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- USA
- Jul 12, 2002
- USA
- Jul 12, 2002
Summary Former police detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub), whose photographic memory and amazing ability to piece together tiny clues made him a local legend, has suffered from intensified obsessive-compulsive disorder and a variety of phobias since the unsolved murder of his wife, Trudy, in 1997. Now on psychiatric leave from the San Francisc...
Created By: Andy Breckman
- USA
- Jul 12, 2002
- USA
- Jul 12, 2002
Summary Former police detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub), whose photographic memory and amazing ability to piece together tiny clues made him a local legend, has suffered from intensified obsessive-compulsive disorder and a variety of phobias since the unsolved murder of his wife, Trudy, in 1997. Now on psychiatric leave from the San Francisc...
Created By: Andy Breckman
Where to Watch
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8 Seasons
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 21 Critic Reviews
75
81% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
19% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 21 Critic Reviews
75
81% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
19% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The best detective show to come along in, well, decades...It is so clever, that it makes you remember how good TV used to be - and still can be when they use actors who didn't train at Ford Models. And when they hire writers who can actually put two words together...I promise you, you've never seen anything quite like it. [11 July 2002, p.73]
One of the most imaginative crime dramas on television, with one of the most tragic crimefighters ever. [12 July 2002, p.C4]
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 52 User Ratings
8.3
88% Positive
46 Ratings
46 Ratings
4% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
8% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 52 User Ratings
8.3
88% Positive
46 Ratings
46 Ratings
4% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
8% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
Monk isn't perfect. The show's comic moments often work better than some of the dramatic elements. And it's too soon to tell if Shalhoub will have the benefit of consistently sharp writing, something that will be essential to sustain the series over the long haul. But if first impressions count for anything, both Adrian Monk and Tony Shalhoub earn gold stars for delivering wry, beguiling pop entertainment. There's also a fizzy, engaging chemistry between Monk and Sharona, as well as Shalhoub and Schram. [12 July 2002]
The rest of the cast lends excellent support, particularly Bitty Schram as Sharona, Ted Levine as the admiring police Capt. Leland Stottlemeyer and Gail O'Grady ("NYPD Blue") as the politician's wife, who sizes up Monk's more obvious hang-ups. [7 July 2002, p.TV-6]
The show's concept is clever, and the pilot displays a blend of humor and drama with a bit of melancholy hanging over it. Shalhoub is excellent as the twitchy, mild-mannered Monk. But Monk can be an annoying character, and at times you may find yourself wanting to yell, "Snap out of it!" at the television screen. [12 July 2002, p.S36]
Shalhoub, who's a producer on the show, stamps his character with a wonderful mix of poignancy and humor. [7 July 2002, p.4]
Neither smart nor witty enough to sustain itself. Ted Levine and Bitty Schram are no help in by-the-numbers roles as the crusty cop who doesn't want to give Monk his due and the nurse-turned-Girl Friday, respectively. [12 July 2002, p.39]
Monk is one of the best TV shows I have ever watched. Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk, the detective who suffers from extreme OCD, is perfect. The comedy and situations are expertly written and the show makes sure to never make fun of those who suffer from similar problems. The murders are all creative and no two episodes are ever the same. The casting is also great with Bitty Schram playing Monk's assistant, Sharona Flemming, for the first 3 seasons and Traylor Howard playing his other assistant, Natalie Teeger, for the rest of the series. Ted Levine as Captain Leland Stottlemeyer and Jason Gray-Stanford as Lieutenant Randy Disher are both fantastic. The therapy scenes with Stanley Kamel as Dr. Kroger and Hector Elizondo as Dr. Bell are also excellent.
Attracting the largest ever viewer figures for a scripted cable-TV episode in the world (for the final episode in the series; "Mr Monk and the End") showed how much the audience had fallen in love with Adrian Monk and how much of a devoted following the show had acquired over its 8 year run.
Undoubtedly one of the greatest detective shows of the last decade, Monk is a treasure to watch and is strongly recommended to everyone, detective fans or not.
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SEASON 1
In the first season, you get to know one of the most interesting characters in TV history, Adrian Monk. Audienced will soon love to know his brilliance as a clever detective, and the ultimate case that it seems like he will never decode: finding the murder of his beloved wife Trudy. "Monk" is one of the best shows on cable.
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SEASON 1
I guess this show just can't appeal to all. This is one show I really looked forward to watching every week and miss it tremendously. It's smart and fun and, anybody who has even a little OCD, should appreciate it. Tony Shalhoub is the only person who could have pulled off this role so masterfully!
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SEASON 1
I kind of really hate this show. The detective drama is so overdone that you really need to do something different - apparently the creators of Monk felt like there was a real gap in mocking mental disorders, and so this show was born. Tony Shaloub does a great job as the title character, actually - he portrays his OCD as a mental disability blown out of proportion by the tragedy of his wifes death, leaving him incapacitated for years before finally returning to his work as a brilliant police detective. Unfortunately, Monk lives in a world where no one else has ever heard of OCD, so we are treated to a lot of insensitive jokes and "Whaaaat? You Crazy, Monk" moments that wear thin about 15 minutes into the first episode. This is also one of those mysteries that blow the surprise in the cold open, so we always know who the murderer is right as the show starts, which I find very annoying. As I have sat through 5 seasons of this, I think it is safe to say that is is rather unimaginative and insensitive, but has a pretty good cast that redeems it. A little.
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SEASON 1
I've watched Monk numerous times and it could never capture my interest, it was predictable, not very funny, not very entertaining and kinda boring at times, it's like law and order with a bad joke every 4 episodes.
If you want a show like this but a good one Psych puts Monk to shame.
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SEASON 1
