Monk: Season Five (Blu-ray Review)

• Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
• Review Date: Dec 13, 2024
• Format: Blu-ray Disc
• 

Director

Various

Release Date(s)

2006-2007 (March 26, 2024)

Studio(s)

Mandeville Films/Touchstone Television/USA Cable Entertainment (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)

• Film/Program Grade: B+
• Video Grade: A
• Audio Grade: A-
• Extras Grade: C

Review

Adrian Monk, the obsessive-compulsive, phobic, and lovable police detective, returns for another series of investigations while strengthening the bonds between his friends and colleagues in the fifth season of Monk, which initially aired on the USA Network from July 2006 to March 2007. The show’s popularity was as high as ever as Monk (Tony Shaloub) and the rest of the show’s characters hit their creative stride, with Monk continuing to deal with his sometimes unbearable OCD, yet always haunted by the tragic death of his late wife, Trudy.

For this season, we see some returning characters, including Monk’s rival Harold Krenshaw, played by Tim Bagley, and his annoying neighbor Kevin Dorffman, played by Jarrad Paul. Stottlemeyer, now divorced, moves next door to Linda Fusco, played by Sharon Lawrence, who becomes his girlfriend, and we meet Monk’s father Jack for the first time, played by Dan Hedaya, reconciling with him after years adrift from each other. We also see Natalie navigating the dating world and delve into Randy’s role as Stottlemeyer’s right-hand man, attempting to be a better detective than he is. Returning as always is Stanley Kamel as Monk’s psychiatrist Dr. Charles Kroger, who also sees some growth, and the always present but still deceased Trudy (Melora Hardin), a constant part of Monk’s every day existence. Guest stars include Sean Astin, Steven Weber, Andy Richter, Brooke Adams (her third appearance), David DeLuise, Tom Everett, Cynthia Stevenson, Reginald VelJohnson, Charles Durning, Dan Butler, Ricardo Chavira, Alice Cooper, Peter Weller, Catherine Bach, Sandra Nelson, Dan Hedaya, Chi McBride, Danny Woodburn, Brian McNamara, Art Evans, Sarah Brown, and Lawrence O’Donnell. There’s also a pre-fame appearance by a young Jennifer Lawrence, and an Emmy-winning performance by Stanley Tucci.

Monk would see further success and go on to win multiple awards, eventually becoming the “highest-rated series in cable history” at the time. Today, the show stands as one of the most popular TV series of all time and continues to garner new fans, thanks in no small part to a small but likable cast of characters, chief among them Adrian Monk, played perfectly by Tony Shaloub.

All sixteen episodes of the fifth season of Monk were shot by cinematographers Anthony R. Palmieri and Tom Priestley Jr. on Super 35mm film with Panavision cameras and lenses, finished on HDCAM SR videotape, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Kino Lorber Studio Classics brings the show to Blu-ray for the first time using new 4K masters created by NBC/Universal from the original camera negatives, framed at 1.78:1, and presented on dual-layered BD-50 discs. As with the previous seasons, the overall look of the show is organic and much sharper than any disc-based presentations that have come before it. Each disc features bitrates that range from 25 to 35Mbps, sometimes dipping to 20Mbps or lower on disc three due to the amount of content authored for that disc, but every episode is crisp with excellent detail and color, as well as solid levels of grain. The palette offers a nice variety of hues with deep blacks and good contrast. Every episode is clean, stable, and true to its source.

Audio is included in English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. It’s not a mind-blowing sound experience, but it offers good separation with plenty of push for dialogue, sound effects, and score. It’s more than satisfactory.

The 4-Disc Blu-ray release of Monk: Season Five sits in a blue Amaray case with a double-sided insert, featuring the episode titles and their synopses on the opposite side. Everything is housed in a slipcover featuring the same artwork. The following episodes and extras are included on each disc:

DISC ONE

1. Mr. Monk and the Actor (43:23)
2. Mr. Monk and the Garbage Strike (43:13)
3. Mr. Monk and the Big Game (43:06)
4. Mr. Monk Can’t See a Thing (43:09)

DISC TWO

5. Mr. Monk Private Eye (43:01)
6. Mr. Monk and the Class Reunion (43:08)
7. Mr. Monk Gets a New Shrink (42:00)
8. Mr. Monk Goes to a Rock Concert (41:37)

DISC THREE

9. Mr. Monk Meets His Dad (42:33)
10. Mr. Monk and the Leper (Black & White) (43:10)
    • With Optional Introduction by Tony Shalhoub (SD – :37)
10. Mr. Monk and the Leper (Color) (43:04)
    • With Optional Introduction by Ted Levine and Jason Gray-Stanford (SD – :58)
11. Mr. Monk Makes a Friend (43:09)
12. Mr. Monk Is at Your Service (43:15)

• Audio Commentary for Mr. Monk and the Leper (Black & White) with David Hoberman, Andy Breckman, Randy Zisk, Sarah Joy Brown, Tony Shalhoub, Traylor Howard, Jason Gray-Stanford, and Ted Levine

DISC FOUR

13. Mr. Monk Is on the Air (43:18)
14. Mr. Monk Visits a Farm (43:05)
15. Mr. Monk and the Really, Really Dead Guy (41:57)
16. Mr. Monk Goes to the Hospital (43:01)

• Mr. Monk and Dr. Kroger (Webisode) (SD – 1:56)
• Mr. Monk and the Computer (Webisode) (SD – 2:00)
• Mr. Monk and the Blood Test (Webisode) (SD – 2:07)
• Mr. Monk Goes to the Gym (Webisode) (SD – 1:43)

The standard definition extras from the original DVD release have carried over, and they include some gems, including both the original black and white and syndicated color versions of the episode Mr. Monk and the Leper, which also comes with a commentary by the cast and crew for the black and white version. Also included are four webisodes of the show, which are brief but fun. It’s a refreshing change from the previous bland featurette-based extras on past releases. As always, Monk: Season Five on Blu-ray is a home run for Kino Lorber. Highly recommended.

- Tim Salmons

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