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Monk
TV Show Overview
Monk is an American crime
television series drama, created by Andy Breckman. On
the television show Monk, Tony
Shalhoub stars as Adrian Monk. Monk is primarily a
mystery series TV show, although the television show also features broadly
comic touches. The Monk television series debuted on July 12, 2002, on the USA
television
Network. Its eighth and final season began on Friday,
August 7, 2009 and will end on December 4, 2009.
Monk Television Series Season Episodes on DVD
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Monk -
Season One on DVD (2002)
Amazon.com DVD Review -
The ranks of fictional genius gumshoes were joined
by former San Francisco detective Adrian Monk (Tony
Shalhoub) in the summer of 2002, and he is indeed a
welcome addition. Cable channel USA Network
introduced Monk, a bright comedy-drama series about
an obsessive-compulsive sleuth drummed out of police
work following the murder of his wife and a
subsequent spike in his overwhelming neuroses. Once
a rising star in the homicide department, the
twitchy savant is still valuable to Captain
Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine), who reluctantly calls on
Monk to solve difficult, high-profile murders of
judges, billionaires, police informants, and famous
attorneys. Monk's talent for finding clues and
seeing the big picture in criminal investigations
makes him a force to reckon with, but his many
phobias (germs, heights, asymmetry, and much, much
else) aggravate Stottlemeyer and make Monk
completely dependent on a long-suffering assistant,
Sharona (Bitty Schram), a single mom who functions
as Dr. Watson to Monk's Sherlock Holmes.
Each of the 12 episodes included in Monk: The
Complete First Season is a delightful mix of clever
whodunit puzzler, neurotic schtick, and deepening
relationships. Among the latter, the bond between
Monk and Sharona is most touching, as the platonic
friends, sometimes aghast at how involved they are
in each other's lives, surprise themselves with the
breadth of their trust and commitment. In "Mr. Monk
Goes to the Asylum," Monk is forced into a stay at a
mental hospital, where a murderer has convinced him
he's crazy; it's Sharona who makes her boss realize
he's not. In "Mr. Monk and the Earthquake," it's
Monk who rushes to Sharona's aid when he deduces
that a lying friend is about to kill her. In almost
every episode, Monk is confronted with a phobic
limitation he must overcome in order to save the
day. The question is whether he will heal enough,
one day, to re-join his old squad. For the sake of
Monk's winning formula and fans, one has to hope
such good news never comes to pass. --Tom Keogh
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Monk -
Season Two on DVD (2002)
Amazon.com DVD Review -
Monk: Season Two finds the popular cable dramedy
all the more satisfying and fun in its second
year. Relationships between the series' core
characters have (against all odds) actually
deepened and sweetened, while the new whodunit
storylines challenge obsessive-compulsive
investigator hero Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) in
fresh and novel ways. There are no big changes,
but there is more compassion, even friendship,
exchanged between Monk and his former boss,
Captain Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine), and
grudging admiration for the difficult private
sleuth from Stottlemeyer's second-in-command,
Lieutenant Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford). As for
Monk's crucial bond with his long-suffering
assistant, Sharona (Bitty Schram), well, nothing
comes easier than before. On the other hand,
Sharona continues to draw Monk out of his
self-obsession by giving him someone to care
about.
Highlights include the strong season opener,
"Mr. Monk Goes Back to School," starring Andrew
McCarthy as a science teacher whom Monk
instantly suspects of killing a colleague. (The
latter's death was disguised as a suicide.)
Monk's investigation leads him to take, with
many pitfalls and funny moments, a post at the
school as a substitute teacher. But the episode
also demonstrates the series' increasing
preference for mysteries that concern how a
crime was committed rather than who did it. Also
good is "Mr. Monk Goes to Mexico," in which Monk
finds himself in a panic without bottled water
while working alongside two south-of-the-border
equivalents (in looks and personality) of
Stottlemeyer and Disher. "Mr. Monk Meets the
Playboy" stars Gary Cole as a girlie-mag
publisher who blackmails the chivalrous Monk by
acquiring, and threatening to print, old topless
photos of Sharona. One of the season's best
shows, "Mr. Monk and the Paperboy," finds the
fastidious, orderly detective in a major
freakout when his own home becomes a crime
scene. Still a comic joy and still stimulating
for mystery buffs, Monk: Season Two is highly
recommended. Among appealing guest stars are
Rachel Dratch, Glenne Headley, Tim Curry, and
John Turturro as Monk's Mycroft-like brother.
