Defective Detective (Monk (TV Series))

Member Name: JJJJ

Product:	Monk (TV Series)
Date:	25/08/09 (163 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Clever and funny

Disadvantages: Occasionally Cheesy

I do like a good detective series, and as a bit of mindless afternoon viewing, 'Monk' fits the bill nicely.

Now in its eighth season, the story focusses on Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub), an obsessive-compulsive ex-detective who consistently finds himself consulting with the police on a range of mysterious and extravagant cases.

Although Monk focusses on murder, the show takes a comedic approach, and it's this blend of crime and humour that makes it an entirely watchable spectacle. The comedy stems from Monk's occasionally slapstick antics, and the way in which his OCD drives the majority of his actions - our eponymous hero has a range of unusual routines and habits - for example, not being able to touch anything without using his trusty hand-wipes afterwards, and not being able to walk past parking meters without giving them a quick tap. Monk has a range of fears - 312 in fact, including; harmonica's, ladybirds, imperfection, and milk - quite a selection!

It's not all fun and games however, and many of the episodes refer back to the death of Monk's beloved wife 'Trudy', who was killed by a car bomb which he believed was intended for him - the only case which the loveable detective has never been able to solve.

The acting is generally consistent, with Shalhoub stealing the show with his amusing and arguably realistic portrayal of his disorder. Monk's surrounding cast include Ted Levine as 'Captain Stottlemeyer', and his comedic 'sidekick' Randy Disher, played by Jason Gray-Stanford. Randy is frequently coming up with scenarios in which the murder could have been committed, but the majority of the time he is completely wrong. The most important supporting character however, has to be Monk's assistant Natalie (Traylor Howard), without whom our curly-haired crime-buster would be pretty much unable to leave the house. Natalie serves a range of functions for Monk including being his chief wipe-carrier, and consistently getting him out of both serious and minor kerfuffles.

For a bit of lighthearted afternoon entertainment, Monk is always worth a watch. I suppose it takes the same sort of approach which has made similar shows like Diagnosis Murder so popular - but Monk generally has higher production values, and is a little more intelligent in its plot construction.

You can catch Monk throughout the week at 3pm on BBC2.

Summary: Detective with a twist