Enjoyable '70s style gumshoe
Back in the 1970s, every TV cop had to have either an eccentricity or an illness - Ironsides was in a wheelchair, Longstreet was blind, McCloud was a cowboy, Mannix was building a house, Hopkirk was dead. 'Monk'. about a 'tec with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, can be read as a homage to shows of that era: As such the emphasis is on sleuthing and human interaction rather than violence, making for the kind of relaxing, Sunday afternoon sort of show that hasn't been seen on the screen since 'NYPD Blue' started the trend for more realistic cop dramas. Whilst it's not the most exciting show in the world, and the humour is the sort usually described as 'gentle', Monk can be recommended to anyone who has ever enjoyed curling up on the sofa with a mug of tea and a plate of jaffa cakes to watch a rerun of 'Columbo', and it deserves it's popularity.

Obsessive Compulsive TV
Meet Adrian Monk, a man who suffers from severe OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) but who was also a brilliant homicide detective who worked for the San Francisco Police Department until his wife Trudy died in a car bomb attack. The news of Trudy's death caused Monk to suffer a nervous breakdown and he resigned from the force, and became a shut-in, refusing to leave his house for three years. With the help of practical nurse Sharona Fleming he was finally able to leave the house. He began to perform consulting work for the police on particularly difficult cases. Captain Leland Stottlemeyer and Lieutenant Randall "Randy" Disher call on Monk when they can't solve an investigation. Stottlemeyer is often infuriated by Monk's disorder, but respects his friend and former partner's amazing observational abilities, as does Disher. Monk's obsessive attention to detail allows 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.

This first series features 12 hilarious, touching and suspense-filled who-dunnits which will keep you guessing until the end, introducing Mr Monk and his side-kick and nurse, Sharona. Each episode is excellently written with superb performances from Tony Shalhoub and Bitty Schram. Monk's OCD can be both amusing and emotional but either way, it provides top quality entertainment that seems to get better with each series and this is the perfect place to start.

Series 1 features these episodes:

1) "Mr. Monk and the Candidate" - Monk investigates an assassination attempt on Mayoral Candidate Warren St. Claire, and learns there's more at play than meets the eye.

2) "Mr. Monk and the Psychic" - When Police Commissioner Harry Ashcombe's wife disappears, her body is mysteriously found by hack "psychic" Dolly Flint. Everyone believes she accomplished the impossible - except for Monk.

3) "Mr. Monk Meets Dale the Whale" - When a local judge is found murdered, all the evidence points to one man: an 800-lb reclusive tycoon named Dale Biederbeck, a.k.a. Dale the Whale. But how can a man who hasn't left his bed in eleven years, who can't even fit through his bedroom door, be responsible for the murder?

4) "Mr. Monk Goes to the Carnival" - An amusement park ride turns deadly when a cop and a mysterious informant get on a Ferris wheel. When the ride stops, the informant is dead. It looks like an open and shut case... except to Monk.

5) "Mr. Monk Goes to the Asylum" - After being discovered in Trudy's old house, Monk is temporarily institutionalized. Once committed, he stumbles upon a decades-old murder. Or is his mind playing tricks on him?

6) "Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger" - A billionaire computer mogul is shot dead while mugging a couple outside a movie theater. It appears to be a midlife crisis gone horribly wrong - until Monk uncovers the truth.

7) "Mr. Monk and the Other Woman" - Monk's dedication to his late wife is tested when he meets a beautiful divorcee who has her sights set on a certain obsessive-compulsive detective. Will a burgeoning romance interfere with a murder investigation? Or is it all part of a larger plan?

8) "Mr. Monk and the Marathon Man" - A young woman is found murdered during the citywide marathon. The chief suspect has the perfect alibi - he was running in the race! How is it possible for someone to be in two places at the same time? It's Monk's job to find out.

