Here’s what happened. . . San Francisco Police Department detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) had his wife Trudy helping him to conquer many of his numerous phobias and extreme OCD. She was then killed by a car bomb. It’s the one crime the brilliant detective can’t solve, catapulting him into a severe depression, making all of his fixations and neuroses even more extreme. Although he’s convinced he’ll never be happy again and knows it’s a jungle out there, he rejoins the world as a private detective, often consulting with the SFPD and his former colleague Captain Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine).
Poor Stottlemeyer is often exasperated by Monk, whose 312 phobias, extreme OCD and obsession with his wife’s death sometimes hinder an investigation. But the homicide chief also acknowledges that Monk is the greatest living detective, with his idiosyncrasies giving him the ability to pick up details that others miss, often using his hands as a guide to see the smaller parts of a bigger picture. Monk is always right, uncovering truths when at times foul play isn’t even suspected, bringing principle characters back in an old-fashioned “here’s what happened” moment. Because of Monk’s perfect track record, Stottlemeyer is firmly in Monk’s corner, helping him in his goal to get his badge back.
Also standing in Monk’s corner are the somewhat dim-witted but lovable Lieutenant Randy Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford); Monk’s first assistant Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram), an outspoken nurse and single mom who refuses to put up with Monk’s nonsense; Sharona’s replacement, the more indulgent Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard), a widowed mom; and his psychiatrists Dr. Charles Kroger (Stanley Kamel) and Dr Neven Bell (Hector Elizondo), who takes over when Kroger dies suddenly (following the untimely real-life death of Kamel).
With his obsessions and oddities, Monk quickly became a favorite of audiences and critics alike, with the show’s blend of mystery, comedy and drama a winning combination. Each case brought in new, and often odd, characters, with guest stars like John Turturro (Ambrose Monk), Tim Bagley (Harold Krenshaw) and Adam Arkin (Dale “The Whale” Biederbeck) bringing to life equally eccentric characters as Monk’s family and enemies. Shaloub’s real-life wife Brooke Adams appears in five episodes as four different characters.
It took a few years for “Monk” to come together, with the biggest challenge in finding the perfect actor to portray this over-the-top character without making him a caricature. John Ritter, Henry Winkler, Michael Richards, Stanley Tucci and Alfred Molina were all considered, with the last two appearing as guest stars during the show’s run. But it was Shalhoub who realistically brought humor and humanity to a character that could have easily crossed the line to obnoxiousness; in the process, Shalhoub took home three Emmys, two SAG awards and a Golden Globe.
Such a quirky and memorable character deserves a proper intro, and Monk had not one, but two. Jeff Beal wrote the instrumental “Monk’s Theme” for Season One, winning an Emmy; for Season Two, Randy Newman‘s “It’s a Jungle Out There” took over, and also won an Emmy. “Monk” is the first series to have two different theme songs win in consecutive years. The decision to change theme songs was controversial, which was referenced in a couple of episodes; “Monk’s Theme” continued to be used at various points throughout the series. Newman won an additional Emmy for “When I’m Gone,” which was written for the last episode of the series.
We all felt Monk’s pain over the tragic loss of his wife, cheered him on when he’d move a step closer, and felt his grief, when in the end, he discovered that one of his greatest obsessions was actually the clue to solving the crime. But until that point, for 125 episodes, we got to see the “defective detective” at work — here are 25 of the most memorable in our photo gallery celebrating the USA Network’s 20th anniversary.
25. Mr. Monk Stays in Bed (4.3)
Natalie is upset when her pizza delivery man is found dead, but the police put it to the side to investigate the disappearance of a superior court judge. And Monk’s no help, because somehow germs have burst through his OCD cleanliness, and he’s come down with the flu. Natalie sets out on her own to find out what happened to the pizza guy, while Monk is undone by an annoying musical get-well card that Julie gave him. But that card might actually solve both crimes.
24. Mr. Monk Gets a New Shrink (5.7)
Dr. Kroger thinks he’s having a bad day when he shows up to work and Monk and Harold Krenshaw are arguing over who gets the next session, but then they find the cleaning lady murdered and patient files scattered everywhere. Kroger worries that the culprit is a patient he didn’t take seriously, and decides to retire. However, Monk is on the case, determined to find proof that will get Kroger out of retirement, and before long an empty vacuum cleaner bag and a broken figurine lead to another suspect all together. Monk and Kroger end up in a bind together, and it’s up to Harold Krenshaw to save them.
