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| Monk | |
|---|---|
 Monk title card (seasons two through eight) |
|
| Format | Police procedural / Comedy-drama |
| Created by | Andy Breckman |
| Starring | Tony Shalhoub Ted Levine Jason Gray-Stanford Bitty Schram (seasons 1–3) Traylor Howard (seasons 3–8) |
| Opening theme | Instrumental theme by Jeff Beal (season 1) "It's a Jungle out There" by Randy Newman (seasons 2–8) |
| Ending theme | Instrumental theme by Jeff Beal (season 1) "It's a Jungle out There" (instrumental) (seasons 2–8) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 8 |
| No. of episodes | 125 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Andy Breckman David Hoberman (entire run) Tony Shalhoub (seasons 4–8) Tom Scharpling (seasons 5–8) Rob Thompson (seasons 6–8) |
| Camera setup | Film; Single-camera |
| Running time | 40–45 minutes without commercials, (approx.) 1 hour with commercials |
| Production company(s) | Touchstone Television Mandeville Films Universal Cable Productions Universal Network Television (seasons 1–2) NBC Universal Television Studio (seasons 3–6) Universal Media Studios (seasons 7–8) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | USA Network |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV), 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original run | July 12, 2002 – December 4, 2009 |
| Status | Ended |
Monk is an American police procedural comedy-drama, created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as the titular Adrian Monk. It is primarily a mystery series that also involved some dark atmosphere, although the show also features broad comic touches. It is unusual for shows of this genre because its principal character, Monk, accompanied by his astute brilliance at solving crimes, is beset by a range of psychiatric disorders exacerbated by severe trauma from the death of his wife, the peculiarities of which largely define his character-role in the series.
The show debuted on July 12, 2002, on the USA Network. It was well received and is viewed as one of the reasons that led USA Network's increasing popularity. Its eighth and final season concluded on December 4, 2009. The series currently holds the record for the most-watched scripted drama episode in cable television history, a record previously held by The Closer. Monk set the record with Mr. Monk and the End – Part II, its series finale, with 9.4 million viewers; 3.2 million of them in the 18–49 demographic.[1]
Contents |
Adrian Monk was a brilliant detective for the San Francisco Police Department until his wife, Trudy, was killed by a car bomb in a parking garage, which Monk then believed was intended for him. Trudy's death led Monk to suffer a nervous breakdown. He was discharged from the force and became a recluse, refusing to leave his house for over three years. He was finally able to leave the house with the help of his nurse, Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram). The breakthrough allowed him to work as a private detective and a consultant for the homicide unit despite retaining limitations rooted in his obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), which had grown significantly worse after the tragedy.
Monk's compulsive habits are numerous, and a number of phobias compound his situation, such as his fear of germs. Monk has 312 fears, some of which are milk, ladybugs, harmonicas, heights, imperfection and risk. The OCD and plethora of phobias inevitably lead to very awkward situations and cause problems for Monk and anyone around him, as he investigates cases. These same personal struggles, particularly the OCD, are what aid him in solving cases such as his sharp memory, specific mindset and attention to detail. In one episode entitled "Mr. Monk and His Biggest Fan", Marci Maven (Sarah Silverman) had compiled a list of all of Adrian's fears and had put icons on her desktop of them. On another episode, he tried to conquer his fears by doing various activities which involved his phobias. For example, he tried drinking milk, climbing a ladder, putting a ladybug on his hand, and when things were scattered unorganized across a table, he could not help the compulsion to arrange them neatly.
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 often fail to make. Monk continues to search for information about his wife's death, the one case that he has been unable to solve, and eventually closes it in the series finale.
