Monk (TV series)
The series debuted on July 12, 2002, on USA Network. It continued for eight seasons, with the final season concluding on December 4, 2009. The series held the record for the most-watched scripted drama episode in cable television history from 2009 through 2012 (broken by "The Walking Dead") with "Mr. Monk and the End – Part II", its series finale, with 9.4 million viewers, 3.2 million of them in the 18–49 demographic.
List of Monk characters
Jack Monk Sr., played by Dan Hedaya, is Monk's father. He appears in the 2006 Christmas special of season five, "Mr. Monk Meets His Dad." Jack, the father of both Ambrose and Adrian Monk, abandoned his young family while running to pick up an order of Chinese food. Adrian was only eight years old, and his father's abandonment is seemingly the catalyst for both Adrian and Ambrose's psychological illnesses. After leaving, Jack is not heard from for over forty years. During that time, he fathered yet another son, 31‑year‑old Jack Jr. whom Jack proudly brags about to his co-workers as a genius doctor, but he later admits, to Adrian's surprise, that Jack Jr. is an unemployed buffoon who smokes marijuana all day and steals money from his wallet.