Product Details

• Actors: Jason Gray-Stanford, Ted Levine
• Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: November 17, 2009
• Run Time: 360 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002NTDXS2
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #18,396 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Primetime Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award winner Tony Shalhoub is Monk, the quirky but brilliant private detective who compulsively works to keep the streets free of crime– and litter. This two-disc set includes an episode from each of the show’s eight seasons, all selected by the series’ award-winning creator, Andy Breckman. On the case with Monk are regulars Bitty Schram, Ted Levine, Jason Gray-Stanford and Traylor Howard, and obsessively great guest stars, including John Turturro (Tranformers), Laurie Metcalf (Desperate Housewives), Daniel Stern (The Wonder Years) and­ Michael Badalucco (The Practice). Exclusive bonus material features the all-new extended cut of Little Monk, a charming and hilarious look at our hero’s childhood that stars Aaron Linker and Christopher Fernandez. Funny, irreverent and always original, this must-own collection is the very best of the unforgettable show.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Even Selection of Eight Episodes, November 17, 2009

By	Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This little two disc set is fun for the casual Monk fan. Of course, can there really be such a thing when you are talking about the obsessive compulsive detective?

The two disc contain one episode a season from the hit show. That's right, they've include one from the about the conclude eighth season. These aren't necessarily the most important, but they are the ones that were chosen as the best.

The episodes include "Mr. Monk and the Candidate," "Mr. Monk and the Three Pies," "Mr. Monk Takes His Medicine," "Mr. Monk Bumps His Head," "Mr. Monk and the Leper," "Mr. Monk is Up all Night," "Mr. Monk and the Miracle," and "Mr. Monk and the UFO."

Frankly, I can see how this would be an almost impossible choice. I'm sure everyone has their favorites. It does make sense to start off with the two part pilot, which sets things up. And "Three Pies" is one of my favorites. On the other hand, "Up all Night" is one of my least favorites. Why was it included here?

Still, if you want a taste of this quirky mystery comedy in your collection, you will be satisfied. Some of these cases are downright confusing, which is saying something for a show known for light mysteries. "UFO" in particular had me confused the entire way through. There are some great laughs here as Monk has to deal with the outside world. And the acting and character interactions are always top notch.

I doubt you could please all the fans of this show with only eight episodes. Still, I would choose something different if it were up to me. Guess that makes it a good thing I can obsessively watch my complete season sets.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Impossible to satisfy everyone, November 29, 2009

By	1clickwebtrader - See all my reviews

I recommend this DVD as it would have been impossible for the producers of "The Best of Monk" to satisfy everyone with their choices. However, even though there are some good episodes on this DVD I'm still surprised by the ones that were excluded. Some of the Monk episodes that should have been included by season order are:

"Mr. Monk Meets Dale the Whale" (Season 1, Ep. 4)
"Mr. Monk Gets Stuck in Traffic" (Season 3, Ep. 13)
"Mr. Monk Goes Home Again" (Season 4, Ep. 2)
"Mr. Monk and the Astronaut" (Season 4, Ep. 14)
"Mr. Monk Is on the Air" (Season 5. Ep. 13
"Mr. Monk and the Rapper" (Season 6, Ep. 2) or "Mr. Monk and the Bad Girlfriend" (Season 6, Ep. 4) and
"Mr. Monk and the Magician" (Season 7, Ep. 15).

I'm okay with the fact that they included "Mr. Monk and the Candidate (Season 1, Ep. 1) and "Mr. Monk and the Leper" (Season 5, Ep. 10). Those episodes were pretty epic and they shouldn't be missed. However, I do think the producers excluded some pretty good episodes, the majority of which were originally aired during the fourth and sixth seasons including: "Mr. Monk and His Biggest Fan" and "Mr. Monk and the Daredevil" but you can't have it all so they did an alright job. I also think that they should have included "Mr. Monk vs. the Cobra" so maybe they should have selected the 15 best episodes or 20 best episodes instead of limiting it to only 8. That's not enough for them to accurately selected the best fan favorite Monk episodes but still this DVD is enjoyable, so I recommend it regardless.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars How About the Season 8 Finale???, December 13, 2009

By	Toby Martin II "rchowe" (Erskine, Minnesota United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)

The concept of having the "best" episodes on one DVD is a good idea, but I think that such a recap of this great series should have been delayed just long enough to include the two-part finale of Season 8 (not unlike the wrap up of "The Fugitive" from the '60s, which brings to a conclusion the protagonist's long and difficult search for the guilty one-armed murderer). So... how about an updated version of the "Best of Monk" which includes this dramatic and heartrending two-part climax?