You've Probably Already Heard, but Monk is Coming Back
It's a jungle out there, but at least we have this
In the greatest TV news since this announcement, probably, the streaming service Peacock has announced that there will be a Monk movie! Yes, a Monk movie! It is to be called Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie and written by original series creator Andy Breckman. The release date is currently unknown, which is a blessing… and a curse.
Here’s what happened. Apparently, this mystery will be, according to the official announcement, “a very personal case involving his beloved step-daughter Molly, a journalist preparing for her wedding.”
The great Tony Shalhoub will be returning as the brilliant obsessive-compulsive detective, as well as producing. And everybody else will be there too! That means Ted Levine as Captain Stottlemeyer, Traylor Howard as Monk’s assistant Natalie, Jason Gray-Stanford as Lt. Disher, Hector Elizondo as Monk’s therapist Dr. Neven Bell, and, excitingly, Melora Hardin as his late wife Trudy! I don’t know what that last appearance means (does Monk imagine Trudy as she would look now?), and I really hope it’s not too late to squeak in a Bitty Schram (OR JOHN TURTURRO) cameo. But I’m cool, I’ll be cool.
In case you want a refresher (h/t Variety):
“This is not the first time in recent years that the cast of the show has reunited. In May 2020, Shalhoub, Howard, Levine, and Gray-Stanford all appeared in a short for the “At-Home Variety Show” titled “Mr. Monk Shelters in Place.”
Monk originally aired on the USA Network. The show ran for eight seasons and 125 episodes, with the series finale in 2009 ranking as the most-watched basic cable drama episode of all time at the time it aired. The series won eight Emmy Awards throughout its run, including three wins for Shalhoub in the best actor in a comedy series in 2003, 2005, and 2006.”
Before you jump back in, it’s probably a good idea to revisit the series, which has taken on new cultural meaning in recent years. All the episodes are currently streaming on Peacock. Go ahead and watch the last season… or, you know, the whole thing. It’s going to be great. I could be wrong now… BUT I DON’T THINK SO.
Olivia Rutigliano
Olivia Rutigliano is an Editor at Lit Hub and CrimeReads. Her other work appears in Vanity Fair, Vulture, Lapham's Quarterly, AirMail, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Public Books, The Baffler, Bright Wall/Dark Room, Politics/Letters, The Toast, Truly Adventurous, and elsewhere. She has a PhD from the departments of English/comparative literature and theatre at Columbia University, where she was the Marion E. Ponsford fellow. She hosts the podcasst "Culture Schlock" at Lit Hub Radio. She is on instagram at @oldebean, twitter at @oldrutigliano, and bluesky at @oliviarutigliano.bsky.social.