Sharona decided to re-marry her ex-husband and move back to New Jersey, and Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard) was hired as Monk's new assistant; a widow and mother of an eleven-year-old daughter (now 17). Monk has a brother Ambrose (John Turturro), and a half-brother, Jack, Jr. (Steve Zahn), whose existence Monk discovered in the fifth season.[2] He later met Jack, Jr. in season seven, in Mr. Monk's Other Brother.
| Name | Occupation | Portrayed By | Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrian Monk | Private Consultant | Tony Shalhoub | 1–8 |
| Natalie Teeger | Monk's second assistant | Traylor Howard | 3–8 |
| Sharona Fleming | Monk's first assistant/nurse | Bitty Schram | 1–3, 8 |
| Captain Leland Stottlemeyer | SFPD captain: Robbery, Homicide | Ted Levine | 1–8 |
| Lieutenant Randy Disher | SFPD lieutenant: Robbery, Homicide | Jason Gray-Stanford | 1–8 |
Character Natalie Teeger made her entrance into the show partway through the third season when actress Bitty Schram, who played Monk's nurse Sharona Fleming, left "precipitous[ly]", reportedly over a contract dispute. The new actress, Traylor Howard, had not yet seen the show and was unenthusiastic about her manager's urgings to audition for Sharona's replacement. She nevertheless tried out and got the part. Despite her initial "cool" reception from fans, show co-creator Andy Breckman believes Howard quickly and successfully filled the void. "I will always be grateful to Traylor because she came in when the show was in crisis and saved our baby [....] We had to make a hurried replacement, and not every show survives that. I was scared to death."[3]
Bitty Schram returned as a special guest star during the 8th and final season on October 23, 2009 in Mr. Monk and Sharona (8.10), in order to give closure to her character, who departed from the show abruptly in season three after re-marrying her ex-husband and moving back to New Jersey. In this episode, Sharona confirms that she and her ex-husband, Trevor, are now separated for good and in the end, she actually falls for Randy, who obviously likes her enough to kiss her and drive her to the airport to head back to New Jersey. Sharona does tell Monk, however, that she will be coming back to San Francisco a few weeks later to handle her law suit against the country club where she broke her arm after solving a stressful case involving the murder of her Uncle Howie with Monk and Natalie. Still, this was Sharona Fleming's final appearance on the show in person. In the series finale, Mr. Monk and the End, Part 2 (8.16), a picture of her was shown on the desk of Randy Disher, who got a new job as Summit, New Jersey Chief of Police. He mentions that he and Sharona found a place to live. Furthermore, in a montage of the series, she was shown numerous times.[4]
Most episodes have titles in the form of "Mr. Monk and (a person or thing)" or "Mr. Monk (does something)", much like novels in a series about a starring detective. While solving a murder is the plot for most episodes, there are a few episodes in which Monk helps investigate other crimes, such as a kidnapping in the season two episode "Mr. Monk and the Missing Granny." In season seven, in the 100th episode, Mr. Monk solved his 100th (and 101st) case since his wife's death, a milestone in his career.
Most episodes feature a sequence in which Monk reveals how the crime was committed, almost always prefacing his explanation with the words "Here's what happened." Most of these sequences are featured near the end of the episode, but have been known to occur at the beginning. Some of these sequences are told in an unusual fashion, such as being told to a bear ("Mr. Monk Goes Camping"), in the form of a bedtime story ("Mr. Monk and the Kid"), being chanted during a ritual at a monastery ("Mr. Monk and the Miracle"), and being rapped out by Snoop Dogg ("Mr. Monk and the Rapper"). He said it two times, in flashback and present, in ("Mr. Monk and Little Monk") as himself and as young Monk.
According to an interview with executive producer David Hoberman,[9] ABC first conceived the series as a police show with an Inspector Clouseau-like character suffering from obsessive–compulsive disorder. Hoberman said ABC wanted Michael Richards for the show,[9] but Richards turned it down. Hoberman brought in Andy Breckman as creator, and Breckman, inspired by Sherlock Holmes, introduced a Doctor Watson-like character as Monk's nurse and an Inspector Lestrade-like character which eventually became Captain Stottlemeyer.
Although ABC originated the show, the network handed it off to the USA Network. USA is now owned by NBC (NBC Universal).[10] Monk was the first ABC Studios-produced show aired on USA Network instead of ABC. Although ABC initially refused Monk, they did air repeats of the show on ABC in the summer and fall of 2002, and then again in the spring of 2004. 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."[11] Season 5 premiered Friday, July 7, 2006, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time. This marked the first time change for the program, which aired at 10:00 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 mid-year and the second half early the following year, with the exception of the final season, which broadcast entirely between August and December 2009.
