Tony Shalhoub’sMonkis an endlessly rewatchable show, and the harshest reality of seeing the crime procedural 20 years later is also the reason it was so successful in the first place. There are a fewharsh realities of rewatchingMonktwo decades after it began. For example, though it often handled Adrian’s mental illness with grace,Monkwas still a product of the early 2000s, and it can be seen as insensitive these days. One of the biggest problems with aMonkrewatch, however, is also the detective show’s biggest strength.
Many episodes ofMonk, especially for longtime fans, feel very familiar. That’s partly becauseMonkis based on Sherlock Holmes, but there’s another reason for the comfortable feeling of the show. In fact, those who have rewatchedMonkprobably realize exactly why they can figure out what’s going to happen in each episode, even if they don’t remember the exact details of each murder case. It’s becauseMonkis an extremely formulaic show, and almost all of its episodes are the same.
All Monk Episodes Are The Same, And You’ll Notice That On A Rewatch
Every Episode Of Monk Has The Same Beats, Jokes, Ups, & Downs
When doing a rewatch ofMonk, something becomes patently clear: all of its episodes are the same. Every episode ofMonkstarts out with the murder, then cuts to Adrian doing something peculiar that annoys either Sharona or Natalie. For a while,Adrian is baffled, Stottlemeyer and Randy think it’s an open and shut case, and Adrian has a few more antics. Then, Adrian has a massive revelation, tells the bystanders some variation of “Here’s what happened,” and everyone goes home happy, except for Adrian, who usually has one last joke before the episode ends.
To illustrate just how formulaicMonkis, every episode of the show features the question “What are you doing?” or some variation of it.
There are, of course, a few special exceptions toMonk’s classic formula. Certainepisodes ofMonksaw someone other than Adrian solve the murder, while others continued to develop the mystery surrounding Trudy Monk’s death. There were also some memorable episodes that bucked the formula entirely, like theMonkseason 6 episode that changed everything. For the most part, however,almost every episode ofMonkfollows the same formula and changes the details. Formulaic television used to be the standard, butMonkreally stuck to its winning recipe throughout all eight seasons.
Monk Maintaining Its Formula Meant That The Show Remained Consistently Good
Monk Was Popular For Decades & Is Now The Perfect Comfort Show
ThoughMonkwas rather formulaic and predictable, that was also one of the show’s biggest strengths.Because it had this rock-solid whodunnit formula to rely on,Monkwas able to consistently deliver exactly what its fans wanted for eight seasons and a movie.Monksurvived a massive cast shake-up whenBitty Schram’s Sharona Fleming left the show, it never had to take a risk on a new structure to get its ratings up, and its formula still held up after a 14-year hiatus between the show andMr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie.Monkmay have relied on its formula, but that formula clearly worked.
20 Best Monk Episodes, Ranked
Monk had numerous beloved and brilliant episodes over its 8 seasons. Many received critical acclaim and even earned the show several accolades.
Monk’s somewhat repetitive nature can be frustrating on a rewatch, but it can also be seen as one of the most enduring parts of the series.ManyMonkfans - myself included - consider it a comfort show, and the fact that each episode is structurally predictable makes it extremely easy and relaxing to rewatch. You know Adrian is going to get into some mischief, Randy is going to make a fool of himself, and Stottlemeyer, Sharona, or Natalie are going to be exasperated by it all. IfMonkwasn’t so predictable, it wouldn’t be as good.
