We have missed Monk, who is of course another in a long line of Sherlock Holmes descendants, this one suffering from a number of obsessive compulsive and antisocial disorders.
Tony Shaloub is wonderful as the detective, who runs rings around the other cast members; who are Bitty Schram (Sharona), Ted Levine (Stottlemeyer), Jason Grey-Stanford (Randy), Max Morrow (Benjy), Stanley Kamel (Dr. Kroger).
The episodes are a good mixture of 'how was this done?' (as many of them give away the identity of the culprit at the outset) with humour.
Highlights of the first season are the earthquake episode, in which Monk starts speaking in tongues, his asylum visit, where he solves the murder of a doctor, and the vacation story, in which ingeniously it's the hotel's Latino maids who are the secret-stealing murderers.
Liked the little aside in the Willie Nelson story about the smell Monk notices in his tour van - I didn't realise he was one of the great rock stoners of all time. I only say 'was' because I read he gave up when he was 86! Coincidentally, we've seen him a few times recently (e.g. Baja Oklahoma, The Electric Horseman). Other guest stars: Zakes Mokae, Brooke Adams (Picture Windows, Cuba, Invasion of the Bodysnatchers, Days of Heaven), Tim Daly (whoever he is).
Despite its San Francisco setting, most of it was filmed in Canada. Memorable music from Jeff Beale.
A hard-working actor, Shaloub had been in dozens of bit parts (including in Barton Fink, The Man Who Wasn't There, and A Civil Action) before landing this, which he also produced, and up until The MMM probably the role he's best known for.
Breckman was an SNL writer who is also best known for this; has the distinction of having the story / co-writer credit for IQ, but the black mark of Arthur 2 against him.
No comments:
Post a Comment