Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Moviewas a great way to revisit Tony Shalhoub’s Adrian Monk and the rest of the characters, but the best thing about theMonkfilm was also its biggest flaw. After thecast ofMonkreunited for a brief web episode released during the pandemic in which Adrian’s friends checked in on him, it became clear thatwe needed some sort ofMonkrevival to address how Adrian navigated the quarantine.This is howtheMonkmoviewas born, with the film being released on Peacock on August 12, 2025.
Monkhad 125 episodesacross eight seasons, most of which were standalone stories and followed the“case-of-the-week”formula. The series finale, “Mr. Monk And The End,” revealed that Trudy had a daughter from a previous relationship who was discovered by Adrian after he finally learned who had his wife killed.Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movieexplored this found family dynamic between Adrian and Molly and spotlighted the mental health challenges Monk faced during the pandemic, yet it did not abandon the original show’s formula.
The 2023 Monk Movie Was Basically Just A Long Episode Of The TV Show
Mr. Monk’s Last Case Wasn’t Very Different From The TV Show
As exciting as seeing Adrian and the others back for one more case, theMonkmovie was not very different from the TV show.At 90 minutes,Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Moviewas essentially an extended episode, featuring all the same tropes and story beats from the series. From revealing to the audience who the killer was before Adrian found out the truth to the“I did it, but you cannot prove it”routine,Mr. Monk’s Last Casecould have very well been a two-part episode released among the other 125Monkepisodes.
Mr. Monk’s Last Caseopened with a remastered version of the show’s first scene.
TheMonkfilm likely had a more significant budget compared to the TV show, as exemplified by the fact it took place in a few different locations instead of just indoor sets. Still, the tone of the movie and its pacing were both very similar to whatMonkfans were already used to from the TV show. Randy’s nonsense theories, Leland initially not buying Adrian’s absurd conclusion of who was the killer, and even the “second murder” trope were brought back.Mr. Monk’s Last Caseleaned heavily on nostalgia, for better or worse.
Why The Monk Movie Following The TV Format Was Both A Strength & A Weakness
The Monk Reunion Needed To Be Nostalgic
On the one hand,theMonkmovie embracing nostalgia was exactly what we needed after almost 15 years since theMonkfinale aired. Despite the feature-length format,Mr. Monk’s Last Casehad to deliver on a lot of different expectations, from revisiting beloved characters to showing how the pandemic affected Adrian and his relationship with Molly. This is why theMonkfilm doing an “extended episode” while checking all those boxes made a lot of sense.
One Of Monk’s Best Villains Was Played By The Last Person You’d Expect
Adrian Monk faced many memorable criminals over the show’s eight seasons, with one of the best played by this surprising actor and comedian.
On the other hand, as the firstMonkmovie, it would have been interesting to see something more different from the TV show. A story that would have taken Adrian away from home for too long or even a different case that was not a traditional murder could have made theMonkfilm stand out from the rest of the show. IfMr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie2happens, it should make the most of the movie format and do things that the show never could, even if it means abandoningMonk’s original formula.
Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie
Cast
Considered the conclusion to the beloved comedy crime-solving series, Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie sees the titular character return along with several other prominent cast members. In the film, Monk finds himself stuck in the middle of a big case directly related to his stepdaughter, preparing to marry.
