“Monk”
I freelanced a script for Monk in its second season and joined the writing staff in Season Three. By Season Eight, the show’s last, I was a co-executive producer. I had contributed to ninety-seven episodes, receiving a writing credit on sixteen of those episodes and sole writing credit on seven.
On the set of “Mr. Monk Takes Manhattan,” Spring 2004.
Monk was primarily shot in Los Angeles, first at Ren-Mar Studios then later at Paramount. An exception was Mr. Monk Takes Manhattan. It was a treat for the New Jersey-based writers to be able to visit the set without getting on a plane. In this scene Monk questions a man playing chess near the Brooklyn Bridge.
My office in the writers’ suite, October 2004
We writers worked in an office building in Summit, New Jersey. The facilities were first-class but I had a long commute, fifty miles each way. I often used the time to brainstorm ideas for the show. The “perfect” murder in “Mr. Monk Gets Stuck in Traffic” came to me as I contemplated a car carrier truck barreling up Interstate 95. A few times, when a blizzard made my commute too dangerous, I spent the night on the futon in the photo.
On the set of “Mr. Monk Gets Cabin Fever,” Malibou Lake, October 2004.
A writer had to be on the set whenever an episode was being shot. The writer “protected the script” by making sure that dialogue and action important to the story were performed as written. The writer also consulted on any script changes the director wanted to make to accommodate the location or the schedule. I often had to write new lines on the spot and the pressure was on because dozens of people were standing around doing nothing until I came up with something that worked. My experience in the fast-paced environment of late-night comedy/talk shows helped.
I peer over the shoulder of Jerry Levine, the director of “Mr. Monk Gets Cabin Fever.”
The cluster of monitors and folding chairs where the director, script supervisor, and others watch the filming is called “video village.” I sat there during takes, headphones on, eyes on the script, monitoring the dialogue.
Riding a “Monk” bike through the writers’ room, August 2006
Every holiday season Tony Shalhoub and the executive producers gave each staff and crew member a fun present. One year it was a customized Monk bicycle. The writers’ office suite was so spacious that we often took our bikes for an indoor spin to clear our heads.
The “Monk” writers’ room in full swing, Spring 2009
The writers all had their preferred spots around the table. For all six seasons the end of the table opposite Monk creator Andy Breckman (in the baseball cap) was mine. I liked having a good view of the corkboard Andy used to outline each episode with file cards.
Thank you thank you! I really love you and your show. Monk was such an exceptional. From the amazing writing, the character development, casting, producing, acting and the directing. In a sea of ‘not bad’ or ‘kinda funny but forgettable’, shows it was a rare gem. Also, what’s not to like about Tony Shaloub – he’s a star.
I’ve been performing for over 15 years – over ten all over Chicago on stages doing Improv, sketch and traditional plays – voice work too. In the last year I’ve embraced my newest passion, crewing on small sets – we shot about a film a month over this past year..also, a lot of writing. I’ve gotten to 1st AD a few, act in a few and DP for one. I love performing but I now know what I want to do: write, direct and produce. I’ve got a few short films getting ready for shot lists, over a dozen sketches and a couple screenplays/treatments started.
I found you today looking for ways to bolster desk pieces before cutting to a spelling bee sketch. I’d love to share it with you sometime, but more than that I really want say a heartfelt ‘thank you’.. From Tri-Star to Letterman, In Living Color (hated to miss an episode), & Leno, to my favorite – Monk. (my first procedural I loved as a kid was Hart to Hart) All this time that I have had all this admiration and I hadn’t known, in ,age part I have been admiring you.
Cheers and thanks much for the belly laughs, the tears and all the smiles.
* Sentence correction:
Thank you thank you! I really love you and your show. Monk was such an exceptional show. From the amazing writing, the character development, casting, producing, acting and the directing. In a sea of ‘not bad’ or ‘kinda funny but forgettable’, shows it was a rare gem. Also, what’s not to like about Tony Shaloub – he’s a star.
I’ve been performing for over 15 years – over ten all over Chicago on stages doing Improv, sketch and traditional plays – voice work too. In the last year I’ve embraced my newest passion, crewing on small sets – we shot about a film a month over this past year..also, a lot of writing. I’ve gotten to 1st AD a few, act in a few and DP for one. I love performing but I now know what I want to do: write, direct and produce. I’ve got a few short films getting ready for shot lists, over a dozen sketches and a couple screenplays/treatments started.