23. Mr. Monk Fights City Hall (7.16)
The parking garage where Trudy was murdered is slated to be demolished and replaced with a city park, but Monk believes that the key to solve her murder is still there and will be lost if the place is destroyed. A sympathetic councilwoman calls for another vote, but turns up missing before the meeting. Harold Krenshaw is on the board opposing Monk, the police need Monk’s help with the case of the councilwoman as well as the murders of two tourists and the councilwoman’s ditzy assistant appears to be Monk’s only hope to get his measure passed. Monk will have to keep his cool to have the vote go his way, and try to get around the distractions to solve the cases.
22. Mr. Monk Is Someone Else (8.4)
Monk goes “Goodfellas” when his hitman doppelgänger, Frankie DePalma, is struck by a car and killed, and the FBI asks the quirky detective to go undercover to figure out why DePalma’s next target was a seemingly innocent older man, and who’s ordered it. Between his phobias and aversions to everything about DePalma’s lifestyle, it’s iffy if Monk can pull off the switch – especially when it looks like he’ll have to carry out the hit to prove himself to the crime boss.
21. Mr. Monk Takes His Medicine (3.9)
Sottlemeyer is shot shortly after a woman seemingly commits suicide nearby. After Monk’s OCD causes a suspect to get away, he finally agrees to try a medication Dr. Kroger has been suggesting. But when it turns Monk into “the Monk,” he becomes not only more obnoxious, but also ineffective as a detective. Monk has to decide if he wants to remain the Hawaiian-shirt-wearing, Mardi-Gras “party animal,” or suit back up to track down the bad guys. This is Schram’s last episode as a series regular; it was also Shalhoub’s winning Emmy submission, and the only episode to receive a nomination for Best Directing.
20. Mr. Monk and the Badge (8.14)
Monk finally gets his badge back and returns to the force where he belongs – or so he thinks. He’s not working with Stottlemeyer, can’t have Natalie with him and things have changed in the years since he’s been gone. In his first few days, a serial killer is caught, a young cop dies of an apparent suicide and there’s a crazy cat lady (Brooke Adams) who keeps calling the police to her apartment. When Monk suspects that the dead cop might have been corrupt, he finds that his suspicions aren’t welcome among his new colleagues, and questions if he made the right choice going back.
19. Mr. Monk’s 100th Case (7.7)
For the 100th episode of the series, Monk’s 100th case is profiled by a TV news magazine hosted by James Novak (Eric McCormack). Everyone gathers to watch the episode that has Monk solving the case of a serial killer, with interviews of those he’s put away, including Hal Tucker (Andy Richter) and Ralph Roberts (Howie Mandel), as well as companions, including his brother Ambrose (John Turturro) and his biggest fan Marci Maven (Sarah Silverman). Monk feels that 100 is a nice, round number to retire on; however, while viewing the program, Monk spots clues that reveal one victim was killed by someone other than the serial killer – making that case 101.
18. Mr. Monk Takes a Vacation (1.10)
In a take on “Rear Window,” Sharona’s son Benjy claims he witnessed a murder at the resort where the trio is vacationing. But there’s no body and “it was the cleanest room (Monk) has ever seen,” so no one believes him – except Monk and the kooky, inexperienced hotel security chief. With very few clues, the hotel manager concerned about bad publicity and Sharona just wanting to relax, it looks like the oddball trio of Monk, Benjy and the hotel detective might not figure it out before their stay is up. Monk needs just one clue to uncover the culprit. . . or, culprits, maybe?
17. Mr. Monk Goes Home Again (4.2)
It’s Halloween, and a series of bizarre incidents has Monk baffled. An armored car driver is shot to death with his own gun but no money is taken, and Ambrose has informed Monk that their father is finally returning home. Things get even crazier when a rogue Frankenstein starts stealing certain candy bars from other trick-or-treaters, and even attacks Ambrose to get his supply. It’s up to Monk to discover what’s so special about those candy bars – and what it has to do with the earlier murder.
