Acting like a moron isn't difficult for anthony...he's had a lot of practice, starting with "wings" another comedy...people that act like morons to get laughs are not funny at all...i tried my best to find the slightest hint of humor but each time he went into his obsessive compulsive routine...apparently a lot of people like this routine, perhaps because they see themselves....the show ran for a long time....as you can tell, i'm no fan and when an actor has to pay as executive directors do to be seen it makes it seem like the show is totally forced on us

My only regret is that they are not re-running all of the episodes. I have missed this show tremendously and am enjoying it even more than the first time around. It is charming, clever and something most of the family can watch. It is not intended to be an exercise in deep thought or intellectual pursuit. It is a comedy, and the self-proclaimed critics with negative views expose their ignorance by trying to make it into something it is not intended to be. The writing includes a variety of comedy types, and, as does the best comedy, includes some heartbreak.

Former San Francisco police detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) has severe OCD and debilitating phobias. His wife investigative reporter Trudy was murdered in a car bomb. Her death caused his breakdown. With the help of his nurse Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram), he's able to reclaim part of his life by being a consultant to the police. Former colleague Captain Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) and his young partner Randy Disher call on his help from time to time. In the 3rd season, Sharona leaves and Monk hires Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard) as his new assistant. Natalie is a widow with daughter Julie.Tony Shalhoub is simply wonderful. This is a simple detective procedural but it's one that gets big laughs from me every once in awhile. Monk's weird antics sometimes surprise me. While Sharona is a great character, I think Natalie is even better. She's more supportive and Traylor Howard is a funnier actress. She's more of a traditional Girl Friday. The slight differences do add up and Julie is more interesting than Benjy anyways. This is a solid procedural plus some great Monk fun. My favorite episode is 'Mr. Monk on Wheels' which has a lot of slapstick elements.

Monk was once one of the best shows on television. Original and funny with great characters. The mental illness was handled with rare insight and didn't insult people with mental illness. Then someone made the stupid decision to let Bitty Schram go and the show began to lose its way. Now we have to have Monk constantly irritating us with maudlin memories of the dead wife. I just lose interest when that tired and boring story line is inserted once again into the episode. The other main characters are now reduced to mere walk ons. And worse of all, Sharona is gone and replaced with a talentless girl who is as boring as she is pointless to the story. If only the writers would pull out a DVD of the first season of Monk and watch the excellent show that Monk used to be. Watch the interplay of Monk and Sharona and Stottlemyer. Watch Monk's reaction to the world of germs and children and everything. Leave out Trudy (the dead wife). Write some good scripts. No more dead wife memories, better treatment for the established characters, and no more Natalie. Please. If Monk has to have some women around, can't the man date once in a while? That seems to open up some funny possibilities. And we wouldn't have to hear about Trudy ever again. It is really sad to write all this because I used to love this show. I miss the charm of the first season. I miss Sharona. I miss Monk. The way he used to be.