Critic Reviews

The best detective show to come along in, well, decades...It is so clever, that it makes you remember how good TV used to be - and still can be when they use actors who didn't train at Ford Models. And when they hire writers who can actually put two words together...I promise you, you've never seen anything quite like it. [11 July 2002, p.73]

Splendidly cast and appealingly off-center, it's a genuine summertime gem. [7 July 2002, p.3]

As I enjoyed this mystery series' second-season premiere, I recalled the satisfying feeling of watching Columbo in its prime.

One of the most imaginative crime dramas on television, with one of the most tragic crimefighters ever. [12 July 2002, p.C4]

This playful hour gets under your skin with its quirky personality humor, at the same time it's spinning a pretty fair murder yarn. [12 July 2002, p.B51]

Tonight's two-hour movie pilot has major problems in trying to pull off the tricky business of combining drama and elements of high comedy within the fairly rigid conventions of the TV detective drama. But the writing by Andy Breckman (Rat Race) and the performance of veteran character actor Tony Shalhoub (The Man Who Wasn't There) combine to deliver one of the most weirdly appealing television sleuths since Richard Belzer's Detective John Munch of Homicide: Life on the Street. [12 July 2012, p.1E]

Monk isn't perfect. The show's comic moments often work better than some of the dramatic elements. And it's too soon to tell if Shalhoub will have the benefit of consistently sharp writing, something that will be essential to sustain the series over the long haul. But if first impressions count for anything, both Adrian Monk and Tony Shalhoub earn gold stars for delivering wry, beguiling pop entertainment. There's also a fizzy, engaging chemistry between Monk and Sharona, as well as Shalhoub and Schram. [12 July 2002]

Dean Parisot's direction is splendid throughout as he establishes a tone and sticks with it, never getting too jokey or edge-of-the-seat dramatic. [12 July 2002, p.14]

An enticingly screwy and potentially addictive new crime series from the USA Network, normally not a hotbed of brilliance.

Tony Shalhoub is not the only reason to watch Monk, a smart new detective series on USA, but the intriguing character he and the show's writers have created might have been enough.