Friday night was the last we’ll spend with Monk, USA Network’s lovable drama/mystery/comedy that combined the best elements of television’s storied past and poured them together with a heaping of heart. Forgive the hyperbole – Monk may have saved television.
While network TV went head first into the worst, be it so-called reality TV or the ambiguously politically correct drama of the day, USA Network took a refreshing approach, going back to the scripted drama with an emphasis on the breezy. What was once dated becomes fresh again and is soon a welcome breath of fresh air. Monk turned the detective show of the day on its head. You have expensive suits? Monk lives on a budget. You have cool, cocky and smug? We have none of those things. Law and Order brought the impersonal, Monk was always personable be it against every grain in his obsessively-compulsive body. It was a concept that turned the detective show on its head. Brought to life by an Tony Shalhoub, who seemed as charmed by his character as we were.
The great moments were many. My favorite – watching Jon Favereu and Brooke Langton going all Marathon Man on Monk, only to have him beg for them to wash their hands. The bail hearing, which Monk insisted on $1 million because it was an even number. John Turturro as the long-lost brother or Shalhoub and Stanley Tucci collapsing in a heap in the middle of the car dealership. How about the mighty Ted Levine? Eight years go by fast.
USA Network brought me back to scripted television kicking and screaming. First it was a random Burn Notice marathon on a Saturday morning, next it was Thursdays from 10 to 11. Finally it was Monk and Psych and a network that understand its audience, caters to them even (how unartistic), and delivers. The good will has paid off.
And it wasn’t possible without Monk, which started it all. USA is now a ratings monster (airings of Burn Notice regularly outdo the major networks) and Monk hit 9.2 million viewers to set a cable record for its last show. Monk would have hoped it was 10 million.
Loved that show. Always will.
Alas, I lost it when I lost cable, but it was a great show. On a personal level, I (and I’m not joking) appreciated the sympathetic portrayal of a character with a personality disorder.
Well said JFN. It was one of my favorites, and I always loved the subtle touches, both in characterizations and plot development. (Did you notice how, once Trudy’s killer is dispatched, he put on a different shirt?) Monk was, in a way, as self-centered as person could be, but he would exhibit courage and selflessness when it was needed most.
Many differences between Monk and Columbo of course, but the common threads – quirky brilliance, misleadingly unassuming personas and wit – run through both.
Without Monk, no PSYCH, no BURN NOTICE.
I’m gonna’ pull a “Rufus” here and admit that despite this show running for approximately eleven million years, and being insanely popular and raved about by pretty much all vertebrates, and all my friends in addition, I’ve never seen it.
I’ve tried watching it on occasion – certainly the premise sounded good, and I like Tony Shalhoub – but I just tended to drift off or fall asleep or wander off to play guitar and write songs or whatever. Ultimately I blame this on the absence of any ray guns, aliens, or space ships in the show.
I’m shallow like that.
I hope this doesn’t turn “pulling a rufus” into an internet euphemism for a lurid activity.
Best moment of the show was when there was a garbage strike and Monk was going crazier than normal. He cooked up a theory and tried to have Alice Cooper convicted of the murder. Alice guest starred of course.
tu est tros cool monk i love you