Monk

Splendidly cast and appealingly off-center, it's a genuine summertime gem. [7 July 2002, p.3]

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]

One of the most imaginative crime dramas on television, with one of the most tragic crimefighters ever. [12 July 2002, p.C4]

Tony Shalhoub is not the only reason to watch Monk, a smart new detective series on USA, but the intriguing character he and the show's writers have created might have been enough.

An enticingly screwy and potentially addictive new crime series from the USA Network, normally not a hotbed of brilliance.

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]

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]

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]

This is probably not a clinically accurate portrayal of an OCD sufferer, but Shalhoub's gentle earnestness keeps it from being gimmicky.

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]

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]

There are moments when events become too pat or get too cute. Occasionally the show mysteriously falls into a rut of old cop-show cliches. But those times are few, fading from memory because there's enough potential and quality elsewhere to make you forgive and forget.

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]

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]

An enjoyable addition to the long-lived genre. [12 July 2002]

Monk is a delight, a show that should be added to everyone's can't-miss list. [11 July 2002, p.96]

Shalhoub, who's a producer on the show, stamps his character with a wonderful mix of poignancy and humor. [7 July 2002, p.4]

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]

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]