The BEST Episodes of Monk
Every episode ever - ranked by fan votes!
Last Updated: Feb 23, 2021
Network: USA Network
An ex-cop suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder solves crimes with various (and usually exasperated) sidekicks. The 'defective detective' may have an abundance of phobias (heights, crowds, and even milk), but also razor-sharp deductive skills, which he uses to help the San Francisco police with especially baffling cases.
#1 - Mr. Monk and the End (2)
Season 8 - Episode 16 - Aired Dec 4, 2009
After listening to Trudy's last message, Monk finally discovers who killed his wife. Racing against time before he dies of poison, he must make a fateful decision.
8.85 
#2 - Mr. Monk and the End (1)
Season 8 - Episode 15 - Aired Nov 27, 2009
Monk is called to a murder at the location where he first heard of his wife's murder, and while Monk figures out who the assassin is, he doesn't know that the one who ordered the hit is also responsible for the death of Trudy. Knowing that Monk will eventually put all the pieces together, he orders Monk's death, and when all hope seems lost, Monk discovers something which could finally end his 12-year nightmare.
8.28 
#3 - Mr. Monk Is on the Run (2)
Season 6 - Episode 16 - Aired Feb 22, 2008
Stottlemeyer must keep up the pretense that Monk is dead, while Adrian tries to determine who framed him for murder.
8.12 
#4 - Mr. Monk Meets the Candidate (2)
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired Jul 12, 2002
Adrian Monk, a former San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) detective, comes out of forced retirement to investigate the murder of a politician's bodyguard and learns that there is more at play than meets the eye, especially after discovering secrets involving the candidate's wife (Gail O'Grady) and campaign manager (Ben Bass).
8.04 
#5 - Mr. Monk's 100th Case
Season 7 - Episode 7 - Aired Sep 5, 2008
As Monk and his friends watch a TV news magazine piece on the solution of his hundredth case, he realizes that one of the victims was murdered by a different killer.
8.00 
#6 - Mr. Monk and the Three Pies
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired Jan 23, 2004
During the investigation into a carjacking over a cherry pie, Adrian is called by his estranged agoraphobic brother Ambrose (John Turturro), who is convinced that his next-door neighbor murdered his wife. Adrian must rebuild his relationship with Ambrose while investigating the neighbor at the same time.
7.99 
#7 - Mr. Monk Fights City Hall
Season 7 - Episode 16 - Aired Feb 20, 2009
Monk becomes involved in the disappearance of a city official that could have ramifications concerning Trudy's murder.
7.98 
#8 - Happy Birthday, Mr. Monk
Season 8 - Episode 9 - Aired Oct 16, 2009
Natalie tries to throw a surprise party for her surprise-hating boss, who is busy trying to solve the murder of a maintenance man.
7.98 
#9 - Mr. Monk Is on the Run (1)
Season 6 - Episode 15 - Aired Feb 15, 2008
Monk is arrested for murder, and finds that he has to go on the lam to clear himself.
7.98 
#10 - Mr. Monk and the Garbage Strike
Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired Jul 14, 2006
Monk finds himself adrift in an ocean of filth when a garbage strike brings San Francisco to a halt...and Adrian to near-paralysis.
7.94 
#11 - Mr. Monk Bumps His Head
Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired Jan 20, 2006
Suffering from amnesia, Monk wakes up believing he is the husband of an eccentric resident of a small town.
7.94 
#12 - Mr. Monk Goes to the Bank
Season 6 - Episode 12 - Aired Jan 18, 2008
One of Monk's treasured possessions is stolen from a safety deposit box, and he'll go to any length to solve the case.
7.93 
#13 - Mr. Monk Takes the Stand
Season 8 - Episode 5 - Aired Sep 11, 2009
Monk and the police have a killer right where they want him... until the case goes to court and a hotshot lawyer demolishes the prosecution as he uses Monk's phobias against them
7.93 
#14 - Mr. Monk Meets the Candidate (1)
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired Jul 12, 2002
Adrian Monk, a former San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) detective, comes out of forced retirement to investigate the murder of a politician's bodyguard and learns that there is more at play than meets the eye, especially after discovering secrets involving the candidate's wife (Gail O'Grady) and campaign manager (Ben Bass).
7.91 
#15 - Mr. Monk and the Red-Headed Stranger
Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired Oct 11, 2002
Country superstar Willie Nelson is arrested for murder, but Monk thinks he is innocent.