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.[12] 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.[13]
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.[14] 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).[15]
Many scenes in Season 4 were shot in San Francisco, in downtown Union Square and Chinatown (shown in "Mr. Monk Gets Jury Duty," as the police chase Escobar up Jackson Street).
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.[16] The theme won the 2003 Emmy Award for Best Main Title Music.[17] 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.[18] 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."[19] Newman was awarded the 2004 Emmy Award for Best Main Title Music for "It's a Jungle out There".[20] 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 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.
Randy Newman also wrote a new song for the final episode entitled "When I'm Gone." The song was released on iTunes on December 1, 2009.
Monk is often referred to as a "former detective." In the eighth season episode, "Mr. Monk Takes the Stand," Jay Mohr's defense attorney character refers to Monk with the courtesy title, "Former Detective." And in the eighth season episode, "Mr. Monk and the Badge," Monk returns to the police force as "Detective First Class Adrian Monk." But the San Francisco Police Department is unique among big-city police departments in the United States in that it doesn't use the rank "Detective." Those SFPD officers who investigate crimes and perform tasks equivalent to detectives in other departments are given the title "Inspector." On "Monk," the inspector rank is never used, with detective being used instead.[citation needed]
USA Network premiered a 10-episode online series entitled "Little Monk" on August 22, 2009. It includes Adrian Monk and Ambrose Monk during their middle-school years, bringing a back story to Monk's detective skills and phobias. However, as they would have been middle schoolers in the late 1960s and early 1970s, viewers will see anachronisms; the various cars seen in the episodes do not belong to the time-period. Moreover, the fashion of all the seen characters does not fit the times.
The show's soundtrack features its original music score, composed by Jeff Beal.
A "behind the scenes" audio podcast entitled "Lunch at Monk" is available for download through the USA website.[21] In the podcast, cast and crew members of the show are interviewed over lunch.
Lee Goldberg has written several novels based on the show.[22] The novels are written in first-person narrative form, from the perspective of Mr. Monk's assistant Natalie. The first novel, Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse, was the basis for the fifth season episode "Mr. Monk Can't See a Thing."
| Title | Author | ISBN | Publication date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse | Lee Goldberg | 0-451-21729-2 | January 3, 2006 |
| Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii | 0-451-21900-7 | July 5, 2006 | |
| Mr. Monk and the Blue Flu | 0-451-22013-7 | January 2, 2007 | |
| Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants | 0-451-22097-8 | July 3, 2007 | |
| Mr. Monk in Outer Space | 0-451-22098-6 | October 30, 2007 | |
| Mr. Monk Goes to Germany | 0-451-22099-4 | July 1, 2008 | |
| Mr. Monk is Miserable | 0-451-22515-5 | December 2, 2008 | |
| Mr. Monk and the Dirty Cop | 0-451-22698-4 | July 7, 2009 | |
| Mr. Monk in Trouble | 0-451-22905-3 | December 1, 2009 | |
| Mr. Monk is Cleaned Out | 0-451-23009-4 | July 6, 2010[23] | |
| Mr. Monk Gets Even | TBA | TBA |
Universal Studios Home Entertainment has released the first six seasons of Monk on DVD in Regions 1 and 2, and Seasons seven and eight in Region 1. The first five seasons have also been released in Region 4. Monk episodes from seasons 1–8 are also available on iTunes. All seasons are also available in HD format.[24] It should be noted that the Region 2 DVDs of seasons 1–3 are in the 4:3 aspect ratio.
