Moderately entertaining show whose premise is borrowed from the bill pullman/ben stiller vehicle "the zero effect". Like Darryl Zero, Adrian Monk is chock full o'nuttiness, which, supposedly, is compensated for by his almost supernatural ability to process physical evidence and instanteously process and quantify discrepancies. But that is where the similarity ends. The wimpy monk is totally dependant on his hapless nurse. More rain man than columbo, his obsessive compulsive disorder seems to be injected into story lines that writers can't seem to agree on. And unlike the fine Zero Effect with its richly drawn characters and constant allusions to Noir, this show relentlessly sticks to the low road. The most interesting aspect of this show is that ABC has decided it's a good replacment for the now cancelled "philly," a show several magnitudes of quality above Monk. Go figure.
Review of Mr. Monk and the Candidate
