#591965
Having rewatched a classic fan favorite anthology series with two characters that lasted five seasons and a more modern but less watched one season highly serialized series with a decently large main cast and a sprawling set of recurring characters, I’m going to split the difference.
Monk debuted on USA in 2002 when the network was still getting off the ground. They had some success with other shows, including continuations, but nothing that was really their own lasting more than three or four seasons.
The series would be headlined by star of stage and screen Tony Shalhoub. As Adrian Monk, he was a former policeman deeply affected by obsessive compulsive disorder. Bitty Schram was Sharona, his nurse/assistant. Ted Levine is supporting as Captain Leland Stottlemeyer while Jason Gray-Stanford is Lieutenant Randy Disher in the San Francisco Police Department. Whenever a crime happens that they are unable to solve, Monk is only a phone call away.
One of the main elements of each episode was how the crime was revealed to us. Generally, Monk would say “Here’s what happened” and we would get a flashback to what happened under Monk’s narration. This would become a calling card of the series.
Lasting a total of eight (albeit shortened) seasons, Monk would usher in a new wave of programming for the network such as The Dead Zone, crated by Michael and Shawn Piller and Psych, another series with an interesting twist on the detective plot. One could even see how this led to other networks developing content of their own.
So we’ll rewatch Monk. You can expect the following sections as appropriate:
We’ll Need Some Help: An episode summary.
This Week’s Compulsion: Issues Adrian Monk has on display.
White Courtesy Phone: Assistance offered by Monk’s assistant.
Captain Moustache: The trials of Captain Leland Stottlemeyer
Dishing it Out: Randy Disher’s tribulations for the week.
Let’s Talk it Out: Discussions with Dr. Kroger, Monk’s psychologist
The Innocence of Youth: Observations by the youngest member of the recurring cast.
It Recurs to Me: Fun facts of recurring characters
Let’s Up the Rating: Sexy bits
Here’s What Happened: Interesting things that occur in this feature.
One More Time: A quote from the episode.
Dear Genre: A guest star who is familiar to your humble rewatcher.
The Rainbow Treknection: Someone from the episode who is from the hallowed halls of Trek.
Trivial Matters: Other fun things that don't fit into any other category.
It’s a Jungle Out There: A review.
We’ll start next week with Mr. Monk and the Candidate.
Monk debuted on USA in 2002 when the network was still getting off the ground. They had some success with other shows, including continuations, but nothing that was really their own lasting more than three or four seasons.
The series would be headlined by star of stage and screen Tony Shalhoub. As Adrian Monk, he was a former policeman deeply affected by obsessive compulsive disorder. Bitty Schram was Sharona, his nurse/assistant. Ted Levine is supporting as Captain Leland Stottlemeyer while Jason Gray-Stanford is Lieutenant Randy Disher in the San Francisco Police Department. Whenever a crime happens that they are unable to solve, Monk is only a phone call away.
One of the main elements of each episode was how the crime was revealed to us. Generally, Monk would say “Here’s what happened” and we would get a flashback to what happened under Monk’s narration. This would become a calling card of the series.
Lasting a total of eight (albeit shortened) seasons, Monk would usher in a new wave of programming for the network such as The Dead Zone, crated by Michael and Shawn Piller and Psych, another series with an interesting twist on the detective plot. One could even see how this led to other networks developing content of their own.
So we’ll rewatch Monk. You can expect the following sections as appropriate:
We’ll Need Some Help: An episode summary.
This Week’s Compulsion: Issues Adrian Monk has on display.
White Courtesy Phone: Assistance offered by Monk’s assistant.
Captain Moustache: The trials of Captain Leland Stottlemeyer
Dishing it Out: Randy Disher’s tribulations for the week.
Let’s Talk it Out: Discussions with Dr. Kroger, Monk’s psychologist
The Innocence of Youth: Observations by the youngest member of the recurring cast.
It Recurs to Me: Fun facts of recurring characters
Let’s Up the Rating: Sexy bits
Here’s What Happened: Interesting things that occur in this feature.
One More Time: A quote from the episode.
Dear Genre: A guest star who is familiar to your humble rewatcher.
The Rainbow Treknection: Someone from the episode who is from the hallowed halls of Trek.
Trivial Matters: Other fun things that don't fit into any other category.
It’s a Jungle Out There: A review.
We’ll start next week with Mr. Monk and the Candidate.