As I have mentioned in reviews of past seasons of Monk (2002-2009), there is a formula and familiarity there, but in season six, the creators, cast, and crew managed to really hit their stride. Sixteen amazing episodes round out a particularly winning season of one of television’s greatest shows.
Buy Monk Season Six Blu-rayFrom “Mr. Monk and His Biggest Fan” (guest starring a charmingly annoying Sarah Silverman) to the exhilarating, two-episode Fugitive homage, “Mr. Monk is on the Run”, the suspense is palpable; the humor is much better; the guest stars (including Sharon Lawrence, Scott Glenn, John Hawkes, Victoria Tennant, Howie Mandel, Angela Kinsey, and even Snoop Dogg!) are brilliant; and the serious, emotional moments (a really crushing one involving Stottlemeyer) are really heartrending.
You get to see Adrian Monk (the great Tony Shalhoub) put in even more hilariously uncomfortable situations, such as him joining a cult, being a runaway criminal, encountering a group of nudists, accused of shooting Santa Claus, and coerced into teaching Julie (Emmy Clark) about the “birds and the bees” by Natalie (Traylor Howard, who is even more delightful this season.) None of the episodes here, even arguably the weakest one, “Mr. Monk and the Man Who Shot Santa Claus,” hit a false note.
So, if you’re a diehard Monkhead (a nickname that came into my head), then this sixth season should definitely be a must watch! It’s been so much fun watching and reviewing this classic show. It’s one of my all-time favorite series.
Special features include commentary for “Mr. Monk Is Up All Night” with cast, producers, and director; seven video commentaries; and five Little Monk webisodes.