--Tom Keogh |
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Monk -
Season Three on DVD (2002)
TV’s most brilliant detective is back, and he’s
ready to battle any crime… as long as it doesn’t
involve germs, heights or other people! Emmy
Award and Golden Globe winner Tony Shalhoub
returns to DVD in all 16 third season episodes
of the funny, fresh and quirky series, Monk.
Rejoin Adrian Monk, the defective detective, who
must overcome his obsessive-compulsive disorder
and investigate the death of his wife, Trudy.
Still hoping to be reinstated in the San
Francisco Police Department, Monk continues to
use his sharp intelligence, photographic memory
and ever-present hand wipes to solve even the
dirtiest cases. At his side are Captain
Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine), Lieutenant Disher
(Jason Gray-Stanford), Sharona Fleming (Bitty
Schram) and newcomer Natalie Teeger (Traylor
Howard), and together they take on some daunting
opponents, including the Mafia, the FBI and a
possibly murderous chimpanzee. Monk’s back on
the case and better than ever in this hilarious
third season, which includes five obsessive
brand-new featurettes! |
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Monk Television Series -
Season Four on DVd (2002)
Amazon.com DVD Review -
Adrian Monk is still "the man" as this brilliant
fourth season demonstrates. Not that his
confidence in his crime-solving abilities isn't
tested from time to time. In the fun
season-opener, Monk finds himself upstaged by
low-rent private eye Marty Eels (guest star
Jason Alexander in a spinoff-worthy role). The
very flappable Monk is further undone by Eels'
seemingly uncanny ability to find clues in the
baffling case of a jewelry store robbery ("He's
cheating," Monk protests in vain). This is
something of a "threshold" season for Monk, to
quote his psychiatrist, who is moved to openly
weep when Monk uncharacteristically allows a
glass to go uncoastered at one point. But his
obsessive-compulsive disorders still get the
best of him, as in one of the season's more
clever episodes, "Mr. Monk Goes to the Office,"
in which Monk, going undercover, is blissfully
in his element as an "office drone," doing the
same tasks day in and day out. Just as he is
accepted as one of the office gang, he alienates
them by not participating in a bowling
tournament (it must be the shoes).
Tony Shalhoub, a two-time Emmy-winner for his
nuanced performances as Monk, was nominated for
his third Emmy for this season. One of his
finest hours is "Mr. Monk and Mrs. Monk," in
which it appears that his beloved late wife,
Trudy, is not only still alive, but a suspect in
a murder. This season also develops Monk's
relationship with his new personal assistant,
Natalie (Trayler Howard). In "Mr. Monk Gets
Drunk," it's all about trust when Natalie
initially doesn't believe Monk's implausible
tale of a disappeared wine-country-inn guest
Monk claims to have met the night before. Genius
is pain, John Lennon once said, and this applies
to Monk. His neurotic tendencies alienate him
from the mainstream. In "Office," he so wants to
be accepted that he writes conversational cue
cards, and the solving of the crime doesn't
compensate for him being a cubicle
laughingstock. But as the series progresses,
Monk is getting better, so much so, that Captain
Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) informs him that he is
being put under contract retainer for "16
homicides a year." With a sly nod to the series'
renewal, Stottlemeyer tells him they best take
things "one year at a time." --Donald Liebenson
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Monk -
Season Five on DVD (2002)
It's time to tidy up for another season with
Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe winner
Tony Shalhoub in all 16 Season Five episodes of
Monk, television's most fresh and funny series.
Gumshoe Adrian Monk would never actually have
gum on his well-polished shoes: in addition to
intellect and instinct, he also has Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder. Though his eccentric traits
bewilder his colleagues Natalie Teeger (Traylor
Howard), Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) and
Lieutenant Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford), Monk's
attention to detail keeps crime—and grime—off
the streets. Included in this highly
collectible, 4-disc set are both the black &
white and color versions of the noir-style
episode "Mr. Monk and the Leper," obsessively
good bonus features and the pilot episode of the
hit comedy-drama Psych. Follow the clues to
Season Five of Monk, the quirky and original
show TV Guide hails as "alternatively hilarious
and touching." |
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Monk - Season Six on DVD
Amazon.com Review -
Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub), the phobic private
detective on psychiatric leave from the San
Francisco police department, has his work--both
professional and personal--cut out for him in
Monk: Season Six. Typical of the long-running TV
dramedy, Season Six doesn't cultivate any new
story arcs played out over its 16 episodes. But
Monk does get a little closer both to
understanding himself and the mystery behind his
wife Trudy's unsolved murder--the defining event
that drove Monk into off-the-charts
obsessive-compulsive behavior. The season opens
with the enjoyable "Mr. Monk and His Biggest
Fan," guest-starring Sarah Silverman as Marcy
Maven, a largely benign stalker of Monk who
annoys him and his long-suffering assistant,
Natalie (Traylor Howard). When Marcy is accused
of using her dog to murder a neighbor, however,
Monk leaps to her rescue, endangering himself
and Natalie. The episode is particularly
noteworthy for a scene in which Monk reluctantly
takes part in a go-on-a-date-with-a-studly-cop
charity auction, and no one bids on him. (Except
Marcy, of course.) "Mr. Monk and the Rapper"
stars Snoop Dogg as a successful rap artist who
hires Monk to prove he didn't murder a rival.
