Monk is a comedy mystery series about Detective Adrian Monk, a man tormented by the unsolved murder of his wife. The show aired between 2002 to 2009, with the culmination of a series long arc.
If you didn’t watch Monk, you should not miss out of this wonderful show. One of my favorite mystery series of all time, Monk is a comedy drama that never took itself so seriously that it became boring.
There are many wonderful episodes in the eight season run of the show, and while eight seasons might seem like a lot, the show was still one of the best around in its later years.
Favorite Episodes of Monk
I have a lot of favorite episodes of Monk, but I will try to hold myself back and limit the excessive gushing. In the season 1 episode, Mr. Monk Meets Dale the Whale, we see the first hints of how desperate Monk is to solve the murder of his wife, Trudy. In season 2, Mr. Monk and the Three Pies introduces Monk’s brother Ambrose.
Season 3′s episode Mr. Monk and the Red Herring introduces Natalie, who will become Monk’s new assistant, while explaining away Sharona’s departure. I dislike the episode on so many levels but at the same time, I grew to like Natalie over the later years and so find myself going back to this episode and enjoying their first meeting a lot.
My ultimate favorite episode of Monk has to be Mr. Monk Bumps His Head from season 4. I adore that episode for so many reasons, not the least of which is that it was fun to watch Monk completely out of his element, have no memory of anything, and yet still be so much like himself that he can’t stop himself from solving a crime!
In season 5, my favorite episode is Mr, Monk and the Garbage Strike, while in season 6, I loved Mr. Monk and the Bad Girlfriend, although I do find the episode bittersweet. I liked the captain’s girlfriend.
From season 7, Mr. Monk Falls in Love is an episode that I can’t forget.
I can’t pick just one favorite from season 8. The season was fantastic and produced some excellent episodes. Mr. Monk and the UFO, Mr. Monk Takes the Stand, Mr. Monk and Sharona, Mr. Monk Goes Camping, Mr. Monk and the Badge, and Mr. Monk and the End. All of these episodes are perfect for watching again and again.
Don’t bother buying the seasons individually. You get a much better bargain when you buy the complete series of Monk all in one go. The packaging also keeps your Monk DVDs together. Here’s a link to the Monk Complete Series DVD set at Amazon, or alternatively the NBC Universal store, where you can sometimes get a better price when a sale is on.
Monk Characters
- Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub)
- Sharona Fleming (seasons 1–3) (Bitty Schram)
- Natalie Teeger (seasons 3–8) (Traylor Howard)
- Captain Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine)
- Lt. Randy Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford)
- Dr. Charles Kroger (seasons 1-6) (Stanley Kamel)
- Dr. Bell (seasons 6-8) (Hector Elizando)
Monk Episode Lists
Monk Season 1 Episode List
- Mr. Monk and the Candidate (Part 1)
- Mr. Monk and the Candidate (Part 2)
- Mr. Monk and the Psychic
- Mr. Monk Meets Dale the Whale
- Mr. Monk Goes to the Carnival
- Mr. Monk Goes to the Asylum
- Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger
- Mr. Monk and the Other Woman
- Mr. Monk and the Marathon Man
- Mr. Monk Takes a Vacation
- Mr. Monk and the Earthquake
- Mr. Monk and the Red-Headed Stranger
- Mr. Monk and the Airplane
Monk Season 2 Episode List
- Mr. Monk Goes Back to School
