Monk: Obsessive Compulsive Coll - Seasons 1-4 [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Sherlock Holmes, Columbo, Hercule Poirot -- genius detectives are usually a bit quirky. But no other is as quirky as Adrian Monk, the obsessive-compulsive detective.

"Monk: The Obsessive Compulsive Collection" compiles the first four seasons of this funny, likable little mystery series. Tony Shalhoub shines as everyone's favorite obsessive-compulsive detective, solving the case with his gift/curse and his willingness to go anywhere... that doesn't have germs.

Adrian Monk's wife Trudy was killed in a car-bombing, and the devastated detective fell apart completely. Years later, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is partially recovered, but he still is obsessive-compulsive and has dozens of phobias. The only way he manages is with his assistant Sharona (Bitty Schram) -- and later her successor Natalie (Traylor Howard) -- babysitting him.

When a politician is nearly killed in a mystery shooting, the police are baffled. So Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) reluctantly calls in his old pal to solve the case. From then on, Monk is called in for dozens of bizarre, baffling cases. His excellent memory and his OCD ("It's a gift.... and a curse") allow him to see patterns and details where other people see nothing.

Among Monk's cases are going undercover at a prison, a killer dentist, a deadly Christmas gift, an elephant used as a lethal weapon, a billionaire mugger, saving Willie Nelson from a murder rap, trapping a black widow, the death of a 115-year-old man, the Mafia, martial-artists, murdered models, and a guy who leaped out of a plane -- and died by drowning.

But as quirky and bizarre as the cases is, it never stops hitting the heartstrings. Monk is still passionately devoted to his dead wife; in the whole series, he goes on two dates (both disastrous). He also becomes attached to a little boy and even tries to adopt him, and it's a credit to this show's writers that the ending of that episode isn't maudlin or sappy.

"Monk" is the sort of show that usually gets cancelled after five episodes -- it's well-written, amusing, and smart. So by TV standards, lasting four seasons is nothing short of miraculous. Like any long-running show it has its duds ("Mr. Monk Takes His Medicine" always makes me cringe), but the overall series shows no signs of decline in all four seasons.

There are gunfights and SWAT teams, like on any cop show, but the main focus here is on detecting. And the writers are skilled at coming up with all sorts of bizarre or unsolvable crimes, which only Monk could unravel. Not to mention the dialogue, which leans heavily on dry humour ("There's an old saying: 'Don't change anything, ever." "That's an old saying?" "I've been saying it for years...")

But the series wouldn't be what it is without Tony Shalhoub. He played weird roles in movies like MIB and "Galaxy Quest," and so he knows how to balance out Monk's weirdness and genius without leaning too heavily on either. When told to sit on the ground, he says nervously, "I can't. Animals do things on the ground. Terrible, terrible things."

Schram and Howard are both good as his assistants, and they're similar without being TOO alike -- one was a hardened New York gal, and the other is a rebel rich girl with a checkered employment past. And Levine and Jason Gray-Stanford round off the cast as genial cop Stottlemeyer and his earnest (if slightly goofy) sidekick Disher.

"Monk: The Obsessive-Compulsive Collection" shows us all of this excellent show (so far), with its uniquely appealing hero. It's a gift... and a curse.

Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is a former San Francisco police detective. He's suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder and multiple phobias his entire life. However, after the murder of his wife, he got so bad he couldn't face the world. That's when Sharona (Bitty Schram) entered his life. She's a nurse who helps him deal with the world around him. With her help, he begins to face the world again. Since being a detective is all he knows, he assists his former partner Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) and Lt. Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) solve their most puzzling crimes.

And they regularly seem to have some pretty puzzling cases. Why was a millionaire shot while mugging someone? How did an 800-pound man commit murder? How did a man send a letter bomb while in a coma? Why are the members of a jury being killed? Is a martial arts star alive or dead? Did a monkey commit murder? Who killed the pizza delivery guy? How did an astronaut commit murder from space?

And did I mention this show is a comedy? Along with a great puzzle, you also get plenty of laughs. Each week, Monk must deal with some quirk in order to solve the case. Maybe it's the little things, like straightening a stack of papers while fleeing a burning building, or something bigger like chasing a criminal through the sewer.

But there is a balance to the show. While we might be laughing at Monk in one scene, we're sympathizing with him the next. This is a real person, brought to life expertly by three-time Emmy winner Tony Shalhoub. And he's deserved all three wins for this role. He's supported by the rest of the cast, who also shine every week.

Along the way, Sharona left, to be replaced by Natalie (Traylor Howard). While some have never warmed to her, I find I love her just as much if not more then Sharona.

So what do you get with this set? 59 hour long episodes and the two-hour pilot. The set has a few extras, but at only five minutes each, they hardly go in depth. But the shows themselves are well worth buying the set for.

The price can fluctuate. Sometimes, this is a better deal then buying the sets individually, sometimes not. Since you don't get anything special by buying the sets together, be sure you check that out.

Either way, be sure to check out this show. It's the most fun you'll have watching murder on TV today.

Beware of multiseries on amazon, for some reason lots of them with no extra features then the single seasons are 40-60$ more expensive then if you buy the seasons separately.

That said monk is great