Line #13 Series/Monk


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_5a2385b56c9a0.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''"Your title. It's crooked. You'll thank me later..."'']]
3
4	->''"Here's what happened..."''
5
6	''Monk'' is a [[DetectiveDrama Detective]] {{Dramedy}} series that aired on Creator/USANetwork from 2002 to 2009.
7
8	The show is about Adrian Monk (Creator/TonyShalhoub), a former UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco police inspector who suffered a [[FreakOut nervous breakdown]] after [[DisposableWoman the murder of his wife]], Trudy. He is a lifelong sufferer of [[UsefulNotes/PersonalityDisorders obsessive-compulsive personality disorder]] and has many [[AbsurdPhobia phobias]], and those obsessions became crippling after his breakdown, forcing his retirement; he recovers throughout the series, though he is never fully "cured". His OCPD[[note]]OCD is an anxiety disorder, OCPD a personality disorder. They're not the same thing, and it's possible to have both. OCPD is not to be confused with COPD, which is a respiratory illness. Monk ''definitely'' has OCPD.[[/note]] is also the reason Monk was such a successful policeman; one of his compulsions is [[HyperAwareness paying amazing attention to details]].
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10	Due to his breakdown, Monk was [[TurnInYourBadge discharged from his department]]. However, he is frequently called in to consult on cases which baffle the police (often some kind of LockedRoomMystery) by his friend and former partner/commander, Captain Leland Stottlemeyer (Creator/TedLevine). His [[DisabilitySuperpower disorders]] are part and parcel of his unique mind; without them, he wouldn't be able to solve these cases. Of course, the one case Monk's been trying to solve since his breakdown is Trudy's murder, and each season of the show brings him a little closer to finally unraveling the mystery behind her death (with the show's final season bringing the case to a close for good). Meanwhile, Monk is assisted in his investigations by his former nurse Sharona Fleming (Creator/BittySchram), and, after Sharona's departure in the third season, by Natalie Teeger (Creator/TraylorHoward). The team is completed by the over-enthusiastic Lt. Randy Disher (Creator/JasonGrayStanford), who regularly comes up with some very stupid (and often extremely bizarre) theories regarding the cases.
11
12	''Monk'' is notable for subverting pretty much every PerpSweating convention; due to Monk's disorder and the invariable intelligent cockiness of the bad guy, he's always the one in any round of questioning who's uncomfortable and making mistakes. Of course, many of the comedic situations in the series would not exist if Monk or one of his friends would simply [[JustEatGilligan explain his issues to others.]] [[PoorCommunicationKills So they don't.]] However, despite the perpetual comedy at his expense, he is largely portrayed sympathetically. Viewers come to believe that his condition is, as Monk himself puts it, "a gift... and a curse".
13
14	This show was a turning point for the USA Network. USA was previously a channel with a lineup consisting mainly of reruns, cartoons, game shows, ''Series/{{Wings}}'' (which incidentally also starred Tony Shalhoub), Wrestling/{{WWE}} programs and low-to-middling quality original programming (and, of course, ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}''). ''Monk'' was the first major hit show for the network, launching what has become a string of popular, critically-acclaimed series.
15
16	In 2020, the cast reunited for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4W2xmqjvx4 a special]] on the Creator/{{Peacock}} network to raise awareness for the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, depicting Monk trying to cope with the quarantine as his friends check in. The special was especially notable as Tony Shalhoub himself had contracted and recovered from the virus some time before it aired.
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18	In 2023, a full reunion movie was announced, titled ''Film/MrMonksLastCaseAMonkMovie''. It premiered on Creator/{{Peacock}} [[ChannelHop rather than its original home on USA]] on December 8, 2023.
19
20	Not to be confused with the [[Literature/TheMonk Gothic novel]], which is about an actual monk.
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22	----
23	!!Unless I'm wrong, which, you know, I'm not, this show provides examples of the following tropes:
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25	[[index]]
26	* Monk/TropesAToE
27	* Monk/TropesFToJ
28	* Monk/TropesKToR
29	* Monk/TropesSToZ
30	[[/index]]
31
32	----
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Context Series / Monk