- Mr. Monk Goes to Mexico
- Mr. Monk Goes to the Ballgame
- Mr. Monk Goes to the Circus
- Mr. Monk and the Very, Very Old Man
- Mr. Monk Goes to the Theater
- Mr. Monk and the Sleeping Suspect
- Mr. Monk Meets the Playboy
- Mr. Monk and the 12th Man
- Mr. Monk and the Paperboy
- Mr. Monk and the Three Pies
- Mr. Monk and the TV Star
- Mr. Monk and the Missing Granny
- Mr. Monk and the Captain’s Wife
- Mr. Monk Gets Married
- Mr. Monk Goes to Jail
Monk Season 3 Episode List
- Mr. Monk Takes Manhattan
- Mr. Monk and the Panic Room
- Mr. Monk and the Blackout
- Mr. Monk Gets Fired
- Mr. Monk Meets the Godfather
- Mr. Monk and the Girl Who Cried Wolf
- Mr. Monk and the Employee of the Month
- Mr. Monk and the Game Show
- Mr. Monk Takes His Medicine
- Mr. Monk and the Red Herring
- Mr. Monk vs. the Cobra
- Mr. Monk Gets Cabin Fever
- Mr. Monk Gets Stuck in Traffic
- Mr. Monk Goes to Vegas
- Mr. Monk and the Election
- Mr. Monk and the Kid
Monk Season 4 Episode List
- Mr. Monk and the Other Detective
- Mr. Monk Goes Home Again
- Mr. Monk Stays in Bed
- Mr. Monk Goes to the Office
- Mr. Monk Gets Drunk
- Mr. Monk and Mrs. Monk
- Mr. Monk Goes to a Wedding
- Mr. Monk and Little Monk
- Mr. Monk and the Secret Santa
- Mr. Monk Goes to a Fashion Show
- Mr. Monk Bumps His Head
- Mr. Monk and the Captain’s Marriage
- Mr. Monk and the Big Reward
- Mr. Monk and the Astronaut
- Mr. Monk Goes to the Dentist
- Mr. Monk Gets Jury Duty
Monk Season 5 Episode List
- Mr. Monk and the Actor
- Mr. Monk and the Garbage Strike
- Mr. Monk and the Big Game
- Mr. Monk Can’t See a Thing (Based on the Monk Novel “Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse” by Lee Goldberg)
- Mr. Monk, Private Eye
- Mr. Monk and the Class Reunion
- Mr. Monk Gets a New Shrink
- Mr. Monk Goes to a Rock Concert
- Mr. Monk Meets His Dad
- Mr. Monk and the Leper
- Mr. Monk Makes a Friend
- Mr. Monk Is At Your Service
- Mr. Monk Is On the Air
- Mr. Monk Visits a Farm
- Mr. Monk and the Really, Really Dead Guy
- Mr. Monk Goes to the Hospital
Monk Season 6 Episode List
- Mr. Monk and His Biggest Fan
- Mr. Monk and the Rapper
- Mr. Monk and the Naked Man
- Mr. Monk and the Bad Girlfriend
- Mr. Monk and the Birds and the Bees
- Mr. Monk and the Buried Treasure
- Mr. Monk and the Daredevil
- Mr. Monk and the Wrong Man
- Mr. Monk Is Up All Night
- Mr. Monk and the Man Who Shot Santa Claus
- Mr. Monk Joins a Cult
- Mr. Monk Goes to the Bank
- Mr. Monk and the Three Julies
- Mr. Monk Paints His Masterpiece
- Mr. Monk Is On the Run (Part 1)
- Mr. Monk Is On the Run (Part 2)
Monk Season 7 Episode List
- Mr. Monk Buys a House
- Mr. Monk and the Genius
- Mr. Monk Gets Lotto Fever
- Mr. Monk Takes a Punch
- Mr. Monk Is Underwater
- Mr. Monk Falls in Love
- Mr. Monk’s 100th Case
- Mr. Monk Gets Hypnotized
- Mr. Monk and the Miracle
- Mr. Monk’s Other Brother
- Mr. Monk on Wheels
- Mr. Monk and the Lady Next Door
- Mr. Monk Makes the Playoffs
- Mr. Monk and the Bully
- Mr. Monk and the Magician
- Mr. Monk Fights City Hall
Monk Season 8 Episode List
- Mr. Monk’s Favorite Show
- Mr. Monk and the Foreign Man
- Mr. Monk and the UFO
- Mr. Monk Is Someone Else
- Mr. Monk Takes the Stand
- Mr. Monk and the Critic
- Mr. Monk and the Voodoo Curse
- Mr. Monk Goes to Group Therapy
- Happy Birthday, Mr. Monk
- Mr. Monk and Sharona
- Mr. Monk and the Dog
- Mr. Monk Goes Camping
- Mr. Monk Is the Best Man
- Mr. Monk and the Badge
- Mr. Monk and the End (Part 1)
- Mr. Monk and the End (Part 2)