16. Mr. Monk Is at Your Service (5.12)
While Monk is feeling out-of-sorts by a hiring freeze at the police department, Natalie convinces him to investigate the deaths of her parents’ (Holland Taylor and Michael Cavanaugh) neighbors, which had been ruled accidental. Natalie thinks the deaths are suspicious because she has always been creeped out by the couple’s son Paul (Sean Astin), so Monk goes undercover as his butler to investigate. But, as usual, Monk goes overboard, and decides he might be an even better butler than detective.
15. Mr. Monk and the Airplane (1.13)
Sharona tricks Monk into accompanying her on a plane; of course, Monk stumbles across a man and his mistress murdering his wife before getting on the plane. Besides all the opportunities for Monk to irritate a plane-full of people (on his first flight, nonetheless), there are some great guest appearances in the first season finale. Shalhoub’s real-life wife Brooke Adams portrays the seasoned stewardess who has handled every kind of stressful situation and “extra” passenger – but Monk drives her to the point of yanking his call button out. Shalhoub’s “Wings” costar Tim Daly plays himself, with Monk asking Sharona about that sitcom, “Never saw it. Was it good?” And Schram’s fellow “A League of Their Own” alum Garry Marshall appears as their seat-mate, a talkative extension cord salesman fascinated by Monk’s detective skills. This was Shaloub’s episode submission for his first Lead Actor Emmy win for this series.
14. Happy Birthday, Mr. Monk (8.9)
How does one surprise the greatest detective in the world? It won’t be easy, but Natalie is determined to throw Monk the ultimate surprise 50th birthday party, while Monk is aiding the investigations of a janitor and a businessman who each died under mysterious circ*mstances. And the two might have a connection to Monk’s favorite new toy – a vacuum cleaner the businessman was promoting, but the inventor doesn’t seem to understand as well as he should.
13. Mr. Monk Gets Cabin Fever (3.12)
After he witnesses a gang murder, Monk is sequestered in a remote cabin as part of the Witness Protection Program. Accompanied by an FBI agent, Natalie and Stottlemeyer, Monk not only fails at keeping a low profile, but actually stumbles across another murder. Meanwhile, Randy stays behind to entertain a new girlfriend, who entertains him with fortune cookies that are suspiciously quite accurate. It all comes to a boil in a “here’s what happened” scenario between Monk and Randy.
12. Mr. Monk and the Employee of the Month (3.7)
When it looks like popular worker and perpetual employee of the month Edna dies in a freak accident, head of security Joe (Enrico Colantoni) suspects foul play. However, Joe is Monk’s former partner who was fired from the force under allegations that he denies, and neither the police nor Monk want to heed his suspicions. But Monk is nonetheless convinced something is off and goes undercover as an employee to figure out who’d want to do away with the seemingly well-liked employee, and why – and in the process, finds clues that his old partner might be telling the truth after all.
11. Mr. Monk and the Actor (5.1)
Monk has become famous, and a TV movie is in the works. Method actor David Ruskin (Stanley Tucci) is set to play the detective, and follows Monk around as he investigates the deaths of a woman and a pawnshop owner, which at first seem unrelated. As Monk links the two cases to an affair gone badly, Ruskin finds it’s not easy being Monk. Tucci won an Emmy for Best Guest Actor.
10. Mr. Monk and the Candidate (1.1)
It’s the movie that started it all. When the bodyguard of a mayoral candidate is shot and killed during a campaign rally, Stottlemeyer is forced by the mayor to bring in Monk to consult, and thus begins an hilarious partnership between the SFPD captain and the obsessive-compulsive detective. We learn all we need to know in this episode: during the funeral, Monk drops his keys in the casket and has to devise a way to retrieve them; and even when being chased down by a car, Monk has touch and count the poles as he runs away – prompting Sharona to ask him, “were you touching poles again?”
9. Mr. Monk and Sharona (8.10)
Monk’s past and present collide when Sharona comes to town to receive a payday after her uncle was killed in a fall at a golf course. However, to Sharona’s dismay, Monk suspects foul play – which will foul up Sharona’s payout. And, to Monk’s dismay, Sharona and Natalie work together to help Monk, but their differing styles and story-trading about their quirky boss threaten to foul up Monk’s detecting processes.
