| "Mr. Monk and the Candidate" | |
|---|---|
| Monk episodes | |
 After the death of his wife, Adrian Monk developed obsessive–compulsive disorder and multiple phobias.[1] Monk's fear of heights allows Ian Sykes (left), the shooter, to slip past him on a ladder while escaping from the police. | |
| Episode nos. | Season 1 Episodes 1 & 2 |
| Directed by | Dean Parisot |
| Written by | Andy Breckman |
| Production code | #T-1100[2] |
| Original air date | July 12, 2002 |
| Running time | 79 minutes[3] |
| Guest appearances | |
| Michael Hogan as Warren St. Claire Michelle Addison as Nicole Vasquez Ben Bass as Gavin Lloyd Fred Ewanuick as Jake Vincent Gale as Jesse Goodman Dion Johnstone as Lt. Gitomer Stanley Kamel as Charles Kroger Rob LaBelle as Sheldon Burger Gail O'Grady as Miranda St. Claire Shawn Reis as Ian Sykes Kane Ritchotte as Benjy Fleming Stellina Rusich as Trudy Monk John Sampson as Jason Rondstadt Chris Shyer as Carl | |
"Mr. Monk and the Candidate" is the two-part pilot episode of the American comedy drama detective television series Monk. It introduces the character of Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub), a private detective with obsessive–compulsive disorder and multiple phobias, and his assistant Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram), as well as police officers Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) and Randy Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford). In this episode, Monk investigates an assassination attempt on a mayoral candidate.
First envisioned in 1998, Monk went through development hell due to difficulties to find an actor for the main role. After casting Shalhoub, the series' first episode was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia in 2001. "Mr. Monk and the Candidate" was written by Andy Breckman and directed by Dean Parisot. When the episode first aired in the United States on the USA Network on July 12, 2002, it was watched by 4.8 million viewers. The episode was generally well received by critics, with most of the praise regarding Shalhoub's performance as the title character.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
phobiaswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Mr. Monk and the Candidate – Credits". USA Network. Archived from the original on March 23, 2014.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
postmagwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).