| Title | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 3 | Region 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season One | June 15, 2004[25] | December 27, 2004 | January 20, 2005 | January 18, 2005 |
| Season Two | January 11, 2005[26] | July 18, 2005 | September 19, 2005 | September 21, 2005 |
| Season Three | June 5, 2005[27] | February 27, 2006 | March 7, 2006 | March 22, 2006 |
| Season Four | June 27, 2006[28] | September 18, 2006 | TBA | November 15, 2006 |
| Season Five | June 26, 2007[29] | September 17, 2007 | TBA | April 1, 2009 |
| Season Six | July 8, 2008[30] | September 8, 2008 | – | February 3, 2010 |
| Season Seven | July 21, 2009[31] | June 7, 2010[32] | TBA 2009 | TBA |
| Season Eight | March 16, 2010[33] | TBA 2010 | TBA 2010 | TBA |
| Seasons 1–4
(The Obsessive Compulsive Collection) |
June 27, 2006[34] | November 20, 2006 (R2 has different cover art) |
Not Released | |
| Seasons 1–5 | N/A | October 22, 2007 (only available in R2) |
Not Released | |
| Seasons 1–6 | October 13, 2008 | Not Released | ||
| The Best of Monk | November 17, 2009[35] | |||
| Complete Series | Not Released |
Since September 2008, reruns have been aired in broadcast syndication on various television stations in the United States, most of them NBC and MyNetworkTV affiliates. Since January 2010, USA Network has aired rerns on Thursday and Friday mornings from 6-10AM ET/PT.
| Region | TV Network(s) |
|---|---|
| Arab World | MBC 4 |
| Asia | STAR World |
| Latin America | Universal Channel Hallmark Channel |
| Country | Series Title in Country | TV Network(s) | Series Premiere |
|---|---|---|---|
 Albania |
RTSH | ||
 Argentina |
Hallmark Channel | ||
 Australia |
Network Ten (original run) and TV1 (re-runs) |
||
 Austria |
Monk | ORF 1 | |
 Belgium |
VTM and La Une (French) |
||
 Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Monk | FTV | |
 Brazil |
Monk, um detetive diferente (Monk, a different detective) |
Rede Record Hallmark Channel Universal Channel |
|
 Bulgaria |
Монк (Monk) | bTV GTV Diema Diema 2 |
January 3, 2007 August 19, 2008 September 22, 2008 April 14, 2009 |
 Canada |
A-Channel, Citytv, TVA (French), Canal Mystère (French) | ||
 Chile |
Hallmark Channel | ||
 Colombia |
Monk | Universal Channel, Hallmark Channel | |
 Croatia |
Monk | HRT 2 | |
 Cyprus |
ÎτετÎκτιβ Μόνκ ("Detective Monk") |
CyBC | October 8, 2006 |
 Czech Republic |
Můj pÅ™Ãtel Monk ("My friend Monk") |
TV NOVA | |
 Denmark |
Monk (Canal+)/ Detektiv Monk (TV 2 Charlie/TV 2) |
Canal+ (first run), TV 2 Charlie (re-runs), TV 2 (first run on national television) | |
 Egypt |
MBC 4 | ||
 Estonia |
Monk | TV 3 | September 6, 2003 |
 Finland |
Monk | Canal+, YLE TV1 | September 11, 2004 |
 France |
Monk | TF1, TV Breizh | March 22, 2003 |
 Germany |
Monk | RTL, TNT Serie | June 29, 2004 |
 Greece |
ÎτετÎκτιβ Μονκ ("Detective Monk") |
Star Channel, Universal Channel | |
 Jamaica |
Monk | Television Jamaica | May 2005– |
 Holland |
SBS6 | ||
 Hong Kong |
神探阿蒙 ("Detective Monk") |
TVB (Season 5) | September 18, 2003 |
 Hungary |
Monk – Flúgos nyomozó ("Monk – Nutty detective") |
TV2 and Viasat3 |
|
 Iceland |
Stöð 2 | ||
 India |
STAR World | ||
 Sri Lanka |
STAR World | ||
 Ireland |
RTÉ | ||
 Israel |
×ž×•× ×§ | Israel 10 and Hallmark and Star World |
|
 Italy |
Monk | Rete 4 Joi |
June 9, 2005 May 1, 2008 |
 Japan |
å探åµãƒ¢ãƒ³ã‚¯ [Meitantei Monk] ("Great detective Monk") |
NHK BS-2 | March 30, 2004 |
| Country | Series Title in Country | TV Network(s) | Series Premiere |
 Kenya |
Kenya Television Network | ||
 Lithuania |
Detektyvas Monkas ("Detective Monk") | TV6 | September 6, 2003 |
