Fresh New TV Series - Comes to DVD

Monk starring Tony Shalhoub is about an OCD, private eye whose ability to solve crimes through his attention to detail makes him an asset to the San Francisco police department. Adrian Monk is a former police detective who after his wife’s murder is plunged into intense OCD and is forced to retire from the police force. Monk is always haunted by the fact that his wife’s murder is the only crime he can’t seem to solve. Every episode puts Monk on a crime scene of a murder that seems unsolvable, but Monk’s ability to bring alive a “cold” crime scene is the reason the police force continues to bring him in. Though I have painted the show solely as a murder mystery type it also spends a lot of time on Monk’s phobias and intricacies, which usually provide plenty of laughs for the audience.

Monk has a stellar cast. Tony Shalhoub plays Adrian Monk, he has been recognized as the Best Male Actor in a television Series – Comedy or Musical for the past 2 years he has also won a few SAG awards. The show has won a few Golden Globes along the lines of Best New Series – Comedy or Musical. The other staring actors in the show are Bitty Schram as Sharon Fleming, a New Jersey single mom who is officially Monk’s full-time nurse, but always ends up playing as USA network describes, “an unlikely but effective Dr. Watson to his Sherlock Holmes.” Bitty does a wonderful job at her role, and more often then not has some of the funniest lines on the show. Another star of the show is Captain Leeland Stottlemeyer of the San Francisco police department. He is an old friend of Monk’s from Monk’s days on the force; it is because of Captain Stottlemeyer that Monk is brought in. Captain Stottlemeyer is often a clear and knowledgeable head in a sea of ‘characters.’ His getting fed up with Monk’s condition is a point highly played off of in the show and is always very funny, but the Captain is also always there to admit that Monk is the best. Captain Stottlemeyer is played by Ted Levine who plays the role perfectly and whose unique voice will quickly grow on you. The final star of the show is Lieutenant Randall Disher, he is the Captain’s number two man and is always there to provide some laughs. At first he doubts Monk’s abilities but then goes on to love them (and Sharona). The Lieutenant is played by Jason Gray-Stanford whose excellent portrayal of the role and excellent execution of comedic timing and situations will eventually win him a show of his own when Monk finally wraps.

The DVD set contains all 13 episodes of Monk from the first season on 4 discs. It also has a few bonus features on it. The features are documentaries on topics ranging from where Monk comes from, to the actual disorder of OCD. The set also comes with a small package of instant hand sanitizer a funny bonus that pokes fun at Monk’s need for absolute cleanliness.



The actual episodes break up as follows:

On Disc One
Episodes 1 and 2 – Mr. Monk and the Candidate.
Episode 2 – Mr. Monk and the Psychic.
Episode 4 – Mr. Monk Meets Dale the Whale.

On Disc Two
Episode 5 – Mr. Monk Goes to the Carnival.
Episode 6 – Mr. Monk Goes to the Asylum.
Episode 7 – Mr. Monk and the Billionaire.

On Disc Three
Episode 8 – Mr. Monk and the Other Woman.
Episode 9 – Mr. Monk and the Marathon Man.
Episode 10 – Mr. Monk Takes a Vacation.

On Disc Four
Episode 11 – Mr. Monk and the Earthquake.
Episode 12 – Mr. Monk and the Red-Headed Stranger.
Episode 13 Mr. Monk and the Airplane.

The following are descriptions taken from the DVD itself, so as not to spoil any of the mysteries, of each of season one’s first episodes:

Mr. Monk and the Candidate
Monk investigates an assassination attempt on Mayoral Candidate Warren St. Claire, and learns there's more at play than meets the eye.


Mr. Monk and the Psychic
Is there such a thing as sixth sense? When Police Commissioner Harry Ashcombe's wife disappears, her body is mysteriously found by hack "psychic" Dolly Flint. Everyone believes she accomplished the impossible - except for Monk. Is it a miracle... or murder?

Mr. Monk Meets Dale the Whale
When a local judge is found murdered, all the evidence points to one man: an 800-lb reclusive tycoon named Dale Biederbeck, a.k.a. Dale the Whale. But how can a man who hasn't left his bed in eleven years, who can't even fit through his bedroom door, be responsible for the murder?

Mr. Monk Goes to the Carnival
An amusement park ride turns deadly when a cop and a mysterious informant get on a Ferris wheel. When the ride stops, the informant is dead. It looks like an open and shut case... except to Monk.

Mr. Monk Goes to the Asylum
After being discovered in Trudy's old house, Monk is temporarily institutionalized. Once committed, he stumbles upon a decades-old murder. Or is his mind playing tricks on him?

Mr. Monk and the Billionaire
A billionaire computer mogul is shot dead while mugging a couple outside a movie theater. It appears to be a midlife crisis gone horribly wrong - until Monk uncovers the truth.

Mr. Monk and the Other Woman
Monk's dedication to his late wife is tested when he meets a beautiful divorcee who has her sights set on a certain obsessive-compulsive detective. Will a burgeoning romance interfere with a murder investigation? Or is it all part of a larger plan?

Mr. Monk and the Marathon Man
A young woman is found murdered during the citywide marathon. The chief suspect has the perfect alibi - he was running in the race! How is it possible for someone to be in two places at the same time? It's Monk's job to find out.


Mr. Monk Takes a Vacation
Monk, Sharona, and Benjy (Sharona’s son) head off for a week of rest and relaxation, but it's back to work when Benjy witnesses a murder at their beach resort.

Mr. Monk and the Earthquake
When a San Francisco philanthropist dies mysteriously in a minor earthquake, Monk suspects foul play.

Mr. Monk and the Red-Headed Stranger
Country superstar Willie Nelson a cold-blooded murderer? The police think so - but Monk has other ideas.

Mr. Monk and the Airplane
Monk braves the unfriendly skies - and finds murder in the air!

All of the episodes are hilarious, and have a great plot to them as well as having the ongoing story lines of Monk’s search for his wife’s killer and his striving to rejoin the force. I by chance caught the commercial for the season’s premier and it seemed interesting, that is when I got hooked. The rating were so good during the first season that ABC actually would play that Friday’s episode the nest Tuesday, and they had great rating with it also. I watched the whole first season but loved it so much that I had to own it on DVD so that I could feel the mystery and laugh the laughs with Monk, Sharon and the gang over and over again.