Monk: Season Six

Now that we’re into the sixth season, you’re either a fan of Monk and you’ve kept up with our reviews or you’ve abandoned them as the show might not be your thing. This is the second time now that I’ve worked through the series from episode one onward and it’s been quite the journey. The series has had many high points, some lows, a critical cast shakeup, and then it got back to normal delivering one excellent episode after the next. But every long-running show hits a patch where things just coast along. For Monk that is Season Six. 

That isn’t to say this season is a bad one or it jumps the shark. In fact, I don’t think this show ever stretched itself so far as to strap on the proverbial waterskis, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that some of the spark of past seasons has dimmed. Now this season does have some great episodes, Mr. Monk Is Up All Night is another genuine classic as Monk wanders the streets with severe insomnia trying to find a specific cab driver while also solving a bizarre murder. The two-parter season finale Mr. Monk is on the Run is another great set of episodes. 

The “however” of the season is that a lot of the cases are a bit mundane and their conclusions feel too convenient and stretched. It inevitably happens with every successful detective show and Season Six is the slide for Monk. In past seasons if an episode’s case wasn’t that interesting, the solution or key plot points made up for it. Likewise, if the solution wasn’t that exciting, the case and key plot points were enough to hold it. Or if all else fails, the celebrity guest star made up for everything. In this season, for every great one like Mr. Monk and the Naked Man there was an anemic Mr. Monk and the Man Who Shot Santa Claus. 

While our key cast of Shalhoub, Ted Levine, Traylor Howard, and Jason Gray-Stanford continue giving it their best, it’s the celebrity guest stars that often outshine the key cast. Sarah Silverman returns but this time as a deranged Monk-obsessed fan. Diedrich Bader is hilarious as the titular Naked Man with Alfred Molina in a small side role. Larry Miller returns as the hilariously terrible lawyer (seriously, he should have had a more recurring guest spot on the show), With Peter Stormare and Scott Glenn making memorable appearances. It's too bad Jodi Foster couldn't have stopped by, she, Glenn, and Ted Levine could have had a mini-reunion.

While I’m not as excited about Monk: Season Six as I was for past seasons, I will say the show is still damned good entertainment. The problem for a great show that ran eight seasons is maintaining quality for the duration. Eventually, all shows fade from their high glory days. The special thing about Monk is that point came late in the run, and even then it never got so bad you questioned why you were still watching. I could argue this is a kind of mediocre season, but that’s by Monk standards. By normal television standards, this is still a great show. 4/5

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray 
Mr. Monk and the Sixth Season arrives on Blu-ray with a new four-disc set from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. All sixteen episodes are spread over four Region A BD-50 discs. The discs are housed in a multi-disc case with identical slipcover artwork. The inside of the case insert lists each episode, plot, and guest stars. The discs load to static-image main menus with standard navigation options.

Six reviews in and I’m starting to sound like a broken record. But a good one! Thanks to the impeccable 4K restorations the series continues its beautiful run on 1080p Blu-ray. Details continue to be excellent allowing all of the fine facial features, clothing textures, and set design work to come through with crystal clarity and a natural film grain veneer. Colors are vibrant with natural primaries and healthy human skin tones. Black levels and contrast are excellent giving each episode a nice sense of depth and dimension. 4.5/5

Continuing from the past discs, each episode rides high with an excellent, active DTS-HD MA 2.0 track. Since it’s a dialog-driven show, it’s not always the most active or adventurous. When and where necessary, action beats spark to life giving the mix some extra heft. To that end, dialog is clean and clear for each episode. Music cues are well prioritized. Mr. Monk Is Up All Night is a particularly excellent mix as he wanders the late-night San Francisco streets making that populated city sound big, and empty, and isolating.

As for the bonus features, we again get a set of archival extras. The nice thing as the series went along, the extra features for the DVDs got better. The Audio commentary for Mr. Monk is Up All Night is a delightful cast and crew effort - especially since it's probably the best episode of the season and ranks as a top episode for the series. The Seven video commentaries are a nice accompaniment, albeit brief and the webisodes continue to be entertaining. 

• Audio Commentary Mr. Monk Is Up All Night featuring Tony Shalhoub, Ted Levine, Jason Gray-Stanford, David Hoberman, and Randall Zisk
• 7 Video Commentaries:
• Mr. Monk and His Biggest Fan with Writer/Executive Producer Andy Breckman (SD 3:46)
• Mr. Monk and the Naked Man with Writers Tom Gammill and Max Pross (SD 5:14)
• Mr. Monk and the Bad Girlfriend with Writer Joe Toplyn (SD 2:50)
• Mr. Monk and the Birds and the Bees with Writer Peter Wolk (SD 4:12)
• Mr. Monk and the Buried Treasure with Writer/Co-Executive Producer Jonathan Collier (SD 1:55)
• Mr. Monk and the Wrong Man with Writer Sal Savo (SD 2:28)
• Mr. Monk Is Up All Night with Writer David Breckman (SD 2:33)
• Five Little Monk Webisodes:
• Little Monk and the Missing Bracelet (SD 4:15)
• Little Monk and the Business Boys (SD 3:30)
• Little Monk and the New Kid (SD 4:18)
• Little Monk and the Rubber Ball (SD 4:13)
• Little Monk and the Monk Cousin (SD 4:48)

Monk: Season Six isn’t the best of the series. But it’s not a terrible season either. As every show hits a point of decline, it’s arguable that this season is when the slide began for Monk. Even with its best episodes behind it, this show still had a lot of fun to offer with great performances, wily cases, and entertaining guest stars. KLSC continues their amazing run with the show giving each episode an excellent A/V presentation while bringing over a nice selection of archival extras. Recommended

Order Your Copy of Monk: Season Six on Blu-ray