It's been a gift ... and a curse. But the brilliant, obsessive-compulsive detective known as Mr. Monk will be solving his last crime at the end of the eighth season next summer. With ratings still high on the USA Network, he's going out at the top of his game.Monk is one of those shows that struck a chord with viewers, because we saw a little of ourselves in the phobic detective played brilliantly by Tony Shalhoub. Ok, so maybe we don't all iron our shoelaces and avoid doorknobs like ... well, like the plague. But like Monk, we've all got issues.
And like Monk, some of us have trouble getting out of our own way. For him, that meant losing his detective job with the San Francisco Police Department.
His list of phobias is impressive: snakes, crowds, heights, milk, germs, you name it. But he was so good at his job that his former boss still called on him to solve the tough cases.
And if only we all had someone like Natalie Teeger and her daughter to do all the dirty work, humor our neuroses, and keep us from going over the edge.
With his starched shirts and antibacterial wipes, Monk has been the anti-Columbo of the new millennium, and a great antidote to all the CSI-type shows crowding the airwaves. I'll miss you, Mr. Monk!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-15-2008 @ 2:28PM
robert said...
It's a shame. Monk was a perfect lead in to Psych. No more quirky detective combo.
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11-15-2008 @ 2:35PM
Parl said...
Whaaat? So sad. Monk is one of those great family shows you can watch with your whole family no matter their age or sensitivities. I know that everyone in my family loved it, even my dad who never watches TV. I'll miss it for sure. Sure, it was formulaic but it never lost its charm. I hope they wrap up the Trudy storyline.
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11-15-2008 @ 3:34PM
Modwild said...
They have promised to wrap up the Trudy storyline. I hope they also let him find some other peace in life. A relationship, a job. Maybe in wrapping up Trudy's death he will be a little more at ease. I'll miss Monk...but I will also look forward to what they create to replace it. They have been doing damn good in the series creation business...so I'll have hope!
Monk is a character that could very easily come back in two hour movies once in a while if Tony Shaloub would be interested.
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11-15-2008 @ 3:40PM
Midnight13 said...
Monk is still such a silly and fun show. Sure it may be a bit long in the tooth but its always enjoyable to watch. Mostly for the flawless peformance of Tony Shaloub, who always walked that fine line between making Monk seem like a complete fool we laugh at, to the totured man Monk really is. 95% of the time we laugh at his phobias, but then we'll get a moment, usually just briefly, where we see Monk as man still lost in grief, and we understand him a little bit more. I certainly hope that in the end they give the character and the show a fitting end. Having Monk solve Trudy's murder would be great, but the sadness within him still lingers because she's not there. Keep the sweetness we all love, but also keep that layer of sadness and loss which make Monk more then just a charactiture.
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11-15-2008 @ 3:59PM
Adam said...
Man. Well, my Saturday was just ruined!!
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11-15-2008 @ 4:25PM
Anita said...
Hmm, I'm kind of happy. I loved the first 3 seasons of Monk with Sharona, but recently eps have slightly veered away from the meticulous investigation of yore. Plus, I was hoping they would've solved the Trudy murder earlier -
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11-15-2008 @ 5:34PM
Ian said...
Tony S has to be a much sought after actor for a new series. So what's the inside scoop? First a qwerky immigrant taxis driver on Wings and then a qwerky detective...What will be next?
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11-15-2008 @ 6:25PM
Scott said...
Monk has become one of my all time favorite shows the last few years. I'll really miss Monk, but as some others noted, they've come up with several great shows recently. My other newer faves are Psych, Burn Notice, and In Plain Sight. Good luck Monk-ees, we'll be watching for you in TV and movies.
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11-15-2008 @ 7:40PM
Debbie said...
Damn, first Boston Legal and now Monk. All of the intelligent, well written, entertaining shows are disappearing. I already gave up sitcoms, now it looks like another genre has bitten the dust for me. I think I'll go read a good book.
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11-16-2008 @ 3:19AM
Lee Goldberg said...
The series of original MONK mystery novels will continue for at least another year after the end of the TV series (if my contract is any indication!). I am currently writing the book that will come out next summer.
The latest Monk novel, MR. MONK IS MISERABLE, comes out in hardcover in bookstores nationwide on Dec. 2.
Lee
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11-16-2008 @ 3:31AM
Jane Boursaw said...
Cool, Lee! Thanks for the note. And it sounds like the next one will make a great Christmas present. :-)
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11-16-2008 @ 1:32PM
Lisa said...
I hate to hear that they are ending Monk. But happy to hear that they are doing so on a high note and will be solving the Trudy murder or at least wrapping it up. That will be nice. I'd like to see Monk find some peace.
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11-16-2008 @ 5:59PM
Target Lockon Stratos said...
What's next? A Monk video game in the vein of Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney?
I actually wouldn't mind seeing a few more tv movies. But I guess I have to deal with the fact that the series won't be as long as Murder She Wrote or Matlock!
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11-16-2008 @ 11:05PM
kkotlows said...
So according to the linked article, the show will have 16 episodes for it's eighth season, which BEGINS next summer.
They usually run half of the episodes in the summer and the other half starting the following January. That means that the show probably won't finish until around March, 2010.
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