MONK - THE COMPLETE SERIES + BONUS MATERIAL (USA 2002-2009) Tony Shalhoub, Bitty Schram, Ted Levine, Jason Gray-Stanford

Monk is an American comedy-drama detective mystery series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk, who was a detective for the San Francisco Police Department until his wife, Trudy, was killed by a car bomb in a parking garage. He believes that Trudy's death was part of a larger conspiracy that she had uncovered during her time as a journalist. Trudy's death led Monk to suffer a nervous breakdown. He was then discharged from the force and became a recluse, refusing to leave his house for three and a half years.

He is finally able to leave the house with the help of his nurse/assistant, Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram). The breakthrough allows him to work as a private detective and a consultant for the homicide unit, despite limitations rooted in his obsessive–compulsive disorder, which has heightened since Trudy's death.

Monk's numerous compulsive habits and several phobias compound his situation, such as his fear of germs. Monk is afraid of 312 things, including milk, ladybugs, harmonicas, heights, asymmetry, enclosed spaces, foods touching on his plate, messes, and risk. The OCD and phobias cause problems for Monk and anyone around him as he investigates cases. These same personal struggles, particularly the OCD, are what aid him in solving cases: his sharp memory, specific mindset, and attention to detail.  

Captain Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) and Lieutenant Randy Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) call on Monk when they have trouble with investigations. Stottlemeyer is often irritated by Monk's behavior but respects his friend and former colleague's amazing insight and observational abilities, as does Disher. Ever since childhood, Monk's obsessive attention to detail has allowed him to spot tiny discrepancies, find patterns, and make connections that others often miss. Something someone says or does usually triggers Monk to make the connection.

In his spare time, Monk continues to search for information about his wife's death and is plagued with the idea that he may never determine who killed Trudy. He dedicates his life to solving other murders because he feels a moral obligation, even when the outcome disrupts him personally or affects his friends or him negatively, which happens periodically throughout the series. Monk becomes especially intrigued when a woman is killed, or when someone is killed with some type of bomb, because this reminds him of Trudy's murder.

This 32-DVD set contains all 125 episodes.

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Number of DVDs: 32

Number of Episodes: 125

Quality: 9.5/10

Running Time: 90 hrs 51min (approx)

Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 1:78:1

NOTES: This is a fan-made DVD set. Not    a studio release..