Customer Reviews

Monk

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sherlock Holmes, Columbo, Hercule Poirot -- genius detectives are usually a bit quirky. But no other is as quirky as Adrian Monk, the obsessive-compulsive detective -- and "Monk: Complete Series " compiles every episode of this funny, likable little mystery series. Tony Shalhoub shines as title character, solving the case with his gift/curse and his willingness to go anywhere... that doesn't have germs.

Adrian Monk's wife Trudy was killed in a car-bombing, and the devastated detective fell apart completely. Years later, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is partially recovered, but he still is obsessive-compulsive and has dozens of phobias. The only way he manages is with his assistant Sharona (Bitty Schram) -- and later her successor Natalie (Traylor Howard) -- babysitting him.

Courtesy of his friend Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine), Monk is called in for dozens of bizarre, baffling cases. His excellent memory and his OCD ("It's a gift.... and a curse") allow him to see patterns and details where other people see nothing.

Among Monk's cases are going undercover at a prison, a killer dentist, a deadly Christmas gift, an elephant used as a lethal weapon, a billionaire mugger, saving Willie Nelson from a murder rap, trapping a black widow, the death of a 115-year-old man, the Mafia, garbage strikes, rock concerts, a cult, real estate, a murder on a sub, a voodoo curse, UFO sightings, martial-artists, murdered models, and a guy who leaped out of a plane -- and died by drowning.

But as quirky and bizarre as the cases is, it never stops hitting the heartstrings. Monk becomes attached to a little boy and a murder victim's dog, and it's a credit to this show's writers that the ending of those episodes aren't maudlin or sappy. And he is still passionately devoted to his dead wife, and his quest for her killer is a story that stretches across the whole series.

"Monk" is the sort of show that usually gets cancelled after five episodes -- it's well-written, amusing, and smart. So by TV standards, lasting eight seasons is nothing short of miraculous. Like any long-running show it has its duds ("Mr. Monk Takes His Medicine" always makes me cringe), but overall it's a brilliant series.

There are gunfights and SWAT teams, like on any cop show, but the main focus here is on detecting. And the writers are skilled at coming up with all sorts of bizarre or unsolvable crimes, which only Monk could unravel. Not to mention the dialogue, which leans heavily on dry humour ("So you're saying the opposite of a spider is a tall building?")

But the series wouldn't be what it is without Tony Shalhoub. He played weird roles in movies like MIB and "Galaxy Quest," and so he knows how to balance out Monk's weirdness and genius without leaning too heavily on either. When told to sit on the ground, he says nervously, "I can't. Animals do things on the ground. Terrible, terrible things."

Schram and Howard are both good as his assistants, and they're similar without being TOO alike -- one was a hardened New York gal, and the other is a rebel rich girl with a checkered employment past. And Levine and Jason Gray-Stanford round off the cast as genial cop Stottlemeyer and his earnest (if slightly goofy) sidekick Disher.

"Monk: The Complete Series" shows us all of this excellent show, with its uniquely appealing hero. It's a gift... and a curse.

I just watched Monk from start to finish, 8 seasons, one season a week for the past 8 weeks. It has to be the best -- or one of the very best -- TV shows ever produced, IMO. Terrific acting, great humor bordering on slapstick sometimes, good drama, fantastic character development. Tony Shalhoub is simply outstanding. Not to be missed.

The complete box set is a necessary purchase for every Monk fan who wants to laugh over and over again. The only negative I have found with my purchase is that the first season's bonus footage has defective audio.

Had this show been on one of the broadcast networks, it would never have shined so bright... cancellation would have been inevitable.

Monk is one of the few shows that succeeded in having both an ongoing back story along with a primary story for each episode. The writing was superb and the number of episodes per season just right (16 per year except for the 12 in season one). I remember when every series on TV used to crank out 20-26 episodes per year, meaning at least 10 of them were clunkers. There are very few clunkers in this series, just a lot of good old fashioned crime solving by one of TV's greatest detectives.

Because of its home on cable television, Monk's writers had the luxury of telling their ENTIRE story all the way through. The build up to - and finally reaching - the amazing 2-part finale makes this one of the best television series of all time.

I watched all the episodes up until the end, then viewed the 2-part finale with total amazement while laughing and crying.

Oh, and Sharona shows up again in Season 8 for an episode too... Sharona, Monk, and Natalie together trying to solve a crime is something that might not have happened on any other show.

Wonderful, wonderful... I am proud to add this series to my collection. It's good old fashioned entertainment for the whole, detective-loving family!

I really enjoyed this show because it is pretty funny. It also has good endings on how they did the crime. It makes you think throughout the whole episode. But Monk I can relate to because I have OCD as well. I need to have the exact number of boxers to my t-shirts, etc. I have to clean everything. It is really annoying and wares me out. But Monk is pretty funny.

I am very please with the set. I am so glad that it comes with English subtitle.
The subtitle is an important feature when buying the DVD, so, for the producers, please include the
English subtitle in the future if u want a market share from Asian.

I am such a huge fan of Monk.. even though, I have it available for free on Netflix.. I had to buy this series.. Its great packaging.. and as a real fan, I could not pass this up. I only wish they would continue this series again :)

I never saw this show while it was on t.v., but a neighbor of mine loaned me this set and I became ADDICTED. It is one of the best shows I've seen, all the actors are perfectly cast, the writing is hilarious-- Just a great show. I was sad when I reached the end of the series!

This is an excellent set of one of the best detective shows ever. The only thing that is keeping me from giving it 5 stars was the fact that the episode guide did not come with the set. Other than that this set is worth the money.

The Complete Series of MONK was everything I expected it to be them some. The individual clips is an added extra that gives input on the personalities of the staff members. I would recommend this to whom ever likes the TV series.