢ Scheduled on the 39th season opener of “60 Minutes” (6 p.m., CBS): the perils of Pakistan; mercy killing; an interview with Condoleezza Rice.

¢ A reported suicide may have been murder on “Cold Case” (8 p.m., CBS).

¢ Cupid hovers around Susan and Bree on “Desperate Housewives” (8 p.m., ABC).

¢ Elena goes undercover as an exotic dancer on “Without a Trace” (9 p.m., CBS).

Sunday’s other highlights

¢ Globetrotting on “Amazing Race 10” (7 p.m., CBS).

¢ A promise to visit all 50 states on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (7 p.m., ABC).

¢ The Patriots host the Broncos on “Sunday Night Football” (7:15 p.m., NBC).

¢ Michael reveals his talents on “The Wire” (9 p.m., HBO).