There is a Monk in everyone!
Monk is the surname of former member of the police force, Adrian Monk. After a bomb assasination against his wife Trudy, he barely goes out of his house for over three years. His colleagues from the police force insistingly employ his superior observing powers when they can not solve a case. Monk can not look after himself as he is morally wounded so a nurse always helps him during daytime. Sharona takes good care of him though Monk does not appreciate her helps accordingly.

I found out the Monk series quite by chance and became an addict instantly. His peculiar behaviours complemented with amusing events weaved together with a murderous atmosphere grips me. His observing qualities remind me of the great Sherlock Holmes.Of course his daily routine is much more amusing and naive.

After watching the Monk I started to rinse my tooth bursh with hot water also!



More obsessive compulsive viewing
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.


Brilliant!!
I think Monk is a great series & well worth watching!! I was sceptical when I watched it...thinking it would be like all other American light-hearted police shows..but something is addictive about the whole thing! It's hard to say excatly what makes it so great..but there's no doubting that it's one of my favourite DVDs I own!

fantastic choice
after watching the show for the first time i thought it was fantastic and feel obligated to give write out an episode guide:

mr. monk goes back to school: when respected substitute english teacher beth landow falls from the clock tower police suspect it was suicide but the assistant principal suspects murder so he brings monk to investigate and then concludes that the science teacher killed her but he was proctoring an exam when the body was found.

mr. monk goes to mexico: when a friends college-aged son dies mysteriously in mexico doubting the cororners report the mayor doubting that the young man drowned in mid-air sends monk to investigate meanwhile he has his own problems when his luggage is stolen.

mr. monk goes to the ballgame: when a tyrannical CEO and his wife are murdered monk is called into investigate but notes that the husband was shot once and the wife four times meaning she was the primary target and the CEO's last words don't help much either.

mr. monk goes to the circus: when a very-unpopular and sarcastic ringmaster is murdered by an acro-bat wearing a face mask and ninja costume monk suspects is ex-wife who couldn't have done it because she has a broken foot confirmed by x-rays but still remains convinced she did meanwhile sharona tries to get over her fear of elephants but a second murder helps him solve the case.

mr. monk and the very very very old man: when captin Stottlemeyer's wife karen forces him to redecorate his office with the new age artifects given to him, his wife asks hime to watch her documentary about the worlds oldest man but can't bring himself to watch her documentary but his wife thinks her star was murdered and captin Stottlemeyer calls in monk to pacify her but unfortuntaely he agrees with her.

mr monk goes to the theater: when sharona's sister actress is suspected of murdering a male actor on stage with what she insists is a retractable knife and monk must take his place for a couple of days, meanwhile sharona's mother has come for a visit.

mr monk and the sleeping suspect: in a new twist of he or she could possibly have done it leads monk to investigate the murder of a young woman due to a terroists mail bombing but the suspect has been in a coma for 4 years.

mr monk meets the playboy: suspecting that her boss has been murdered after withdrawing his financial booking for a magazine she calls in monk to investigate.

mr monk and the 12th man: faced with a string of nine brutal murders with no MO's and no simalaritys among the victims captin stottlemeyer calls monk into help him investigate but later the body count rises.

mr monk and the paperboy: when adrian monks paperboy is murdered on his front doorstep monk searches the newspaper for clues but when he reads through it again it leads him to solve two unrelated murders including one in france but about a couple of miles away a convenience store clerk is murdered and then the paper gives him the clue he needs.

mr monk and the three pies: when monks older brother ambrose calls him on a life-or-death matter he reluctantly agrees to come and visit his estranged brother who refused to attend trudy's funneral and becomes convinced that his next door neighbour killed his wife.

mr monk and the t.v star: after visiting the set off the hit t.v show crime lab S.F during a celebration of its 100th episode monk becomes convinced that the shows star murdered his ex-wife so he wouldn't have to share his huge cash cheques.

mr monk and the missing granny: a middle-aged law school student who can't afford monks services asks him to help her find her missing grandmother and she will help him get reinstated at the police department.

mr monk and the captins wife: when captin stottlemeyers wife karen is hit by a tow truck and discover the driver was shot with a sniper on her way to a documentary and the captin goes beserk and blames an unofficial union leader and his hired thug and calls in monk to investigate.

mr monk gets married: after lt. disher discovers that his 58 year old grandmother is about to get married to a 37 year old antique dealer and for their honeymoon goes to a marriage clinic and monk and sharona pose as a married couple and join the same clinic and discover that he is after ancient buried gold.

mr monk goes to jail: when captin stottlemeyer asks monk to find out who would murder a death-row inmate 45 minutes before his execution despite monks determination to leave the prison and the prime suspet is an old-nemisis dale the whale beiderwick who the victim owed 1200 dollars to so dale says to monk that if he solves the case he will give him information in trudys murder,

Amazing
Never heard of Monk till I spoke to my long lost uncle - he treccomended it and i promptly bought seies 1 and 2 - best buy i ever made. Not only is it very watchable, his OCD is totally believable, you feel his pain!
buy it it rocks

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