The television show Monk will always hold a special place in our hearts because it is the first show that Mr. Handsome and I watched as a couple. Having just married and moved to Nashville, we didn’t have many friends or much of a social calendar, so Adrian Monk became our friend. It may sound a little strange, but if you have watched the show, you understand how endearing of a character Adrian Monk is. The writers do a wonderful job at making you feel like you know him personally.
Tony Shalhoub puts on an incredible performance as Adrian Monk, a brilliant OCD detective in San Francisco, California. Monk suffered severe heartbreak following the death of his wife, Trudy, which amplified his OCD and caused him great difficulty coping with life. He tries to create order in his life by keeping everything perfectly clean and organized, to make up for the complete lack of control he felt when his wife died. I can relate at some level to this because I love an organized home, but I’m proud to say that I’m nowhere near as particular about it as Monk. His extreme eye for detail and order make him an incredible detective because he notices the details no one else thinks are important.
Now this may sound like a serious subject, a police officer dealing with debilitating OCD, but it is actually a comedy. Mr. Monk always seems to get into ridiculous situations that are absolutely hilarious.
There are eight seasons of this show, so if you like it, you will have something to watch for a long time. We own the full series on DVD, but you can also find it on Amazon Prime. A word or warning: when you finish watching the last episode, you will feel like you have lost a friend because you can no longer turn on the TV to see the latest adventure that Mr. Monk has gotten himself into.
Oddly enough, we finished our first run-through of the series the night before we moved out of the first home we lived in together. It was a very emotional episode to begin with, but it became more emotional because of the timing. Coincidentally, we watched the finale of a different TV series the night before Little Buddy was born.
Tony Shalhoub is fantastic in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel but that’s probably not your cup of tea with its “bad” words and all. But if you can bring yourself to overlook the things that most grownups don’t mind, it’s well worth watching Tony there. Amazon Prime.
I was going to write this exact post lol! We love Mrs. Maisel, too.
We watched several episodes of Monk the night before and while we were in the hospital waiting for our youngest to be born. It was a great distraction.
I love that show. Perfect review.
LOVE. THIS. SHOW!!! I rarely cry and that finale got me. Coincidentally, this is also the first show my husband and I watched together as a married couple 10 years ago! I tell everyone to watch this show…..they’ll thank me later 🙂
What a coincidence! What other shows have you enjoyed together?
30 Rock, Parks + Rec, Brooklyn 99, Frasier…….my husband doesn’t like shows/movies that have too many sad elements so we tend to watch more comedies, which we both really enjoy.
Thanks for the recommendations! We like comedies too.
Thanks for the review. It’s nice to hear about family friendly TV shows. Out of curiosity, which show did you finish watching the night before Little Buddy was born?
I believe it was “Royal Pains.”
Monk is a favorite in my house too. You are right it does feel like he becomes a friend.
We love the show Monk! There are a few episodes that are not very tasteful, but we skipped right over those. My husband and I just watched the series last year, I even love how the final episode truly is the final episode whereas many shows just end and have no explication.
I have started watching Monk due to the recommendations on this post. Which episodes are distasteful and should be skipped, please? I don’t watch much current tv because of bad language, excessive sexual content, and gratuitous violence. I watch mostly old movies from the Hays code era, HGTV, and comedies from the 60s and 70s.
Since the show is thirty years old and generally not available, I don’t think many people will be watching it. Also, making fun of OCD for eight seasons gets boring. How about literature? Do you prefer 19th century Americana or are you more into C.M. Yonge
The show ran from 2002-2009 and is available on Amazon. 🙂 It portrays Monk as someone who is very intelligent and does a lot of good by solving crimes that others cannot.
Didn’t it also bring the hidden problem of OCD to light for many?
Yes that’s true, and it helps give an understanding of severe OCD to those who might not be familiar with it.
I am also a Monk fan! It has been several years since I saw the final episode, but I do remember a good bit of it. The writers did a great job of tying up loose ends and giving all the characters something that resembled a happy ending. Actually, my memory may be a little faulty here…. maybe I need to watch this episode soon.
I’m not a Monk fan. Because my brother in laws name is Monk
You forgot to mention the other characters. It’s not just Monk but the development of the the other characters that’s hysterical. You do have to overlook some immorality on Monk but mostly it’s pretty clean. I started watching Monk back when my parents were alive so it’s a happy but a little sad memory but it was fun to later watch it with teen children. We still comment on and quote things from the show…things like the anti-spittle cake and Randy getting in on Captain S’s “Oh Holy Night” singing. LOL