8. Mr. Monk Bumps His Head (4.11)
Monk is conned, robbed and knocked unconscious by a man claiming to have information on Trudy’s murder; the man dumps him in a truck headed out of town. When Monk wakes up, he’s in a small Wyoming town with amnesia and the town crazy lady Cora (Laurie Metcalf) claiming to be his wife. While Natalie and Stottlemeyer investigate Monk’s disappearance, Monk investigates the mysterious disappearance of a local waitress – despite his “wife’s” objections. Metcalf was Emmy-nominated for Best Guest Appearance; Shalhoub won his third Best Actor Emmy with this episode submission.
7. Mr. Monk and the Kid (3.16)
When two-year-old Tommy finds a severed finger in the park, it’s up to Monk to found out who the finger belongs to. Surprisingly, Monk takes to the child and offers to foster him temporarily. Despite barely being able to take care of himself, Monk and his newfound friend form a sweet bond, with the “here’s what happened” segment told by Monk to Tommy as a bedtime story, including childlike illustrations as the visuals. One of the most tender episodes, it’s also one of the very few in which no one dies.
6. Mr. Monk Is on the Run Parts I&II (6.15/6.16)
In this two-part Season-Six finale, there is irrefutable evidence that Monk shot and killed a six-finger man he believed killed Trudy. He escapes custody, and with Stottlemeyer’s help, is presumed dead while he tries to solve the impossible mystery of how the man was shot with Monk’s gun while Monk was holding the gun – and how the arresting sheriff (Scott Glenn), Dale the Whale (Ray Porter in this episode) and the lieutenant governor all play into the wild setup.
5. Mr. Monk Gets Jury Duty (4.16)
Instead of “12 Angry Men,” it’s “11 Angry Jurors and .. . Monk” when the quirky detective receives jury duty, and predictably goes against the otherwise unanimous guilty verdict. Meanwhile, Stottlemeyer and Disher have captured one of the FBI’s most wanted; after being belittled by an FBI agent, they are determined to make sure he doesn’t escape. After Monk’s observations from the courthouse window lead to the discovery of an elderly woman’s body, the three cases collide in a way that only Monk can sort out.
4. Mr. Monk and the Three Pies (2.11)
While Monk is investigating an older lady’s carjacking gone wrong, his estranged brother Ambrose (John Turturro) contacts him because he thinks his neighbor killed his wife. Monk is bitter that the agoraphobic Ambrose never reached out to him after Trudy’s death, but at Sharona’s urging, he reluctantly helps his brother with the case that ends up connecting the carjacking with Ambrose’s neighbor and with some sought-after apple pies at a local fair, as well as reconnecting the two Monk brothers after Ambrose reveals why he stayed away after Trudy’s death. Longtime friends Shalhoub and Turturro have incredible chemistry as the neurotic brothers with daddy issues, with the latter taking home the Emmy for Best Guest Actor for the episode.
3. Mr. Monk Is Up All Night (6.9)
Monk bumps into a woman on the street, and is sure he knows her from somewhere, but can’t figure out where. Obsessing over it leads to insomnia; when he ventures out into the night for a walk to clear his head, he stumbles across an apparent murder. However, when the police are called in, the “crime scene” is clean, with no evidence that someone was shot to death. However, in his pursuit to find the mystery woman, Monk continues to find evidence that something shady happened, while also running into various characters throughout the night and disturbing everyone else’s sleep, too.
2. Mr. Monk and the Garbage Strike (5.2)
The sanitation workers are striking, and negotiations grind to a halt when the head of the union is found dead of an apparent suicide. Although garbage is piling up and the stench is getting to him, Monk finds evidence of foul play in the man’s death. Desperate to get the workers back on the job and the streets clean again, Monk makes accusations against everyone from the mayor to Alice Cooper. It’s the first time he’s wrong, and it’s anyone’s guess if he’ll overcome his garbage phobia and crack the case.
1. Mr. Monk and the End Parts I&II (8.15/8.16)
Monk is poisoned after a case he was investigating the day Trudy died and a present day killing are linked. While Stottlemeyer races to find an antidote to the poison, Monk is resigned to his fate and decides to finally open the Christmas present Trudy had left for him all those years ago. In it, he finds a videotape his wife had made in case something happened to her, and Monk realizes that all the answers he had been looking for had been sealed in the box he refused to open. Trudy’s mystery is finally solved, Monk is saved, Stottlemeyer is happily married, Natalie is dating a friend of her husband’s and Randy is finally finding a happy-ever-after with Sharona. And Monk finds a joy in something unexpected that Trudy left behind.
