A police series with an investigator whose behavior does not fit into the norm is clearly the key to success for many screenwriters, including French ones. Just look at “HPI” or “Astrid and Raphaëlle”. But in this register, the Americans are also very strong. And one of the best “specimens” remains of course Adrian Monk, this former police officer riddled with OCD, devastated by the murder of his wife, Trudy, who has retrained as a private detective. A unique investigator, who sees clues that only he can detect, to unravel the most complex cases.
The series ended in 2009 after eight seasons. We left a peaceful Monk, who had finally discovered who his wife’s murderer was (a judge with whom she had an affair before meeting him), and who was starting a relationship with the daughter that Trudy had with the same judge and who everyone thought had died at birth. Here we are again almost fifteen years later… and covid has been there. Which has, once again, aggravated Monk’s symptoms, who has always had an obsessive fear of germs. He is therefore more undermined than ever by his obsessive compulsive disorders. Phobias that make him lose his contract with a publisher to tell the story of his detective career. Depressed, he thinks about committing suicide to find Trudy in the afterlife. What keeps him going is the prospect of his stepdaughter’s marriage. But then her future husband dies in a bungee jumping accident, which could well be murder. And our “knock knock” detective is back on duty!
If Tony Shalhoub has aged a few times (he is now 70 years old), he still excels as much as ever in the role of Monk. A real festival. He manages to make his character as annoying as he is endearing. And we want more. We also find his assistant Natalie, as well as Randy and Captain Leland Stottlemeyer (who has changed jobs). On the other hand, no trace of Sharona, Monk’s assistant in the first seasons, whom we would have enjoyed seeing again in a way other than archive footage.
While resurrecting a series that has had its day isn’t always a good idea, it must be said that the reunion works rather well here. It’s true that the original screenwriter, Andy Breckman, is back, which is generally a sign of success. Produced for Peacock, Universal’s streaming site in the United States, this special episode suffers from being a little too long, but we won’t deny ourselves the pleasure. It manages to find all the ingredients that made the series successful without falling unnecessarily into a form of nostalgia.
Voice changes
While the actors have all aged a little (normal, in fifteen years), some characters have changed their voices in the French version, generally following the death of the actors who dubbed them. This is the case for Leland Stottlemeyer or for Doctor Bell, Monk’s psychiatrist. A little disturbing, especially if you recently came across old episodes, which TMC is currently rebroadcasting every afternoon…
“Monk: The Return,” September 4, 9:10 p.m., TF1.