I found you today looking for ways to bolster desk pieces before cutting to a spelling bee sketch. I’d love to share it with you sometime but more than that I really want say a heartfelt ‘thank you’.. All this time I have had all this admiration and I hadn’t known I have been admiring you. From Tri-Star to Letterman, In Living Color (hated to miss an episode), Leno, to my favorite – Monk. (my first procedural I loved as a kid was Hart to Hart)
Cheers and thanks much for the belly laughs, the tears and all the smiles.
Thanks very much to you for saying all those nice things. I’ve been lucky to work on a lot of fun shows that I can be proud of, and I’m really glad to hear you’ve enjoyed watching them. Yes, Tony Shalhoub is amazingly talented, and such a great guy in person. Best of luck with your own adventures in show business!
Cheers!
Did Monk and Natalie really ride the motorcycle in the Bad Girlfriend episode?
Hi, Rose! I don’t know if Monk and Natalie really rode that motorcycle because I wasn’t on the set when the episode was shot in LA; the writers’ offices were in New Jersey.
It’s possible that Natalie rode it because I’ve seen a photo of Traylor Howard on a motorcycle with George Clooney when they were dating:
https://akns-images.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/2014329/rs_634x1024-140429123933-634.howard-clooney.cm.42914.jpg
Hello Joe: Just wanna first say ” GEAT JOB ON THE TV SERIES; MONK LOL!!”. But I had an idea.! Monks therapist Mr. Kroger, has passed a way due to a heart attach. Can you resurface the chilling ending, that MONK has solved that case, revealing that Mr. Krogers mislead son has poisen his father with a medication that triggers a heart attack, but yet become a heart weaping tears falling and memorable. Js.
Hi, Bruce. Thanks for your kind words about “Monk”! The show was so much fun to work on. I’m like you…I still come up with story ideas for it. I’m afraid they’ll have to live on only in our imaginations. If you’re eager to spend more time with the Obsessive Compulsive Detective, might I suggest reading the “Monk” novels?
Hello, Mr. Toplyn!
Can you please tell some Monk stories written by the autors, but then never shot?
And also something about impression of your contribution with the great actors: Tony Shalhoub, Ted Levine and Stanley Kamel.
As far as I know, only one “Monk” script was ever written but not shot. It was a murder mystery set on an ocean liner. It turned out that we could not get permission to shoot on any ocean liners and the only ship we could get permission to use was too small. We were very disappointed we weren’t able to send Monk off to sea.
Tony, Ted, and Stanley were pleasures to work with. More than that, they cared deeply about their characters. They protected their characters and let us writers know when we wrote something that seemed “off-character.”
Thanks a lot for your answers!!! Good luck to you!
Very cool to see you wrote for Monk! Which seven are your sole credits? Which one are you most proud of?
I received sole credit on these episodes:
— Voodoo Curse
— Bad Girlfriend
— Really, Really Dead Guy
— Genius
— Cobra
— Missing Granny
— Little Monk
I like them all but I’d have to say my two favorites are Voodoo Curse and Really, Really Dead Guy. I think those mysteries are particularly unusual and Monk-like. But next week I might have a different opinion.
Thanks for your interest!
Hello Mr. Toplyn,
Just found this piece today. I am a Monkaphile who has seen and studied the shows for a couple of years now. I want to thank you and the writing staff for these smart pieces of writing that entertain, educate and inspire. Of your list of 7, 4 are among my very favorite: “Bad Girlfriend,” “Genius,” “MIssing Granny,” and “Little Monk.” Not only are they concepts terrific, but the dialog captures the characters perfectly.
I found it interesting that the writers worked in NJ while the show filmed in LA. Can you tell why this happened? How did they decide which write came to set for each episode?
A huge appreciative fan,
Carol Bawer
Thanks so much for your kind words, Carol. “Monk” was a ton of fun to write; I’m very happy to hear it’s also fun to watch.
We wrote the series in New Jersey because show creator Andy Breckman lived there. This article talks more about the relationship beween series and state:
https://patch.com/new-jersey/summit/monk-pays-tribute-to-summit
In the early seasons, the writers would take turns flying to LA and staying there for a month or so to provide writing services on set. Generally, a writer of one of the episodes in production would be the one to fly out. For example, I was pleased to be able to help out on set when “Little Monk” was being shot.
In the later seasons, writer David Breckman, who lived in LA, was the writer on set for most of the episodes.
Thanks again!
Best,
Joe