 South Korea |
íƒì • ëª½í¬ [Tam Jeong Monk] ("Detective Monk") |
KBS 2TV & Fox | KBS : Only Broadcast Season 3 |
 Mexico |
Monk | 4tv, The Hallmark Channel, Universal Channel | |
 Nepal |
Monk | Star World | |
| Netherlands |
SBS6 | December 6, 2007 | |
 New Zealand |
Television 3 and SKY 1 (Now Called "THE BOX") | ||
 Norway |
TV2 Zebra & Hallmark Channel | February 19, 2008 | |
 Pakistan |
Monk | STAR World | |
 Philippines |
Star World | ||
 Poland |
Detektyw Monk ("Detective Monk") |
TVN (free-tv-premiere), TVN Siedem (free-tv-re-runs) Canal+ (first run), Canal+ Film (re-runs) Universal Channel (re-runs) |
April 11, 2003 |
 Portugal |
TVI and FX | ||
 Romania |
Pro Cinema | ||
 Republic of Macedonia |
Kanal 5 | ||
 Russia |
Дефективный детектив ("Defective Detective") |
Channel One | 2006, 1–3 seasons |
| Детектив Монк ("Detective Monk") |
Telekanal Zvezda | ||
 Serbia |
Детектив Монк ("Detective Monk") |
RTS | |
 Slovakia |
Monk | MarkÃza | |
 Slovenia |
POP TV | September 8, 2004 | |
 South Africa |
SABC 2 | ||
 Spain |
Monk | Calle 13 cable/satellite Canal 9 (Valencian Community) ETB2 (Basque Country) 8tv (Catalonia) TVG (Galicia) TV Canaria (Canary Islands) Telemadrid (Community of Madrid) |
|
 Sweden |
Canal+ Film 1 (first run) and Kanal 9 (re-runs) and Comedy Central Sweden (re-runs) |
April 8, 2003 | |
 Switzerland |
Monk | SF zwei, 3+, RSI La 1 (form. TSI 1), TSR 1,4uTV | |
 Taiwan |
Monk 神經妙探 | Videoland — W Movie Channel | July 14, 2004 |
 Thailand |
Star World | ||
 Turkey |
Dizimax, TNT Turkey | ||
 United Kingdom |
BBC TWO (First run) , Quest (TV channel) (re-runs S1-S3) , Hallmark Channel (re-runs) | ||
 United States |
Monk | USA Network (original airing) Universal HD (syndication) Various broadcast television stations (syndication) |
July 12, 2002 |
|
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Monk (2002 – 2009) is a television drama/comedy created by Andy Breckman about Adrian Monk, a former detective, and now consultant, for the San Francisco Police Department who suffers from a number of psychological disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder and several phobias.
"Don't Need a Badge"
   | USA Network's official ''Monk'' page - Monk TV Series, Detective Monk Television Show - USA Network |
| | The Monk Fun Page - The Monk Fun Page |
| | Grant Geissman - Biography - Grant Geissman: World class guitarist/composer - Biography |
| | 'Monk' madness - Portsmouth Herald Entertainment: 'Monk' madness |
| | Monk on USA - Monk on USA - Monk Spoilers, Episode Guides, Message Board |
| | Detective's defective, show isn't - New York Daily News - Entertainment - David Bianculli: Detective's defective, show isn't |
| | Mr. Monk and the New Deal - A Writer's Life: Mr. Monk and the New Deal |
| | Detective's defective, show isn't - New York Arts - NYC Entertainment News - NY Daily News |
| | IGN.com - Monk Renewed for Season 7 - IGN: Monk Renewed for Season 7 |
| | Monk Seventh Season http://www.tv.com/monk/show/9130/story/10888.html?tag=story_list;title;0 - TV.com: Monk's prayers answered, show renewed |
| | USA wants more 'Monk' - USA wants more 'Monk' - Entertainment News, TV Renewals & Rejections, Media - Variety |
| | Golden Globe Awards - HFPA - Nominations and Winners |
| | Academy of Television, Arts, & Sciences - Academy of Television Arts & Sciences |
| | German Monk Fanpage - monkfan.de - Die Fansite zur Fernsehserie Monk - News |
| | Monk - The Obsessive Compulsive Detective - Wrong Planet - Articles |
| | ''"Monk Sales Soar"'' - Monk Sales Soar - 2006-09-05 14:13:00 | Broadcasting & Cable |
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