Monk (TV series)

The show debuted on July 12, 2002, on the USA Network; it completed its sixth season on February 22, 2008 and was renewed for a seventh season which started July 18, 2008 at 9/8c pm. This may be the last season of the show, "possibly ending in a movie" commented Tony Shalhoub during an interview. ^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Plot

Adrian Monk is a brilliant detective who worked for the San Francisco Police Department until his wife, Trudy, was killed by a car bomb, which Monk believed was intended for him. Trudy's death led Monk to suffer a nervous breakdown. He was discharged from the force and became a shut-in, refusing to leave his house for over three years. With the help of Registered Nurse Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram), he was finally able to leave the house. The breakthrough allowed him to work as a consultant for the homicide unit despite remaining limitations rooted in his obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Monk's compulsive habits are numerous, and a number of phobias compound his situation. The OCD and plethora of phobias inevitably lead to very awkward situations and cause problems for Monk, and anyone around him, as he goes about investigating the cases. However, these same personal struggles, particularly the OCD, are what aid him to solve cases, resulting in his catchphrase, “It’s a gift, and a curse.”

Captain Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) and Lieutenant Randall "Randy" Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) call on Monk when they have trouble with an investigation. Stottlemeyer is often irritated by Monk's disorder, but respects his friend and former colleague's amazing observational abilities, as does Disher. Ever since childhood, Monk's obsessive attention to detail allowed him to spot tiny discrepancies, find patterns, and make connections that others fail to make. Monk continues to search for information about his wife's death, the one case he has been unable to solve.

When Sharona decides to re-marry her ex-husband and moves back to New Jersey, Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard), a widow and mother of an eleven-year-old daughter, is hired as Monk's new assistant. Monk has a brother, Ambrose, and a half-brother, Jack, Jr.^[5]

Characters

Main characters

Former main characters

Secondary characters

Former secondary characters

Minor characters

Guest stars

Episodes

With one exception, every episode's title begins with "Mr. Monk…". The sixth episode in season four is titled "Mr and Mrs Monk"; while solving a murder is the plot for most episodes, there are several episodes in which Monk helps investigate other crimes, such as a kidnapping in the Season 2 episode, "Mr. Monk and the Missing Granny."

Film

There has been speculation on a possible Monk feature film. An interview with Tony Shalhoub by TV Guide network stated that a possible feature film is on the horizon. Possibilities include filming the series finale as a feature film.

Production

Although ABC originated the show, the network handed it off to the USA Network. USA is now owned by NBC (NBC Universal).^[13] Monk was the first ABC Studios-produced show (formerly Touchstone Television) aired on USA Network instead of ABC. On January 12, 2006, USA Network announced that Monk had been picked up through at least season six as one of the "highest-rated series in cable history."^[14] Season 5 premiered Friday, July 7, 2006, at 9 p.m. Eastern time. This marked the first time change for the program, which aired at 10 p.m. during its first four seasons. The change allowed the show to work as a lead-in to a new USA Network series, Psych, another offbeat detective program. Monk has followed a consistent format of airing half of its 16 episodes in the summer and the second half in the winter.

Previously aired episodes of Monk began airing on NBC Universal sibling network NBC April 6, 2008. NBC eyed the show because its block with Psych could be plugged into NBC's schedule intact. The shows are being used to increase the amount of scripted programming on the network as production of its own scripted programming ramp back up following the writers' strike.^[15] Ratings for the broadcast debut were well below NBC averages for the time period. The show came in third behind Big Brother 9 on CBS and Oprah's Big Give on ABC.^[16]

Location

Although set in San Francisco and its area, Monk is for the most part shot elsewhere except for occasional exteriors featuring city landmarks. The pilot episode was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, and the subsequent Season 1 episodes were shot in the Toronto, Ontario, area^[17]. Most of the episodes in Seasons 2-6 were filmed in the Los Angeles, California, area, including on-stage at Ren-Mar Studios for seasons 2-5 and at Paramount Studios for season 6 (these include Adrian’s apartment, Stottlemeyer's precinct house, Dr. Kroger’s office and Natalie’s house)^[18].

Theme music

During the first season of Monk, the series used a jazzy instrumental intro to the show by songwriter Jeff Beal, performed by guitarist Grant Geissman.^[19] The theme won the 2003 Emmy Award for Best Main Title Music.^[20] When the second season began, the series had new theme music, a song entitled "It's a Jungle out There", by Randy Newman. Reaction to the new theme was mixed. A review of the second season of Monk in the New York Daily News included a wish that producers would revert to the original theme.^[21] Shalhoub expressed his support for the new theme in USA Today, saying its "dark and mournful sound,...[its] tongue-in-cheek, darkly humorous side.... completely fits the tone of the show."^[22] Newman was awarded the 2004 Emmy Award for Best Main Title Music for "It's a Jungle out There."^[23] This debate was referenced in the episode "Mr. Monk and the TV Star," which features an actor who plays a detective in a TV show, and several characters mention an in-story controversy over the change of that show's theme music, including obsessed fan Marci Maven, played by Sarah Silverman. In the epilogue of the story, she implores Monk to promise her that he will never change the theme music if he ever gets his own show. When Monk agrees to the promise (only so he can go back to bed), the original music is heard as the scene fades to credits.

The original theme is also heard in episode 8 of season 3 as Monk drives to Los Angeles with his neighbor and father-in-law. It is also heard in several other episodes as the show enters the credits and then kicks into the new theme's instrumental.

For the season 6 episode, "Mr. Monk and the Rapper," guest star Snoop Dogg performed a hip-hop version of "It's a Jungle out There," and he accompanied Monk with "Here's What Happened" in rap form.

The June 16, 2008 re-airing of the first episode featured a new credit sequence with the Newman theme.

Sharona vs. Natalie

During Season 3—after appearing in her 37th episode—Bitty Schram left the show, possibly as a result of a contract dispute.^[24] Schram's replacement was Traylor Howard (as Natalie Teeger). Some fans were unhappy with the change,^[25] while others in debates appear to prefer Natalie.^[26] As of Mr. Monk and the Really, Really Dead Guy, Natalie has appeared in more episodes than Sharona. One notable difference between the two assistants is that Sharona calls Monk by his first name, Adrian, while Natalie calls him Mr. Monk (although at the end of the episode Mr. Monk Gets Drunk Natalie referred to Monk as Adrian.) Natalie seems to be more nurturing to Monk, while Sharona often gave Monk more independence and responsibilities. Otherwise, the producers have not seemed to make an attempt to greatly differentiate the two characters, perhaps in a tacit acknowledgment of the common tropes employed by television shows which replace a major character mid-run.

The 2007 novel "Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants" had Sharona returning to get her job back after her husband was arrested for murder, thus clashing with Natalie. When both are framed for murder, they share a talk in their jail cell and bond over their feelings about working with Monk. Eventually, Monk clears both of them, and Sharona goes back to New Jersey with her husband, knowing Monk was in good hands with Natalie.

Other media

Soundtrack

Novels