Critic’s Corner: What’s on TV Monday (Boston Globe)

American Ninja Warrior 8 p.m., NBC

Despite all the soaring acro-dramatics, feats of ungodly grip strength, and sniffle-triggering back stories, the best part about “American Ninja Warrior,” hands down, is when bro-host Matt Iseman (above left, with Akbar Gbajabiamila) roars the show’s title whenever they cut to a commercial. It’s this guttural, Cookie-Monster-with-a-stubborn-hairball, death-metal-zombie-corpse growl. It makes no sense and it’s fantastic. And you’ll get to hear it, like, 10 times during Monday night’s Houston city finals competition. There will also be lots of jumping and hanging and giving up and falling and airhorns and failure.

I Am Jazz: A Family in Transition 8 p.m., TLC

Though not designed as such, “I Am Jazz” makes an interesting counterpart for Sunday night’s premiere of “I Am Cait.” There’s a much more intimate sense of scale in this docu-series about the life of a transgender teenager. Jazz could be any other classmate of your kid’s. She could be your kid. She’s lovable, and it makes for moving TV that shows parts of the trans experience the flashbulbs wash out.

Southern Fried Road Trip 10 p.m., Food Network

Boudin. Gumbo. Pigskin. Pepto.

Running Wild With Bear Grylls 10 p.m., NBC

Winslet. Wales. Hills. Dales.

The Golden Girls 11 p.m., Hallmark

Pastels. Rattan. Cheesecake. Stan.

Michael Andor Brodeur can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MBrodeur.

Article from Boston Globe