9) "Mr. Monk Takes a Vacation" - Monk, Sharona, and Benjy head off for a week of rest and relaxation, but it's back to work when Benjy witnesses a murder at their beach resort.

10) "Mr. Monk and the Earthquake" - When a San Francisco philanthropist dies mysteriously in a minor earthquake, Monk suspects foul play.

11) "Mr. Monk and the Red-Headed Stranger" - Country superstar Willie Nelson a cold-blooded murderer? The police think so - but Monk has other ideas.

12) "Mr. Monk and the Airplane" - Monk braves the unfriendly skies - and finds murder in the air!


This is where the legendary Monk begins
I first saw this when it was first aired one saturday (can't remember exactly what year it started, time goes so fast) on BBC2 just because I thought the idea of a former detective with obsessive compulsive disorder sounded interesting but I didn't expect it to be this good, from that very first screening I was hooked although I have to say I get very angry at the way the BBC treats this programme. One week they show it, next week they don't, one week they show it, next two weeks they don't etc. This really gets me angry because they always make some excuse about not being able to fit it into their schedule but isn't it amazing how they never fail to be able to show a repeat of some quiz, lifestyle, learning, cooking, gardening, house buying, living in another country type programme etc. It really gets me angry that they can't spare just a forty minutes a week time slot for a programme of this high quality.

Sorry if I sounded like I was more interested in commenting on the BBC rather than Monk so I will get on with it now. I am sure you will know what Monk is all about, if you don't then it is like I have mentioned about a former detective (I say former because he still helps solve crimes in his spare time) who suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder, it is because of this that he is so good at solving crimes, a kind of blessing in disguise. When the right person is picked to play a particular part it can make all the difference to the success of a programme and Monk is another fine example of this, whoever chose Tony Shalhoub to play this part should be applauded, it was as good a choice as they could have made, imagine if they had chose some young extremely good looking but so wooden that they would be attacked by woodpeckers type instead, this would have been so different for the worse.

This is a really feel good type of detective programme but it can also be really dark and very moving without being over sentimental. There was one episode of this, I can't remember which series it was from but I can't forget the beginning of it, it involved somebody being chain sawed to death in a garage (if that is not dark then I don't know what is) and although you didn't see it, it was more effective because you could hear it from outside the garage and it was cleverly filmed.

Adrian Monk can be funny and irritating to watch, but at times the pain of him having to live with his obsessive compulsive disorder can be incredibly moving as it affects his whole lifestyle. There is one episode in particular that I can remember (but again I can't remember which series exactly) which involves him looking after or adopting a little boy and all I will say about this is that it is one of the most moving episodes of Monk that I have ever seen.

Columbo is still my favourite detective programme ever but this is not far behind and if like me you like Columbo but have never seen Monk, then I would recommend this very highly as well as the outstanding Law & Order: Criminal Intent.


Disappointed - I wanted to like it... but...
I really wanted this to work - but having rented the first 3 episodes we were really quite disappointed. I really rate Tony Shaloub - Galaxy Quest, Paulie, MIB and just had to see Monk as the idea sounded interesting. By episode 3 though, the pattern seems to have been set for the rest of the series and I'm afraid I don't have the patience to invest the time to see if there are any surprises left from the others in the set. The OCD afflicted investigator only seems to suffer occassionally from his problems (when the writers remember or feel that some light relief is needed) and the whole premise doesn't seem to really add anything to what is a fairly traditional cop show. I still think that Tony Shaloub is great though - I blame the writers! Perhaps I should give it another chance and see some more episodes, but I can certainly see why the BBC hid this away in the daytime schedules. In it's favour though, it's fairly benign, 'sit back' TV. I guess I was expecting something with a bit more of an edge to it.

Mr Monk The Genius
Funniest thing ever!!! Worth buying purely for the credits where the OCD suffering detective gets his socks out of sandwich bags and pours boiling hot water on his toothpaste to disinfect it! His attention to detail makes him a super detective, buy it NOW!

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