PLEASE CLICK TO DONATE TO OUR SITE!!!!
|
|
Primetime Show Reviews
"Monk" Season 7 Premiere
Review by Suzanne 7/7/08
The new season 7 premiere of Monk is great.
There were a few seasons there where I felt that Monk had lost its way. It was
not as funny, and some of the characters grated on me. This past season I felt
had gotten better, and this new one continues with that trend. Thank goodness!!
The actor who played Monk's shrink, Dr. Kroger (Stanley Kamel), passed away, so
they handled this beautifully in the show. They used it to show how Monk is
having trouble dealing with his grief. It's always good when Monk has some
problem to deal with. They also had a loving tribute to both the character and
actor. Even better, they brought in the excellent veteran actor Hector Elizondo
("Cane"), one of my favorites, to play Monk's new shrink. He is a PERFECT
substitute for the late actor Kamel and shares a good rapport with Tony Shalhoub
(Monk).
In this first episode of season 7, "Mr. Monk Buys a House", an old man is pushed
down the stairs by his nurse, and Monk deals with his problems by buying the
house. Normally I prefer that the cases on the show are real mysteries, so I can
try to figure it out while Monk does. That's part of the fun of the show for me.
This one did not do that, but it was still an interesting episode. We didn't
learn right away why the nurse pushed him down the stairs or other details. It's
always good to have a mystery!
Like all good "Monk" episodes, there was plenty of humor mixed with the pathos
of Monk's sadness. I laughed out loud plenty of times. Brad Garrett ("Til
Death", "Everyone Loves Raymond") is a great guest star in this episode for both
his humor and his acting. I can't say more without giving away the plot!
We only see a little bit of Randy and the Captain, but their scenes are funny
and very memorable. Natalie is there by Monk's side as always.
You should definitely watch the new season 7 of Monk July 18th on the USA
Network!
Here are the press releases to tell you
more.
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
SEVENTH SEASON PREMIERE: Friday, July 18,
2008
AIRS: Fridays at 9/8c
100TH EPISODE AIRDATE: Friday, September 5
NETWORK: USA Network
FORMAT: One-hour series about an obsessive-compulsive
detective.
CAST: Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk
Traylor Howard as Natalie Teeger
Ted Levine as Captain Leland Stottlemeyer
Jason Gray-Stanford as Lieutenant Randall Disher
Hector Elizondo as Dr. Neven Bell
Emmy Clarke as Julie Teeger
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Andy Breckman, David
Hoberman, Tony Shalhoub,
Randy Zisk, Tom Scharpling
PRODUCED BY: Anthony Santa Croce
CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jack Bernstein, David Breckman, Hy Conrad,
Joe Toplyn
CO-PRODUCERS: Scott Collins, Douglas Nabors, Shana Stein
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS: Salvatore Savo
CONSULTANT: Fern Field
PRODUCTION COMPANY: NBCU Cable Studios in association
TONY SHALHOUB STARS IN USA NETWORK'S HIT
SERIES “MONK”
WHICH PREMIERES ITS SEVENTH SEASON
ON FRIDAY, JULY 18, 2008 AT 9/8C
Hector Elizondo Joins the Veteran Series as
Monk’s New Therapist. Guest stars this season include David Strathairn, Brad
Garrett, Robert Loggia,
James Lesure, Casper Van Dien, William Atherton and Malcolm Barrett.
The Hit Series Will Air Landmark 100th Episode on Friday, September 5
MONK, the critically acclaimed original series starring Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG award winner Tony Shalhoub premieres its seventh season on USA Network on Friday, July 18, 2008 at 9/8c.
MONK remains one of the highest-rated original scripted series in basic cable history.
Emmy-winning and Golden Globe-nominated character actor Hector Elizondo will portray Dr. Neven Bell in the seventh season as Adrian Monk’s (Shalhoub) much-needed therapist – a role
that was recently left vacant with the unexpected passing of Stanley Kamel in March, who played Monk’s beloved therapist, Dr. Charles Kroger.
MONK will also be celebrating a 100th episode – a nice, round number that would meet with Adrian Monk’s approval – when the series returns this summer. Starting August 1, all 99 episodes will air during the morning and afternoon strip, in additions to marathons, throughout
the month in preparation for the 100th episode, and the MONK online community will begin
choosing Monk's greatest mysteries by picking their 12 favorites, which will air as a marathon
leading up to the landmark episode on Friday, September 5 at 9/8c.
