Monk: Season Six

Classic Monk
Season Six went back to the formula that made the show one of the highest rated cable shows ever. Adrian's character went through a few new wrinkles (as it did every season) but the show was classic Monk. It works because the show offers a crime, puts Monk in uncomfortable situation which, whether the viewer has OCD or not, can relate to. We have all been frustrated by situations where we feel uncomfortable but there is really nothing we can do about it.

Several of the episodes have quickly become fan favorites. Mr. Monk and the Rapper (not one of my favorites) is off the charts on the USA/Monk website as one of their favorites of all time. Mr. Monk and the Bad Girlfriend gave the relationship between Monk and Captain Stottlemeyer a great deal of tension before it was resolved. Fascinating plot lines were developed in Naked Man, Birds and the Bees, Daredevil, Goes to the Bank, Three Julies, and Joins a Cult.

In the end, Season Six was one of the best because...

I just solved the case
It must be admitted that the fifth season of "Monk" had some rough patches, where Monk's OCD was overwritten and the plots got a bit limp.

But the obsessive compulsive detective is still going, and fortunately "Monk" is still one of the best shows on television. And the sixth season continues "Monk's" grand tradition -- solidly-written mystifying stories, quirky detecting, and some excellent acting from Tony Shalhoub. Even better, the two-part finale really shows "Monk" off at its absolute best.

As the season opens, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) finds that his obsessed groupie Marcy Maven (Sarah Silverman) needs to hire him, despite a restraining order. So she "buys" him at a bachelor auction and makes him work on a bizarre case -- her dog is being accused of killing someone, but the dog died before the murder took place. Needless to say, there's more than meets the eye.

Among the other cases the OCD detective has to deal with: a framed rapper, murder on a...

Monk returns to top form
This review is dedicated in the memory of Stanley Kamel who played Dr. Charles Kroger in the first 6 seasons of Monk. Stanley Kamel sadly passed away in April of 2008. He was a deeply talented character actor and he will be missed on Monk.

In general as a show goes on it doesn't get better, but there are exceptions; some shows like The Shield seem to get better each season and Monk while maybe not getting better is still just as good now as it ever was. After the first half of season 3 ended Sharona was out as Monk's assistant and Traylor Howard as Natalie was in. I thought that gave Monk a much needed jolt and helped keep things fresh. In many ways it was like starting over again.

A lot of critics felt season 3 was a letdown, I disagree; the 2nd half of Season 3 are in my opinion some of the best episodes of the series. After that the 4th and 5th seasons while very good and had some of my favorite episodes of the series also featured some of the weaker ones as...

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