For Adrian Monk, his obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and keen ability to read a room are both a blessing and a curse. But for "Monk" actor Tony Shalhoub, getting to revive one of his best-known roles as the homicide detective, was a gift.
The television series, which originally appeared on USA Network, aired its final episode on Dec. 4, 2009. Now 14 years later, Shalhoub is buttoning his character’s signature tan blazer for one last case.
In a new film, "Mr. Monk’s Last Case," which will be available for streaming on Dec. 8 exclusively on Peacock, Shalhoub reunites with his former castmates including Traylor Howard, Jason Gray Stanford and Ted Levine to solve another mystery — this time involving Monk’s stepdaughter, Molly. (Peacock and TODAY share the same parent company, NBCUniversal.)
“We feel like we had to raise the stakes, not just for Monk, but for all of the other characters, and we feel like we really accomplished that,” Shalhoub told TODAY.com in an exclusive interview.
With any reboot or revival, there's always a chance that viewers will be disappointed. Shalhoub, 70, was admittedly nervous about how it would feel to revive the role now that he’s older.
“It was a little challenging in the beginning,” he said. “How do you capture the physical life of the character? I was thinking ‘wow, maybe even my voice has changed somewhat as I’ve gotten older.’ But I’ve gotta say, by the end of the first day, we were all back in the groove.”
Shalhoub thoughtfully approached Monk’s evolution as a widowed detective struggling with OCD, including his physical movements that became a defining feature of his character. “Those were things that we developed over time,” Shalhoub said.
Anyone who has seen a few episodes of "Monk" knows that the curious character can’t step into a room without adjusting a stack of papers until they’re straight, touching a lightbulb (even if he means burning his finger), or straightening someone else’s necktie.
“What we would normally do in any given episode — the actors, the directors, the set designer and props people — we would sort of look for something in that particular setting that could preoccupy the character," he explained. "And then we’d try to fold that into the actual scene that was written. So [Monk] was very rarely focused on just one thing.”
Those small, quiet movements spoke volumes about his character’s anxiety and become as intrinsic to the role as his lines.
Shalhoub has also received numerous accolades for his role, including three Primetime Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Adrian Monk in “Monk.” The movie revival is no different. He was recently nominated for Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television as Adrian Monk for the 2024 Critics Choice Awards.
Looking back on the original series finale, Shalhoub notes that his character was in a good place — though Monk, who has a firm glass-half-empty outlook on life, would probably disagree.
“He solved the murder of his wife — that one case that was so elusive he could not figure out. He was on the mend and doing well and then the pandemic hit and he regressed terribly. In fact, I think we find him in this movie in worse shape than when we saw him in the pilot,” said Shalhoub.
Monk is notably afraid of germs, heights, and death — along with other quirky phobias such as milk, crowds, tap water, and mushrooms. But after a global pandemic that made everyone more fearful of germs, is Adrian Monk finally vindicated? “I don’t think he would feel vindicated because he has too much insecurity and too much self-loathing,” said Shalhoub.
Shalboub said that the writers tactfully addressed the pandemic by using it as a launching pad for the reboot rather than a plot line. Of course, it would have been short-sighted to ignore it. How does a character, who was already concerned about breathing the same air as strangers, navigate a post-pandemic world? Not well.
“I think for him, it’s more like misery loves company," he said. "Now he has more people to feel bad for.”
Those people include Shalhoub himself, who admitted that playing the role of Monk affected how he behaves in the world. “I never thought about mundane things like shaking someone’s hand or picking up a menu in a restaurant, for example. I’ve been slightly infected by some of his problems,” said Shalhoub.
Although he didn’t demand a wipe after we shook hands, did he reach for a bottle of hand sanitizer after our interview concluded? Only Shalhoub knows, but could I blame him if he did? No. After all, it’s a jungle out there.
