Starring Tony Shalhoub, Traylor Howard, Ted Levine, Bitty Schram, Jason Gray-Stanford
Written By:
Directed By:
Studio: Universal
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I haven’t seen any of these episodes for some reason. I saw the previous seasons but never got a chance, until now, to see Season 3. I just can’t figure out when the new seasons premiere and then I end up missing the whole seasons. I’d rather watch them on DVD anyway.

Monk, the obsessive compulsive disorder detective from San Francisco is back for another season. The normal cast members are back again, as well as a newcomer. This is the last season where Bitty Schram’s character Sharona is on the show. Monk gets a new assistant named Natalie, and she’s played by Traylor Howard (Dirty Work, Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place). Each episode, you see Monk battling his OCD and solving crimes at the same time. Season 2 left us in a cliff hanger because Monk finally got a tip off about his wife’s murder. So Monk, Sharona and his Police buddies head to New York to find out info about Trudy’s death. But while they are there, they end up witnessing another murder and Monk has to lend a helping hand with the case if he wants to know any info about his wife’s murder. Other Season 3 episodes are about Monk trying to solve a murder that involved a monkey, Mr monk going on a game show, Monk being in protective custody out in a cabin, and getting used to his new assistant Natalie.

I don’t know, something about this season just didn’t as seem as good as the others. I don’t know what it was, but it felt like something was missing. Perhaps it was good that Bitty Schram left the show, it gave the show some much needed freshness and energy. Yeah she was good on the show, but I think the series needed someone else to interact with Monk after awhile. It started to get redundant and be, “same old, same old.” Her character definitely pokes fun at Monk more than Sharona did, and makes the show funnier. I liked how Monk found his new assistant, because she was a client and he liked how she was. It takes an episode or two for her to find her nitch but I think Traylor has found it. I think what works best for the show is the writing, and how likable the characters are. Ted Levine and Jason Gray Stanford, are a great duo because Ted’s character is all grumpy and cynical and Jason’s character isn’t quite there if you know what I mean. It makes their scenes together hilarious because Lt. Disher ends up saying or doing something stupid. Tony Shalhoub is still great as Adrian Monk and has a few standout episodes like when he wasn’t OCD anymore because he was taking medicine for it. I thought it was funny to see him all sly and cool. Sometimes, episodes aren’t as funny as others but that’s to be expected. I like how there really isn’t any continuity between episodes, because I usually end up missing some episodes. So I can get right back into the show if I miss a few episodes.

The extras are similar to the other Monk DVD releases. Showcasing characters, and other brief featurettes on the show. This time, there are character profiles on Monk (on disc 2) and a profile on newcomer Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard) on disc 3. Disc 1 has a “favorites” featurette and the cast discuss which are their favorite episodes. I believe Tony Shalhoub said it was when he was was a teacher and the kids threw stuff at him. I agree, that was a great episode. There’s a few other small features sporadically on the disc for fans to watch if they are feeling ambitious to try to find them. I don’t like when extras are spread out onto several discs or on the flip sides to DVDs. I’m sure once the new DVD formats come out, that won’t be a problem. The problem will just be how much the DVDs are haha.

I still think Season 2 is the best season so far, but season 3 has it’s moments. I don’t think it’s as good as the other seasons but I’m not entirely sure why I feel that way. I haven’t seen the fourth season yet but I hear it gets better than season 3 so I’ll have to catch them on TV or wait for the next DVD. Don’t get me wrong, I love this show, just felt like it needed something else.

Features:
Favorites – cast and crew reveal their favorite scenes
Monk Profile – An in-depth conversation with Tony Shalhoub
Life Before Monk – The official back story of Adrian Monk, Capt. Stottlemeyer and Lt. Disher
Natalie Teeger Profile – In-depth conversation with Traylor Howard
Quirks – Learn more about Adrian Monk’s phobias and compulsions

Audio:
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Stereo CC

Video:
Widescreen 1.78:1 Color (Anamorphic)

Subtitles:
Spanish

Favorite Scenes: Mr Monk Takes Manhattan, ..and the Employee of the Month, ..and the Game Show, ..and the Red Herring, and Gets Cabin Fever
Rating: NR
Running Time: 705 minutes
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating: