Monk Mr. Monk's Favorite Show (2002–2009) Online

Monk gets a chance to meet a childhood idol, modeled after the oldest daughter from "The Brady Bunch." Her life is being threatened, and Monk is asked to be her bodyguard. A running joke throughout the episode has to do with the aging actress' tell-all book, which has just come out and which Monk figures must be a fond recollection. It is in fact a nasty tome from an equally nasty woman. Pretty soon, the actress kills a stalker, and the mystery of who is after her seems to be at an end. Or is it? Monk will finally read the actress' vile autobiography and figure out what's what. At one point, Monk fantasizes himself as the eldest son in an episode of the actress' popular '70s sitcom. This is an OK but far from great season opener.

'Monk' has always been one of my most watched shows when needing comfort, to relax after a hard day, a good laugh or a way to spend a lazy weekend.

Of the eight 'Monk' season openers (which sees classics like "Mr Monk and the Candidate", "Mr Monk Goes Back to School" and "Mr Monk and the Actor"), "Mr Monk's Favourite Show" is the weakest to me. Don't get me wrong, it is still an interesting and entertaining episode, though one can definitely see why some would not like it, but there are a few things that seem somewhat off. It is let down by the mystery being one of the show's most simplistic and obvious, the why (the motive is pretty flimsy here for 'Monk' standards), how and especially who aspects are pretty much see-through very early on due to that there are elements of the story here that is a long way from being new.

Elizabeth Perkins does do her best and brings some charm and filth to her character, but the character herself just isn't very interesting. The most interesting ones are those that Monk pits himself off against and rub him up the wrong way rather than the ones that he is fixated in protecting which lessens the conflict to me.

Was a little put off by the way Monk is written here. He is still the quirky, funny and obsessive Monk, but for somebody protecting his childhood crush he has rarely been this less serious or focused when solving a case. Disher and Stottlemeyer are fun enough, also did appreciate that Disher's goofiness was toned down a little and Stottlemeyer was effectively downplayed while not losing his personality, but have little to do, don't remember their contributions much.

However, "Mr Monk's Favourite Show" is interesting in many ways. While it does get a little too goofy and silly in places, Shalhoub in late 60s-early 70s garb with Afro included accusing characters of murder while funny has to be seen to be believed, the portrayal of the Cooper clan with obvious and affectionately nostalgic allusions to 'The Brady Bunch' was very well done. The interior sets and production values are very authentic and the sit-com style of photography is appropriate as are the groovy wardrobe and on-the-nose hippie jokes. The clips from 'The Cooper Clan' are great fun.

Visually, the episode is slick and stylish as ever, from the colourful Cooper Clan scenes to the film noir style of the murder/motel scene. The music is both understated and quirky. While there is a preference for the theme music for Season 1, Randy Newman's "It's a Jungle Out There" has grown on me overtime, found it annoying at first but appreciate its meaning and what it's trying to say much more now.

Writing lacks the emotional moments and doesn't have enough of the obsessive quirks (though they're there), but it scores highly in the comedy with some very funny lines and exchanges, even the running gag involving the contents of the auto-biography. Particularly memorable is the uproarious fantasy summation, one of the show's most imaginative. They even sneak in a nod to Ambrose.

One of the best things about 'Monk' has always been the acting of Tony Shalhoub in the title role. It was essential for him to work and be the glue of the show, and Shalhoub not only is that but also at his very best he IS the show. Have always loved the balance of the humour, which is often hilarious, and pathos, which is sincere and touching.

Traylor Howard is down-to-earth and sympathetic (she has some good lines here too, one is curious to see her wild side though), Jason Gray-Stanford is amusing and Ted Levine plays the loyal but frustrated boss character with his usual adept comedic chops, although the latter two are underused. The supporting cast are all top-notch, loved the whole of the Cooper Clan and Rena Sofer.

In conclusion, interesting and fun but not 'Monk' at his best. Needed a better mystery and Monk himself seemed off. 6/10 Bethany Cox

We love this character, and like other Monk fans we have been looking forward to the first new Monk show of their last season. Unfortunately, this first episode was a big disappointment due to the silly portrayal of a Brady Bunch family in which Monk was dressed in goofy clothes and sporting an Afro. There were some occasional good lines, as always in Monk episodes, but this one really fell flat compared to most other Monk shows. Perhaps the intent of the producers is to diminish our enjoyment of Monk and the show so much that by the end of the season we won't care if it goes off the air or not. Since that seems like a rather lame strategy, we're hoping the rest of the year will produce much better written episodes! If not, Monk's last season is going to make for a disappointingly long winter....

As it is, I was upset that Monk will be ending this year, but I had hoped that it would go out with a bang and not a whimper. This was a whimper to be sure. A Brady Bunch kind of show is what Adrian Monk imagined as his ideal family, but he soon finds out that the wholesome little girl from the show has grown up to be a very unsavory character with a past that is far from ideal. It seems that there is a killer after the former child star and Monk is hired as her bodyguard. This sets the story in motion but it is not a great season opener by a long stretch. When the solution of the crime is explained by our intrepid hero, it is not in the usual way. Instead, it is as though Monk were a character on the show, and without giving away the ending at all, what we have is almost a direct rip-off from Annie Hall and, frankly, not that funny. I expected better from the show I grew to love and this may be the reason the show is ending in the first place since it seems the writers have run out of decent scripts. I sincerely hope in the future, I am proved wrong. All I can say is that maybe page 73 would have made it better. (I'm afraid you have to see the episode to get that joke- the one joke that works in the episode.) And what a waste of the usually wonderful Elizabeth Perkins.