Monk: Why USA's Quirky Detective Will Lighten Your Mood

Traylor Howard and Tony Shalhoub by Peter "Hopper" Stone/USA Network

The when: Fridays at 9 pm/ET on USA Network

Why watch?: The introspective detective is back on the job for the second half of Monk's sixth season. Tony Shalhoub (see related Q&A here) plays Adrian Monk, the eagle-eyed and obsessive-compulsive investigator with fears galore (dirt, asymmetry, heights, pretty much everything), whose sharp mind still fingers the right culprit every time. Add to that his wife Trudy's mysterious and haunting death 10 years ago and you've got one complex crime-fighter. But don't get your tissues out yet. Despite those facts, Monk has some of the smartest humor around. And this many years in, it still remains a refreshing and believable jaunt into a life very different from those we usually see on TV. We only wish the season were even longer.

Who's who: Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) gets by with a little help from his assistant/right-and-left-hand woman, Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard), who always has a hand wipe at the ready. Though Monk always sleuths out the bad guys in the end, he also gets tips from SFPD detective Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine), his sometime-boss who, along with his second-in-command Randy Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) have come to respect the high-maintenance investigator's unorthodox working style. But Monk might not be the man he is today without his therapist, the wise and very patient Dr. Kroger (Stanley Kamel).

What's next: New adventures are nigh as the detective gets into more trouble this season getting locked in a bank vault, becoming a surprisingly successful painter, and even running from the law himself in the cinematic two-part season finale where more clues about Trudy's death will be revealed.

Say what?! Though Monk now films in San Francisco, it's first season was filmed in Vancouver and Toronto — not an easy feat when you're trying to make your set look like Northern California.

What do you say? Monk fans, what keeps you tuning in on Friday nights? Got any ideas for new Monk cases you'd like to see? And do you think the mystery of Trudy's death will ever get solved? — Sandra Kofler

Use our Online Video Guide to follow the investigations.

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Monk

Posted by

Your Friends at TV Guide

Jan 17, 2008 4:11 PM

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I love monk. I just finished watching the first 4 seasons again a couple weeks ago and I think I liked them even more this time around.

But, the more I watch it, the more I completely get some of Monks phobias. Especially germs. And I like things to be even, symmetrical.

One of my favorite episodes is the one that opened season 6 with Sarah Silverman. That was hilarious. And I also loved the scene where Natalie and Julie were trying to help Monk overcome just one of his fears. The choices were harmonicas, ladders, ladybugs (or some other kind of bug) and milk. When monk started to try the milk, his disgust with it was so perfect. I hate milk and I feel the same way he felt.

Posted by Leah

Jan 17, 2008 5:45 PM

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It's long since been about time that Adrian Monk solved his wife's murder. At this point, it would make a huge change to Monk's life and that would give the show's writers a whole new level of strangeness to play with.
Posted by Captain Average Jan 17, 2008 7:57 PM Report Abuse

Monk is one of the things that will help me get through this strike. With new episodes of Monk, Psych, and Medium, I'll at least have a little something to look forward to each week.

It's kind of ironic, at the end of each episode, even though he solves the case, I end up feeling sorry for him. I wonder how many people are afraid to shake Tony Shalhoub's hand when they meet him because of Monk's fear of germs.

Posted by J Moo

Jan 18, 2008 7:18 AM

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I really am "Monk's" biggest fan. I cancel all activities to watch the show and always catch the marathons. I've seen all the shows but it is addicting, I watch them again. Tony Shaloub is just great as Monk and in the other shows he has been in. Friday night at 9 is MONK night! I also like Ted Levine, he is so cute.
Posted by alicegardner Jan 18, 2008 8:28 AM Report Abuse

I love Monk. It's funny and so perfectly cast. I'd like to think that Trudy's case will be solved in this series' last episode. At that time, Monk will then lose most, if not all, of his phobias. He'll also then be reinstated as a SFPD detective.
Posted by zortil Jan 18, 2008 9:05 AM Report Abuse

At that time, Monk will then lose most, if not all, of his phobias. He'll also then be reinstated as a SFPD detective. At first I thought that too. But he had all these phobias before he met trudy. They were pretty much ingrained in to him by his mom. I don't think that will go away.
Posted by Leah Jan 18, 2008 9:17 AM Report Abuse

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