Problem is, Monk actually believes Dogg's
character did the misdeed. The story
re-introduces Monk's neurotic tendency to blend
in with stressful situations during a kind of
mental blackout. Shalhoub is hilarious taking on
hip-hop affectations in his language and manner,
and he has the same chameleon-like problem in a
later episode called "Mr. Monk Joins a Cult." In
the latter, Monk infiltrates a religious cult
under the sway of a charismatic leader (Howie
Mandel) suspected of murder. But while
investigating the alleged spiritual figure, Monk
is persuaded by him to leave his life and join
the group. Monk's psychiatrist, Dr. Kroger
(Stanley Kamel), proves instrumental in helping
Monk free himself from the cult, one of many
services that makes Monk feel obliged to help
Kroger when the shrink's son, Troy (Cody McMains),
gets in trouble in "Mr. Monk and the Buried
Treasure." One of the more harrowing scenes in
Season Six takes place in that story: Monk and
Troy are buried alive in a car covered by a ton
of gravel. "Mr. Monk and the Man Who Shot Santa"
finds Monk a pariah after being accused of
wounding a seemingly friendly fellow tossing
stuffed toys to people on the street. Finally,
the two-part "Mr. Monk Is On the Run" finds Monk
himself turned fugitive after he appears to have
shot a man involved in Trudy's death. Pursued by
a crooked lawman (Scott Glenn), Monk conspires
with Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levin) to help
him disappear, much to the distress of Natalie.
--Tom Keogh |
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Monk: Season Seven on DVD
Amazon.com DVD Review - Monk: Season Seven finds
San Francisco's most famously phobic detective,
Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub), tested on many
fronts and facing issues of revenge, loyalty,
attraction to a woman other than his late wife,
the excitement of home ownership, and fear of
inevitable change and loss. In "Mr. Monk Buys a
House," Shalhoub's neurotic hero snaps up the
abode of a murder victim in order to get away
from annoying neighbors. His anxiety doubles
over, however, when a repairman (Brad Garrett)
begins tearing the place apart, claiming that
nothing is up to code and making Monk wish he
was back at his old place. "Mr. Monk and the
Genius" is graced with a guest appearance from
David Strathairn as a chess master more than
happy to match wits with Monk over a murder.
Out-strategized at every turn, Monk has to step
back from the case to see what his next move
should be. "Mr. Monk Gets Lotto Fever" finds
Natalie (Traylor Howard)--Dr. Watson to Monk's
Sherlock Holmes--drunk on her sudden celebrity
status when she takes over as a television
station's Lotto Girl after the last one turns up
dead. The episode is an interesting study of
obsessive behavior (besides Monk, there's a
Lotto superfan whose walls are covered by
photos). Meanwhile, Monk's impatience over all
the attention Natalie is getting is hilariously
childish.
"Mr. Monk Falls in Love" is one of the more
poignant stories in season seven, in which Monk
is thunderstruck by a beautiful social worker
who also happens to be the lead suspect in a cab
driver's murder. Denying his feelings (fearing
he is being unfaithful to the memory of his late
wife, Trudy), Monk springs into action when it
looks like he might lose a second chance at
love. "Mr. Monk's Other Brother" offers a very
funny performance by Steve Zahn as Monk's
long-lost and very much alleged brother, an
escaped convict. Deeply dubious, Monk
nonetheless hides him and openly lies to his cop
friend, Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine), while
trying to prove the fugitive is innocent of
murder. "Mr. Monk and the Bully" is a dark
episode in which the detective is hired to
follow the wife of a former school bully who
made Monk's childhood hell. When the husband is
accused of murder, Monk savors the thought of
his nemesis being convicted, even if he knows
the villain is innocent. Finally, "Mr. Monk
Fights City Hall" concerns Monk's frantic
efforts to stop the demolition of a garage where
Trudy was murdered. Touching but funny, the
story is a fitting end for Monk: Season Seven.
--Tom Keogh |
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