7.91 
#16 - Mr. Monk and the Kid
Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired Mar 4, 2005
After twenty-two-month-old Tommy Graser finds a severed finger and gives it to a policeman, Monk walks through the park with Tommy trying to retrace the child's steps. He finds no body or other incriminating evidence, but he does discover a surprising affection for the placid and intelligent toddler, who constantly repeats Monk's name and quietly submits to having his hands wiped when he touches "nature". A lab technician identifies the finger as that of a twenty-five-year-old man, and Monk deduces from a callus that the young man played the violin. After visiting the home of Daniel Carlyle, a musician who fits this description, Monk concludes that Daniel's mother and her other son, Jason, killed Daniel and that Jason is masquerading as his brother. Meanwhile, little Tommy is temporarily removed from the custody of his foster parents, and Monk surprises everyone, including himself, by volunteering to care for him for two weeks until his new adoptive parents can take him. With Tommy in...
7.89 
#17 - Mr. Monk and the Badge
Season 8 - Episode 14 - Aired Nov 20, 2009
Monk is put in charge of tracking down a serial killer.
7.85 
#18 - Mr. Monk Is the Best Man
Season 8 - Episode 13 - Aired Nov 13, 2009
Monk must determine who is trying to ruin a friend's wedding.
7.83 
#19 - Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired Aug 16, 2002
A billionaire computer mogul is shot dead while mugging a couple outside a movie theater, and a uniformed officer later is seen fleeing the scene. While the press hound the police about the identity of "Fraidy Cop", Monk investigates what at first appears to be a midlife crisis gone horribly wrong–until he finds out that the two cases are connected.
7.82 
#20 - Mr. Monk's Other Brother
Season 7 - Episode 10 - Aired Jan 9, 2009
When Monk's delinquent half-brother, Jack Jr., escapes from prison and breaks into Monk's apartment, he manipulates Monk into helping him find the person he claims framed him for murder.
7.81 
#21 - Mr. Monk and the Really, Really Dead Guy
Season 5 - Episode 15 - Aired Feb 23, 2007
When the mysterious “Six Way Killer” strikes in San Francisco, Monk matches his detective skills against the flashy forensic technology of a federal agent as they both pursue the murderer.
7.80 
#22 - Mr. Monk and the Three Julies
Season 6 - Episode 13 - Aired Jan 25, 2008
Monk searches for a killer who is apparently targeting women with the name Julie, a name which Natalie's daughter shares.
7.77 
#23 - Mr. Monk and the Airplane
Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired Oct 18, 2002
Monk braves the unfriendly skies–and finds murder in the air. No one believes him except for Randy, who provides aid back in San Francisco. While in the air, Monk must deal with his fear of flight, a flight attendant (Brooke Adams), a zealous extension cord salesman (Garry Marshall), and Tim Daly.
7.77 
#24 - Mr. Monk and the Magician
Season 7 - Episode 15 - Aired Feb 13, 2009
When a friend of Monk's is killed, Monk believes that a magician is responsible and a battle of wits and sleight-of-hand ensue.
7.76 
#25 - Mr. Monk Goes to a Fashion Show
Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired Jan 13, 2006
Monk is facing a crisis: he's down to five shirts. But Inspector No. 8, the only shirt inspector who can meet Monk's criteria for perfection, is not up to her usual standards. Sensing that something is wrong, Monk visits No. 8 on the job. The inspector, Maria Ortiz, informs him that her son, Pablo, has been imprisoned for murdering a fashion model, but she's certain that he's innnocent. Monk is chiefly concerned about his shirts, but Natalie persuades him to talk to Pablo because "it's the right thing to do." The conversation uncovers just one clue: Pablo can't read English. When Monk realizes that the killer must have been able to read an emergency exit sign, he's convinced that Pablo is innocent despite the DNA evidence used to convict him. With Stottlemeyer and Disher in tow, Monk and Natalie attempt to talk to the model's former roommate and the fashion designer she worked for, Julian Hodge. But now there's a new problem: Hodge wants thirteen-year-old Julie to model for him. Watching the rehearsal for a fashion show in which Julie will make her debut, Monk discovers a clue that points him to the real killer. When another supermodel is found dead, it's imperative that Monk find new evidence to prove his suspect guilty of both murders and set Pablo free – and for Natalie to get Julie away from the person committing the murders.
7.74