Get ‘Ginsburned’ with ‘RBG’ on CNN, ‘Adventure Time’ Ends, Paradise Found in ‘Lodge 49’
A critical checklist of notable Monday TV:
RBG (9/8c, CNN): After a successful run in indie-film theaters, the acclaimed biographical portrait of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg comes to TV. The documentary by Betsy West and Julie Cohen profiles “the Notorious R.B.G.” from her Brooklyn roots through a legal career highlighted by sex-discrimination cases all the way to the high court. Home movies illuminate her romance with late husband Martin.
Adventure Time (6/5c, Cartoon Network): After 10 seasons and roughly 280 episodes, the fantastical animated cult hit brings an end to the adventure with an hour-long series finale, titled “Come Along With Me” — an invitation the show’s fans will eagerly accept. As Finn and Jake try to prevent the Great Gum War, Princess Bubblegum rallies her allies, and the ultimate fate of the Land of Ooo will be revealed to new adventurers from the far future. (To catch up, or relive past favorites, Cartoon Network will fill Labor Day with an all-day Adventure Time marathon.)
Lodge 49 (10/9c, AMC): For one last taste of holiday bliss, this offbeat charmer offers a glimpse at “Paradise” — this week’s episode title — as Dud (Wyatt Russell) happily floats in his new HR girlfriend’s pool. While Ernie (Brent Jennings) preps for his Sovereign Protector ceremony, if the erratic Larry (Kenneth Walsh) doesn’t get in the way, Blaise (David Pasquesi) makes a scene during his speech at the lodge — a sight you won’t soon forget. (If your idea of TV paradise is a tawdry guilty pleasure, ABC delivers a three-hour wallow in Bachelor in Paradise at 8/7c, with couples from seasons past returning to the beach and the TV spotlight that these buff fame creeps can’t get enough of.)
Inside Monday TV: Take a break from your season-ending backyard barbecue to indulge in Comedy Central’s daylong King of the Hill’s Grillstravaganza (starts at 9 am/8c), with the animated hit’s best grill-themed episodes airing through 11/10c… I’m just not feeling this disjointed season of AMC’s Better Call Saul (9/8c), although this week’s pre-credits opening got my hopes up with one of the most direct callbacks yet to the hot mess that was Breaking Bad’s fashion disaster Saul Goodman. In real time, Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) reverts to old habits to make his mark as a cellphone salesman… CMT offers a musical mash-up with a CMT Crossroads special (10/9c) featuring pop star Meghan Trainor and country singer/songwriter Brett Eldridge collaborating on each other’s hits… On CBS’s Elementary (10/9c), Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) and Watson (Lucy Liu) come to the rescue of their “Irregulars” math whiz Harlan Emple (Mad Men’s Rich Sommer) when he’s implicated in a woman’s disappearance.