[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie. In addition, this article includes discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation.]
When writing Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie, original series creator Andy Breckman tells Consequence that “my mandate from Tony [Shalhoub] and the rest of the creative team was this shouldn’t be just another episode of Monk. This should feel larger in every sense of the word.”
And thus, the feature-length film, reuniting anxious detective Adrian Monk (Shalhoub) with his longtime friends, explores a complicated case involving a tech billionaire (James Purefoy) and Monk’s beloved step-daughter Molly (Caitlin McGee). In addition, it takes a much darker tone from the long-running USA Network procedural, because from the earliest scenes it’s clear something is wrong with Adrian Monk: Specifically, he’s experiencing a great deal of suicidal ideation, with a full-scale plan to die by suicide on a designated date.
Shalhoub says that “before the script, Andy pitched the idea to us, and it was a startling pitch, his whole premise about Monk being in such a dark place. We’ve taken him down dark roads during the eight seasons, but never to this degree. But I felt that that was right, because it changed a whole landscape for us. And, knowing Andy as well as I do, I trusted that he would be able to balance the darker aspects with great comedic bits too, which he did, gave us all the opportunity to play fun stuff, too. So yeah, I thought it was a really good idea.”
The reason Breckman wanted to put Monk on this path was that “we wanted the stakes to be higher, and we wanted the movie to feel urgent and maybe more topical.” In addition, Mr. Monk’s Last Case very much takes place in the aftermath of COVID-19, and as Breckman notes, “The pandemic sort of put everybody in a darker place. And Monk is more sensitive to these things than most.”
The comparison point Breckman made when discussing it with Shalhoub was It’s a Wonderful Life. “It is a heartwarming, ultimately uplifting movie, but the premise is a man who was about to off himself. So I just thought that was a brilliant stroke,” Shalhoub says.
“It’s a Wonderful Life proved that it could be done,” Breckman says. “You could go to dark places…”
“And still have ultimately have it be something hopeful and life-affirming,” Shalhoub finishes.
Breckman also jokes that “I had the presence of mind to wait for Tony to be very, very tired before I pitched — I woke him up at three in the morning. That I recommend that to any writer.”
Shalhoub says that digging into Monk’s darker state of mind was “the red meat of the work. I mean, you hope for something that’s challenging, something that feels true, with other actors that you get so much from, speaking words that are beautifully wrought and carefully crafted over a long time period. And so it’s a challenge in one way, but it’s so satisfying and kind of invigorating, really, to sink your teeth into it.”
With Mr. Monk’s Last Case already out in the world, Breckman says that the fan reaction has been positive. “I was most worried about our hardcore fans, the Monk-aholics — I wanted to make sure that they were happy with revisiting this old friend of theirs. And, almost universally, they seemed to be very glad.”
The Monk-aholics did comment on the darker tone, but Breckman says that “I think people feel we’ve earned it, because of the pandemic. We couldn’t ignore the pandemic. Everybody feels like they kind of slid backwards during the pandemic, and I think Monk, more than most, was in crisis, and everyone can relate to where he was.”
In addition, Breckman notes, “we gave them, hopefully, some hope at the end. A life-affirming ending.” For, despite Monk’s deliberate planning over the course of the film, Mr. Monk’s Last Case ultimately ends with Monk deciding to live, in part thanks to the reminder that there are still plenty of unsolved cases out there that could use his attention.
This does open up the possibility of sequels, and Breckman says that “We’ve very consciously left the door open at the end of this movie, and we’ll see what happens. I have an idea that I’m actually excited about for the next part of this journey. And if Peacock would like to hear my idea, they have my number. I’m just sitting by the phone staring at the phone.”
Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie is streaming now on Peacock.
If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or know someone who is, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
