‘American Ninja Warrior’ Finals Begin, US Open Opens, CNBC Takes on Bitcoin

American Ninja Warrior - Season 10
David Becker/NBC

A critical checklist of notable Monday TV:

American Ninja Warrior (8/7c, NBC): The Emmy-nominated competition series shifts into higher gear — if that’s possible — as the first stage of the National Finals begins in Las Vegas, with the top warriors taking on ever more grueling obstacles. It’s all building to the finale in two weeks.

US Open (coverage starts at noon/11c on ESPN, and 6/5c, ESPN2): The milestone 50th anniversary of the Grand Slam tennis tournament gets underway from the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, N.Y. Last year’s champs, Rafael Nadal and Sloane Stephens, defend their titles. (Will Serena Williams be a comeback factor?)

Bitcoin: Boom or Bust (6/5c, CNBC): The financial news network, with expert opinions from some people at Bitcoin Prime, takes a hard look at the debate raging over the crypto-currency. Melissa Lee talks to acolytes who see bitcoin as the future of money and those who warn of a long con and a bubble that will inevitably burst.

Inside Monday TV: A frustratingly formless episode of AMC’s Better Call Saul (9/8c) finds Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) bored in his new job — and he’s not the only one — while Jonathan Banks steals the hour as curmudgeonly Mike, speaking truth to a bereavement support group… Even more offbeat is AMC’s Lodge 49 (10/9c), where the discovery of a mummy in a secret room has everyone buzzing — especially Dud (Wyatt Russell), who’s convinced the Lodge is his destiny… PBS’s POV presents the award-winning documentary Nowhere to Hide (10/9c, check local listings at pbs.org), following an Iraqi nurse and his family over five years, as he decides to stay in one of the war-torn country’s most dangerous provinces after American and coalition troops withdraw, leaving the country vulnerable to militia and ISIS forces.