That's exactly why Monk never grew on me despite the obvious entertainment qualities. The show literally owes its existence to Columbo. Being inspired is okay, especially when it comes to how Monk presents himself in a clumsy and awkward manner. But when you add such stories and gotchas to the equation, what have we got left to judge this by?
I can't speak for people who have never seen Columbo, but for us devout buffs of that milestone show, Monk has little to offer as a mind game. The clues and the reasoning are so basic that one wonders why these cops even need someone like Monk to solve the crime.
I know, I know... This is not to be taken seriously as it's nothing more than a detective comedy. But we actually HAVE seen great shows like Moonlighting which have managed to be extremely original.
From Natalie's perfume smelling to the bite on the chocolate covered strawberry, every bit of information we are fed places us too much ahead of the investigation. I mean, you need to pay absoultely NO attention to be surprised by such gotchas!
Okay, it's a decent show. But I simply refuse to elevate it to the level of classics like Columbo OR very recent, highly successful examples of the genre like HPI.
I can't speak for people who have never seen Columbo, but for us devout buffs of that milestone show, Monk has little to offer as a mind game. The clues and the reasoning are so basic that one wonders why these cops even need someone like Monk to solve the crime.
I know, I know... This is not to be taken seriously as it's nothing more than a detective comedy. But we actually HAVE seen great shows like Moonlighting which have managed to be extremely original.
From Natalie's perfume smelling to the bite on the chocolate covered strawberry, every bit of information we are fed places us too much ahead of the investigation. I mean, you need to pay absoultely NO attention to be surprised by such gotchas!
Okay, it's a decent show. But I simply refuse to elevate it to the level of classics like Columbo OR very recent, highly successful examples of the genre like HPI.