Monk (TV Series, 2002-2009)
Few people wouldn't recognize Randy Newman's iconic theme song "It's a Jungle Out There," paired with the character's expressions of disgust or awkwardness in the intro.
After years of occasionally catching the show on the Greek tv, I decided to watch it more regularly, and I don't regret it. Perhaps it's because the series accompanied me during the best years of American TV shows that was broadcasted in the Greek TV some of the shows were ( Friends , Smallville , One tree hill )
I'll try to convey the feeling it left me with and my thoughts on it.
Is it too simple and linear for today's standards of crime shows, style, etc.? Maybe.
Is it outdated when it comes to the use of technology in criminology? Yes.
Does it have plot holes? Not many, but yes.
At first glance, it seems like a comedic, easy-to-watch show following a troubled character.
But it hides much more.
Tony Shalhoub gives the performance of a lifetime (3 Emmys, 1 Golden Globe, among others), transforming into the lovable yet awkward character of (former) detective Adrian Monk, who is haunted by the unresolved mystery of his wife's murder and her absence, hoping every day for a new clue, a piece of information, or one last touch from her.
I don’t know if mental illness had ever been so prominently featured in a detective show before ,but it certainly was in Monk. OCD takes center stage, along with dozens of phobias and disorders, yet this tortured, exhausted, and seemingly empty man manages to get out of bed each day, mobilize himself, and accomplish something. And not just anything insignificant — he brings criminals to justice.
Throughout his journey, various obstacles frequently push him — often in an artificial way (one of the weaknesses of the writing is the constant impediment of the character's development) — back to his old, bad habits. The obsessions, the torturous repetition, the insomnia, and the insecurity.
But there are also other challenges presented in a very natural and necessary way, which he overcomes in his own peculiar manner.
Adrian Monk has few but genuinely good friends, and they almost always serve as comfort characters for the audience , as the burden of mental illness often needs to be lightened. Nonetheless, social isolation, loneliness, and, of course, the protagonist’s egoism and narrow-mindedness complete the framework in which the mostly standalone episodes (with very few exceptions) unfold.
Notably, in most cases, the perpetrator of each crime is revealed from the beginning of the episode, but the unfolding of events and the characters' quirks maintain a pleasant anticipation for the resolution.