Mr. Monk's Favorite Show

Season 8, Episode 1, Aired

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After the attempted murder of a former child star from Monk's favorite show, Monk accept the job as her bodyguard.
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Fan Episode Reviews (7)

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  • Monk meets his favorite TV star and gets drafted to be her bodyguard.

    5.0
    "Mediocre"
    By QuakertownBob, Dec 05, 2011
    This is a yawner. Some of it was for the first show in the last season they should have at least given us something well done. The writing was subpar, the comedy was worse, very little real Monk character except the obsessive.
    If this what we have to look ahead to in the next 15 episodes they should have stopped a season or so ago.
    What happened here? Where did the good scripts and comedy go? Maybe they should hire Monk to find it.
    The rest of the cast just phoned it in, what a real disappointment. Some shows make recoveries after bad starts, Stargate Atlantis started off bad in the last season and finished strong, we can only hope that the writers read more blogs telling them to give us something good for a change.moreless

  • The eighth season premiere.

    7.5
    "Good"
    By thefanof, May 03, 2010
    Season eight of Monk is upon us, and if this episode is any indication, the last year should be a good one. The premiere marked a return to form for the USA Network original series as the plot was good, there were numerous laughs and Tony Shalhoub is as strong and great in his role as ever.

    As a fan of old sitcoms I loved the plot here, especially the clips from the Cooper Clan and with Adrian Monk dressed up as a Greg Brady lookalike. The one glaring flaw was Weeds' Elisabeth Perkins guest starring, but I won't write too much about that as you can just read any of my reviews for that program to hear about it.

    Call me a Monk fan again, but let us hope things only get better from here.moreless

  • better than expected yes the mystery part was predictable but Elizabeth Perkins as guest star more than makes up for it and the rest of the episode was great

    8.0
    "Great"
    By sramv9, May 03, 2010
    I was pleasantly surprised by how much i liked this ep. Most of the reviewers here seemed to not like it too much but I found that it was one of the better ones in a long time. Nathalie's character was enjoyable again - i don't know why but she was getting on my nerves last season and some how it seemed fresh between them again. Monk meeting up with this former child star of a tv show which was his fantasy surrogate family growing up was very cute and worked with Monk's character really well and there was an excellent dream sequence. Randy wasn't over the top this time either thankfully and the Captain too was downplayed more than last season to good effect. I think good comedy needs a little restraint especially dramedy and they were lacking that last season but it's there again, resulting in i think a much better tone that promises well for the season.moreless

  • Mr. Monk and the Beginning of the End

    7.0
    "Good"
    By JesseTehSkox, May 03, 2010
    Something strange happened with the final season premiere of Monk. "Mr. Monk's Favorite Show" comes bearing a ridiculous, gimmicky plot and, by all means, should've been as forgettable as your average recent-season episode of the show. But, at some point, this episode decided that it didn't want to suck after all. The result is a pleasant surprise with above average writing that, while not a classic, puts the episode ahead of the majority of installments from the past couple seasons.

    "Favorite Show" concerns the attempted murder (or so it seems) of a former child star, Christine Rapp, known for her work on The Cooper Clan, a Brady Bunch-esque show that Monk apparently has a creepily huge obsession with. It's always weird when shows introduce character quirks in later seasons that are supposedly major, yet they've never been seen before (and probably won't be again). Just because it's a fairly widespread practice doesn't mean it isn't still jarring whenever it happens. (At least that show's tone fits with Monk's established sense of humour, or lack thereof. A guy who thinks Marmaduke is pure brilliance would probably also love this.)

    Of course, because the show apparently believes that all television stars are murderers (see "Mr. Monk and the TV Star" and "Mr. Monk's 100th Case"), things take a fairly predictable turn as Rapp herself is revealed as the guilty party. To its credit, the episode does a slightly better job of setting this up than most of what we've seen in recent episodes which feature either glaringly obvious or non-existant clues, but it's still a pretty lackluster mystery, and the ultimate clue that helps Monk tie everything together, a lone scene from an old episode of The Cooper Clan, seems especially flimsy. (It doesn't help that Elizabeth Perkins as Rapp doesn't make for a terribly interesting killer.)

    But what this episode lacks plot-wise, it somewhat makes up for with its clever writing, featuring some of the most effective comedy the show has seen in several seasons. I actually found myself laughing out loud on a couple occasions, which is a pretty rare occasion for this series. I especially have to commend the fantasy summation scene, featuring Monk in an episode of The Cooper Clan, for not being the stupid, bloated mess it easily could've been - kudos to writer Jack Bernstein for not going completely over the top.

    Monk will never return to the greatness it experienced in the first several seasons, but it's nice to see that they seem to be putting actual effort into the creation of the final season. If "Favorite Show" is any indication, perhaps this show can go out on a decent note after all.moreless

  • This episode is the reason I watch Monk. It was suspenseful, funny, and true to character.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By CraigJones0, May 03, 2010
    The obsessive compulisve detective is obsessed with the female star of a Brady Bunch-esque character. Lo and behold, he gets the opportunity to serve as her bodyguard. The plot is your basic Monk mystery, with enough twists and turns to keep your interest. The comedy was superb, especially the summation, where Monk finds himself inside his favorite TV show. I'm not sure what show some of the other reviewers were watching, but as a faithful Monk watcher for eight seasons, I'd put this episode right up there with any other episode, except for maybe Mr. Monk is on the Run.moreless
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • TRIVIA (1)

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    • When Monk returns the book, he makes the cashier put the bills directly into his wallet. However, he has no problem handling the coins with his bare hands.

  • QUOTES (13)

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    • Monk: (as he enters a messy apartment with Natalie) Uh! Don't touch anything. Natalie: Yeah, I'll try not to. Monk: I was talking to myself!

    • Monk: Please! Natalie: No. Monk: Please! I'm saying please. Natalie: I'm sorry, Mr. Monk, I'm not moving. Monk: It's humiliating. Look at me, I'm last in line. Natalie: Mr. Monk, there are two of us, and you're second. Monk: Out of two. Second out of two. We call that last.

    • Monk: No matter how bad things got, I knew if I could just make it to Tuesday night--8:00, Tuesday night--everything would be okay. It would all make sense, at least for half an hour. They were like my other family. who am I kidding? My real family was my other family.

    • Kim Kelly: She needs a bodyguard. Monk: Bodyguard, right. Kim Kelly: Someone we can trust. I know you're busy... Monk: Oh, I'll do it. Kim Kelly: Okay. A thousand dollars a week, is that fair? Monk: Ummm. Okay, it's a deal. I can't pay it all at once. Kim Kelly: No, we would pay you. Monk: Oh, even better.

    • Monk: A mirror? Oh, very good. Excellent precaution. I see, so that if you're lying in bed and someone breaks in through that door... you have the... triangul...or... I don't get it. Christine Rapp: It's more of a personal thing. You know, you should really read my book.

    • Christine Rapp: Shy, huh? I like that in a man. Kim Kelly: She likes anything in a man.

    • Stottlemeyer: "Her former costar, Steven Dorn, declared 'Christine Rapp is dead to me.''" Steven Dorn: That is a figure of speech. Stottlemeyer: "She's a loudmouth, a liar, and a tramp. Next time I run into her, I hope I'm driving a truck." Monk: Did you say that? Why would you say that? Steven Dorn: Because she's a loudmouth, a liar, and a tramp.

    • Monk: Oh my God. My God. Oh... my... God. Natalie: You okay? Monk: This is horrible. It's horrible. What are you drinking? Natalie: Tea. Monk: Is it hot? Natalie: Yes. Monk: Good. Pour it into my eyes. Natalie: Mr. Monk... Monk: Do it. Blind me!

    • Natalie: Don't be mad. I know how you hate surprises. So I'm just going to warn you, I'm going to be surprising you. Monk: Wait, when? Natalie: In about 10 seconds. This is sort of a heads up, a sort of alert. Monk: Wait! You can't just burst in here and say "Surprise alert." You have to give me a little warning. Natalie: Oh, okay, sorry. This is the surprise alert warning. "This is a surprise alert!" Now... surprise!

    • Natalie: Forget about Christine Rapp and her stupid, stupid book. Everybody in Hollywood's crazy, and if we think about that stuff, nobody would go to the movies. Monk: I don't go to the movies. Natalie: Or watch TV. Monk: I don't watch TV. Natalie: You get my point.

    • Natalie: (knocking) Hello! Hello, Mr. Timlinson! I don't think he's home. Monk: Probably not. He's single and he's dead. Natalie: Oh, yeah.

    • Natalie: Are you going in? Monk: It'd be a crime not to. Natalie: It'd be a crime if we did. Monk: So it doesn't matter either way.

    • Monk: They were the only family I have. Now I got nothing. Natalie: That's not true, Mr. Monk. You got me. And you have Julie, and you have Randy and the captain. We're your family. Monk: Ehh, it's not the same. Natalie: Sure it is. Monk: You don't say funny things. Natalie: Sure we do. Monk: Say something funny. Natalie: Well, I can't just say funny off the top of my head. Monk: Cathy Cooper could. Natalie: Well, she had writers. Okay, wait wait. I got one. "Knock knock." Monk: That's not funny.

  • NOTES (4)

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    • International Airdates: Czech Republic: March 3, 2010 on TV Nova Slovakia: November 29, 2010 on Markiza

    • Injoke: Among the names on the Silver Globe ballot are Tyna Hurd and Tara McSherry, the show's new 8th season Production Accountant and Production Secretary, respectively.

    • Injoke: As the end credits of The Cooper Clan roll as Monk watches it with Christine, associate producers Nathan Perkins, Sheryl Johnson-Poelking, and Sal Savo listed. They're the real-life associate producers on Monk. On the next screen, Ann Kaiser, Silver Tree, and Holden Chang, also staff members, are listed as Cooper Clan staff members as well in the same positions.

    • Elizabeth Perkins is billed as Special Guest Star.

  • ALLUSIONS (1)

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    • The Brady Bunch: Numerous references to the 1960s-70s TV show. * The similarly alliterative titles: Brady Bunch vs. Cooper Clan. * Both shows are set in the 70s and feature the clothing and slang of the era. * Cathy Cooper resembles the younger daughter, Cindy Brady, played by Susan Olsen. * The house interior resembles the house interior of the Brady family. * The Coopers have a pet dog, Scamp; the Brady Bunch have a pet dog, Tiger. * Cathy Cooper saying "Adrian, Adrian, Adrian!" ad how he's perfect references Jan's referring to her perfect sister as "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!" * There's a horse sculpture on the family table, similar to the one in the Brady Bunch house. * Barry Williams, who played Greg Brady, published a tell-all bestselling biography, Growing Up Brady: I Was a Teenage Greg, which chronicled his behind-the-scenes sexual escapades. * Several of the Cooper child actors had subsequent run-ins with the law, as did some of the Brady child actors. * "Cooper Clan" episode plotlines--breaking Mom's vase, taking the school crossing guard job way too strictly--are parodies of actual classic Brady Bunch scripts.

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