USA | Release Date: July 12, 2002
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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100
New York PostLinda StasiJun 25, 2013
Season 1 Review: 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]
91
Dallas Morning NewsEd BarkJun 25, 2013
Season 1 Review: Splendidly cast and appealingly off-center, it's a genuine summertime gem. [7 July 2002, p.3]
90
NewsdayDiane WertsJun 25, 2013
Season 1 Review: 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]
90
Chicago TribuneAllan JohnsonJun 24, 2013
Season 1 Review: One of the most imaginative crime dramas on television, with one of the most tragic crimefighters ever. [12 July 2002, p.C4]
80
Detroit Free PressMike DuffyJun 25, 2013
Season 1 Review: 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]
80
VarietyPhil GalloJun 25, 2013
Season 1 Review: 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]
80
Baltimore SunDavid ZurawikJun 24, 2013
Season 1 Review: 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]
75
San Diego Union-TribuneRobert P. LaurenceJun 25, 2013
Season 1 Review: The rest of the cast lends excellent support, particularly Bitty Schram as Sharona, Ted Levine as the admiring police Capt. Leland Stottlemeyer and Gail O'Grady ("NYPD Blue") as the politician's wife, who sizes up Monk's more obvious hang-ups. [7 July 2002, p.TV-6]
75
San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa TimesChuck BarneyJun 25, 2013
Season 1 Review: The story, penned by executive producer Andy Breckman ("Rat Race") gets predictable at times, but it deftly manages to mix drama and humor while bringing new twists to a shop-worn genre. [11 July 2002, p.D1]
75
Boston HeraldLiz MatsonJun 24, 2013
Season 1 Review: The show's concept is clever, and the pilot displays a blend of humor and drama with a bit of melancholy hanging over it. Shalhoub is excellent as the twitchy, mild-mannered Monk. But Monk can be an annoying character, and at times you may find yourself wanting to yell, "Snap out of it!" at the television screen. [12 July 2002, p.S36]
70
Newark Star-LedgerAlan SepinwallJun 25, 2013
Season 1 Review: Nobody likes a know-it-all - especially when he starts pointing out something you could have figured out by yourself. Let's hope this unusual man gets some equally unusual puzzles in the coming weeks. [11 July 2002, p.35]
70
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenJun 25, 2013
Season 1 Review: An enjoyable addition to the long-lived genre. [12 July 2002]
70
New York Daily NewsDavid BianculliJun 25, 2013
Season 1 Review: Monk is a delight, a show that should be added to everyone's can't-miss list. [11 July 2002, p.96]
60
Orlando SentinelHal BoedekerJun 25, 2013
Season 1 Review: Shalhoub, who's a producer on the show, stamps his character with a wonderful mix of poignancy and humor. [7 July 2002, p.4]
60
Los Angeles TimesScott SandellJun 25, 2013
Season 1 Review: Despite very likable characters, deft acting and the psychological twist, the rest of Monk appears to be pretty standard issue. [12 July 2002, p.34]
50
Boston GlobeMatthew GilbertJun 25, 2013
Season 1 Review: The script is a little too silly and lighthearted for its own good, undermining its cleverness with absurd plot twists. [11 July 2012, p.D1]
50
Chicago Sun-TimesPhil RosenthalJun 24, 2013
Season 1 Review: Neither smart nor witty enough to sustain itself. Ted Levine and Bitty Schram are no help in by-the-numbers roles as the crusty cop who doesn't want to give Monk his due and the nurse-turned-Girl Friday, respectively. [12 July 2002, p.39]