# TV series similar to Monk **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 9, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951 "2012-01-09T18:50:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ultraviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/c77e96/32.png) [@Ultraviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ultraviolet)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951/1 "2012-01-09T18:50:09Z")
I really enjoy watching Monk. I find it to be like “comfort TV” for me, nice and gentle (not gory or disturbing), and quite funny at times. I’ve seen almost all of them and would like something similar to try next. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951/2 "2012-01-09T18:59:16Z")
Try Psych. Similar feel: very light, funny, and focused on clever character interactions and dialogue. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951/3 "2012-01-09T19:05:54Z")
I came in to say Psych, too. This isn’t a detective show, but you might like Eureka too. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951/4 "2012-01-09T19:07:25Z")
Get Columbo from Netflix. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951/5 "2012-01-09T19:18:56Z")
The Mentalist. You might have some gory looking stuff when they show the dead body (I didn’t watch Monk enough to remember how much they showed) but the main character is funny and witty and quite Monk-ish ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951/6 "2012-01-09T19:55:18Z")
Maybe _Castle_? ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951/7 "2012-01-09T20:15:59Z")
Ellery Queen. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951/8 "2012-01-09T20:23:14Z")
I’ll second _Columbo_. Even if you’ve seen them all it’s probably been so many years that you won’t remember them. I’ve sometimes wondered if _Monk_ was inspired by _Columbo_. He’s sort of an anti-Columbo. Columbo was a slob, Monk is a neat freak. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951/9 "2012-01-09T20:26:01Z")
You might also enjoy _Murder She Wrote_. It’s another lighthearted detective show from, I think, the 80s. I think Hallmark might show it sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951/10 "2012-01-09T20:40:35Z")
Poirot? ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951/11 "2012-01-09T20:57:57Z")
Definitely _Castle_, especially the first season. Watch it from the beginning. Maybe _[The Rockford Files](http://www.hulu.com/the-rockford-files)_ or _[Raines](http://www.hulu.com/raines)_. You can watch them for free on [Hulu.com](http://Hulu.com). Not the same kind of humor as _Monk_, but funny nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951/12 "2012-01-09T21:29:55Z")
Life. The TV show, that is, not, like, life - that can be quite gory and disturbing. The lead character is a bit odd and philosophical and the atmosphere is always a little surreal. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951/13 "2012-01-09T22:59:59Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Get Columbo from Netflix. This x 10. My wife and I have been working through all the _Columbo_ episodes and they are amusing and interesting. The biggest difference is that _Columbo_ always begins with the villian committing the crime, so the fun is watching Columbo figure out what you already know and watching the villian squirm. It’s also fun to see the sets and fashions from the 70s and the formerly big-name celebrities doing guest spots. Hello Jack Cassidy! Hello Roddy McDowell! ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951/14 "2012-01-09T23:07:52Z")
Here’s Peter Falk as Columbo saying his catchphrase “just one more thing…” to George Wendt. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/biW9BbWJtQU/hqdefault.jpg "Columbo and "Just One More Thing"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biW9BbWJtQU) ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951/15 "2012-01-09T23:11:33Z")
One thing that was cool about Columbo was that he was this poorly dressed, poorly mannered, slob who worked homicide in the ritziest sections of LA. So he was always dealing with beautiful wealthy people who never had a doubt that they could outwit this lowlife idiot cop. Of course he always won. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951/16 "2012-01-09T23:29:32Z")
> [@Cartoonacy](#): > > Definitely _Castle_, especially the first season. Watch it from the beginning. That might depend on the OP’s criteria for ‘disturbing.’ Some of Castle’s cases, including the first season, were - creepy. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951/17 "2012-01-09T23:42:55Z")
> [@chrisk](#): > > That might depend on the OP’s criteria for ‘disturbing.’ Some of Castle’s cases, including the first season, were - creepy. Creepy, true, but in a “fun” way. I don’t recall any that were graphically gory, like, say, _Bones_, _Fringe_, _CSI_, or \*NCIS \*sometimes get. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951/18 "2012-01-09T23:46:17Z")
I would kinda agree with Columbo, because it’s under-rated, except that as the OP is over ten years old it would have to be a rewatch. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951/19 "2012-01-10T00:00:27Z")
**White Collar** is a good show, too. The main characters are an FBI agent and a reformed(?) counterfeiter/thief/con-man. They work together to solve and prevent crimes. It’s not _quite_ as lighthearted as **Monk** , but it’s still pretty fun most of the time. **Psych** and **Castle** are great choices, too, as others have mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Roadfood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@Roadfood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadfood)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951/20 "2012-01-10T00:16:41Z")
I agree with the suggestions of Columbo. But Psych, not so much. Monk was a reasonably quiet show, whereas Psych constantly screams at the viewers, at least it did the last time I was able to force myself to sit through an episode. True, it’s basically fun and lighthearted, but man I just found myself almost physically drained after it, so I gave up. White Collar was once a nice fun, mostly lighthearted show, but they’ve gone to the dark side. I know that there will (and should) be some tension and not-quite-full-trust between Neal and Peter, but there also should always be mutual respect. That’s what makes a “buddy” show worth watching, the chemistry and respect between the two buddies. But now Neal has made a complete betrayal of every trust that Peter ever had for him. That show is now on my most hated list. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-similar-to-monk/608951.md?page=2)