What is Monk (TV series)?
{{italictitle}} [[File:Cast of TV series Monk at Edwards AFB.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The [[Actor|cast]] signs [[autograph]]s after filming one of the shows.]] '''''Monk''''' is an [[United States|American]] [[comedy-drama]] [[detective]] [[mystery fiction|mystery]] [[television series]]. It was written for TV by [[Andy Breckman]]. It stars [[Tony Shalhoub]]. The [[show]] was on the air from July 2002 to December 2009. The last episode before the series was cancelled was one of the most-watched in [[cable television]] history.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2009/tv/news/monk-exits-on-record-breaking-high-1118012312/ |title=Series finale attracts almost 9.5 million viewers |author=Michael Schneider |date=2014 |website= |publisher=Variety Media, LLC |accessdate=14 August 2014 }}</ref> Other [[actor]]s in the show were [[Bitty Schram]], [[Jason Gray-Stanford]], [[Ted Levine]] and [[Traylor Howard]]. ==Storyline== Adrian Monk ([[Tony Shalhoub]]) had been a good [[detective]] for the [[San Francisco]] [[police department]]. After his wife Trudy was killed by a [[car bomb]], Monk had a [[nervous breakdown]]. He was too upset and afraid to work. He was then let go by the police department. After that he stayed inside his [[house]] for many years. He finally began to go outside his house; but only with the help of his [[nurse]], Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram). He could only go places when she went with him to protect him from his [[fear]]s. This let him do some work as a [[Detective|private detective]]. He still has a severe case of [[obsessive-compulsive disorder]]. Sometimes, the obsessive-compulsive disorder helps him figure out the answers to clues in cases. He has a great [[memory]] for details. Since he was a child, Monk has been able to notice small things that others miss. Monk has to have everything clean and spends a lot of his day cleaning over and over. He also has a fear of [[germ]]s.<ref name=Crawford29>Mark Crawford, ''The Obsessive Compulsive Trap: Real Help for a Real Struggle'' (Ventura, CA: