Why Monk deserves a spot among 2000s sitcom giants

The 2000s is known by most for producing so many popular sitcoms. The Office, Parks and Recreation, How I Met Your Mother, and Curb Your Enthusiasm are just some of the great hits released in this decade. However, one show I believe has flown under the radar is Monk, an eight-season journey featuring a middle-aged detective focused on solving murders while attempting to overcome his quirks.

The main character, Adrian Monk, is an OCD, germaphobic, dentophobic, galeophobic, (and pretty much every kind of phobic), homicide detective. However, these very conditions are what allow him to read a situation in ways no others can, especially when it comes to solving murders. Once renowned in the San Francisco Police Department, Monk was bedridden for three years following the murder of his wife Trudy in a car bombing. He soon recovered enough to become a consultant for the police department where he would go on to solve countless cases changing hundreds of lives.

Instead of a more traditional “whodunit” format, Monk mixes it up by almost always revealing the killer during the opening minutes of each episode. This allows for the episode to focus more on how the murders actually happen and how Monk attempts to prove it through his investigations and interactions with the characters on the show. Often, Monk discovers who the killer is without any evidence, leading to him having to fight against the odds for discernible proof.

The show blends comedic and suspenseful elements with the growth of Monk from a paranoid, nervous wreck to a man who, by the end of the series, is able to stand up to his fears and fully recover from the trauma in his life. During the early seasons, Monk is able to make brilliant discoveries thanks to his fears, but he is also inept in certain areas of police work, keeping him out of earning a real spot on the force. As Monk would say about his issues, “It's a gift, and a curse.”

The show remained consistently popular throughout the 2000s, winning multiple Emmys for its acting and music as well as a Golden Globe awarded to Tony Shaloub, the actor behind Monk. In my opinion, the show is worth the watch as a feel-good story with some great moments, both funny and heart-warming.