Tony Shalhoub (“Big Night,” “Wings,” “Men in Black,” “Cars”) has earned three Emmy Awards, a
Golden Globe Award and two SAG Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his portrayal
of Adrian Monk, a brilliant detective who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. Monk's
psychological disorder costs him his position as a legendary homicide detective on the San
Francisco Police force. Due to the tragic unsolved murder of his wife, Monk has developed an
abnormal fear of germs, heights, crowds and virtually everything else, which provides an
unusual challenge to solving crimes … not to mention his day-to-day existence.
Traylor Howard (“Two Guys and a Girl,” “Me, Myself and Irene”), Ted Levine (“Heat,” “Moby
Dick”), Jason Gray-Stanford (“Taken,” “A Beautiful Mind”) and Emmy Clarke (“My House in
Umbria,” “Fur”) as Julie Teeger co-star on the hit original series.
Seventh season guest-stars include Academy Award and Golden Globe- nominated David
Strathairn (“The Bourne Ultimatum,” “Good Night and Good Luck”), Emmy winner Brad Garrett
(“Everybody Love Raymond,” “Til Death”), Academy Award and Emmy-nominated Robert
Loggia (“The Sopranos”), James Lesure, (“Vegas,” “Studio 60”), Casper Van Dien (“Starship
Troopers,” “Titans”), William Atherton (“Desperate Housewives,” “The Practice”) and Malcolm
Barrett (“The Ghost Whisperer,” PSYCH).
As we kick off season seven, Monk is fed up with a noisy neighbor and decides to move into a
new house, where - in addition to the usual pitfalls of home ownership that introduces him to
empathetic handyman (Brad Garrett) - he encounters a murder; after the untimely death of his
beloved Dr. Kroger, Monk reluctantly tries out a new therapist (Elizondo); when a television
lottery hostess is murdered, Natalie takes her place and becomes a local celebrity, while Monk
pursues the killer; a famous boxer's (James Lesure) life is threatened so Monk takes the case
and finds himself in the middle of a big championship fight…well, actually, in the corner with his
manager (Robert Loggia); Monk finds himself on a submarine…five hundred feet underwater
…enough said; Monk meets his match in a brilliant chess master (David Strathairn) who is
suspected of having murdered his wife; Monk develops a crush on a model who is accused of
murder and despite the overwhelming evidence – including her confession – he is determined to
prove her innocence; after Monk seeks a new form of therapy (hypnosis), he finds himself
reverting to his 9-year old personality; and then Monk solves his 100th case while being profiled
by a news magazine show.
MONK is executive produced by David Hoberman (“Raising Helen,” “Bringing Down the House,”
“The Negotiator”), Andy Breckman (“Saturday Night Live,” “The Late Show with David
Letterman,” “Rat Race”), Tony Shalhoub, Randy Zisk (“House,” “Without a Trace”) and Tom
Scharpling ("The Best Show on WFMU"). MONK is from NBCU Cable Studios in association
with Mandeville Films and ABC Studios.
As the seventh season of MONK approaches, http://Monk.USANetwork.com continues to be the
home base for fans of the obsessive, compulsive detective. Full episodes are always available
to watch online, including both classic and new episodes. New to the site is the "Trudy Case
Files," a Wiki-forum that allows fans to compile their own theories on the one case that still
haunts Monk and examine the evidence to draw their own conclusion. "Who Said It?"
challenges users to relive classic quotes from Monk and guess which character said it. The
"Create Your Own Scene" feature allows fans to turn the camera on themselves by re-creating
classic Monk scenes to share on the site with other Monk-o-Philes.
Viewers can also join the MONK Mobile Fan club by texting MONK to USATXT (872898). Users
who sign up automatically receive all weekly messages and will have the option to sign up for
any combination of exclusive features, including the Monk’s Weekly Riddle, where users
receive a phobia-related riddle and text back their solutions; a monthly Mobile Chat with Monk &
Friends, where users submit question for show cast and all users then receive selected question
and character’s response; and the Profiler Game, where users answer 3-4 questions to find out
if they would be a good assistant for Monk. All fan club members register for the following
weekly messages, including tune-in Messages with free wallpaper, exclusive Cast/Production
Notes, Phobia of the Week, In Show Watch to Win question, and the chance to win weekly prize
packs with exclusive show merchandise.
For photos of the seventh season of MONK, as well as all USA Network projects, please log on
to the NBC Universal Media Village at http://www.nbcumv.com/.
USA NETWORK is cable television's leading provider of original series and feature movies, sports and
entertainment events, off-net television shows, and blockbuster theatrical films. The #1 network in basic
cable, USA Network is seen in nearly 94 million U.S. homes. The USA Network Web site is located at
www.usanetwork.com. Characters Welcome.
USA Network is a program service of NBC Universal Cable a division of NBC Universal, one of the
world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of
entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.
Back to the Main Primetime TV Page
|
