In its series finale, 'Monk' frustrates

USA Network's Monk leaves television tonight with a curious legacy; shuttering one of TV's most original characters trapped inside the most hackneyed show ever.

Watching the 7-year-old series' final episodes this year, it's obvious that Tony Shalhoub's obsessive compulsive detective Adrian Monk needs a rest.

Plot lines are more far-fetched than ever, yet saddled with end game conclusions you can see coming a mile away. The dynamics between characters are well-worn — Ted Levine's exasperated-yet-understanding police Capt. Stottlemeyer, Traylor Howard's exasperated-yet-understanding personal assistant Natalie Teeger, and so on.

But Shalhoub has always shined as a brilliant detective and former police officer crippled by obsessive compulsive disorder after his wife's murder. Originally positioned as a nettlesome outsider poking at cases the cops thought they already understood, the role is a perfect showcase for the actor's awesome physical comedy chops and great situational laughs.

Monk also proved to be the leading edge of cable TV's growing dominance over the broadcast networks. Debuting in 2002 a few months after FX's landmark cop drama The Shield, Monk helped show original dramas could thrive on cable, earning Emmy nominations for Shalhoub and occasional airings on ABC.

Last week, USA unveiled the first of a two-part finale, in which Monk is given a slow-acting poison just as he stands on the verge of solving his wife Trudy's long-ago murder. Coach alum Craig T. Nelson is the good natured judge on the verge of a big promotion who looks suspicious, and just as last week's episode ended, Monk stumbled on a videotape left by his wife that might explain why she's dead.

As the show airs its final episode, here's the most frustrating things that remain about a show I still love to hate:

The stars and guest stars: Levine gave a generation nightmares as serial killer Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs. Monk's therapist Dr. Neven Bell is played by Hector Elizondo, an Obie and Emmy-winning actor who has appeared in more than 80 films. The show's guest stars have included John Turturro, Jon Favreau, Stanley Tucci and Sarah Silverman. But too often, these great guests stars are stuck in predictable stories and cartoonish situations.

The plots: TV mysteries too often tie themselves in knots these days, struggling to present conceivable crimes that savvy audiences can't predict halfway through the episode. But Monk's plots – a window washer-turned-cop killer two weeks ago had me pulling out hairs – feel so outlandish they're beyond silly.

The end: It feels odd that the murder that turned Monk into a basket case for years is wrapped up in just two episodes, including tonight's finale. Viewers last week did finally get to see flashbacks to Trudy's final day alive, with lots of foreshadowing that she knew something awful was coming. Still, this feels too fast and too slight, an oddly appropriate finish for a show that ultimately relied too much on a signature character to break new ground anywhere else.

Eric Deggans can be reached at (727) 893-8521 or deggans@sptimes.com. See The Feed blog at blogs.tampabay.com/media.

Lambert is dropped again

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