More crimes to solve for the obsessive compulsive San Franciso former detective
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.


As usual a great series
My wife got me hooked on this & I've been buying it ever since.
I'll buy the next season (4) & watch it without first seeing it live on TV - blind faith in the quality of this excellent show.

On the negative side have you noticed how the packaging is getting thinner - not quite so impressive on the shelf (but to be fair other series have had the same treatment & it will take up less room).

The main reason I've knocked 1 star of off a so far un-tarnished record is the lack of English subtitles with this season (was this also due to cost saving along with the cheaper packaging?). I'd like to know why the region 1 version managed to get English subtitles & ours didn't.
Anyway you can't go wrong with this series, so buy it & enjoy.

Brilliant!
I can't believe i waited this long to discover Monk. Tony Shalloub plays Monk excellently and the supporting cast all fit together perfectly. Without a doubt, my favourite episode in this series was Mr Monk takes his Medicine...i haven't laugh so hard and for so long for a while.

Watch it...it will imrove your quality of life sufficiently.

It’s a both a blessing & a curse
Adrian Monk the obsessive compulsive “It’s a both a blessing & a curse� detective, series three. Adrian was once a rising star in the San Francisco PD. Until the murder of his wife Trudy. Then his psychological disorders took over & he was suspended from the force. He is now employed as a private detective helping the SF police.

In my eye’s only goes from strength to strength. In season 3 we see (or rather don’t actually see) the departure of his assistant Sherona, Sherona first disappears in Mr.Monk & the Game Show, she’s visiting her ailing mother. And by the next episode Mr.Monk & the Red Herring we find that she’s moved back to New Jersey & remarried her former ex-husband. But seriously do not despair in this episode we have the arrival of his new assistant Natalie. Whom I have to say in keeping with the show is an excellent addition to the cast. She fits in almost seamlessly & adds a new tougher sparring partner for Mr.Monk. Natalie is such a great character that you very quickly warm to her & see her on the same par as Sherona.

Season three is as good if not better than 1 & 2. The Character of Mr.Monk is more rounded and comical. Tony Shalhoub has won critical praise for his portrayal of the dysfunctional Mr.Monk. Captain Stottlemeyer & Monk play off each other far more in series 3, than in previous series. Which adds even more comical situations. In all the characters are more rounded.

There are so many detective shows on TV, but this is so offbeat, comical & odd that you’ll either love or hate it. Personally I love the show; we’ve all met people with Monkish traits. We even all have Monkish traits about us. His selfishness because of his neurosis’s can be hilarious. This is because he is afraid of so many everyday things, including Milk! Don’t expect the run of the mill detective show, its cookie, clever & different. You’ll either love or hate it. Well worth buying if your already a Monk fan.

Monk Returns to DVD!
Tony Shalhoub is Monk, the obsessive compulsive detective.

Series 3 sees Monk in all sorts of new and exciting situations. Different is an understatement! The series 3 mysteries involve fingers, fridges and fish. We see Monk on a game show in LA, trying to clean New York, getting a new nurse and new assistant, entering "the world of the Ninja", working in a supermarket and getting himself fired!

This is Bitty Schram's final series on Monk and i think it is also her best.

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