Monk: Season Seven (Blu-ray Review)

• Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
• Review Date: Feb 12, 2025
• Format: Blu-ray Disc
• 

Director

Various

Release Date(s)

2008-2009 (May 28, 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 sixth season of Monk, which initially aired on the USA Network from July 2007 to February 2008. The show’s popularity was as high as ever as Monk (Tony Shaloub) and the rest of the show’s characters had 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 a changing of the guard for Monk’s previous long-time psychiatrist Dr. Kroger, portrayed by Stanley Kamel, who had sadly passed away. Taking over for him is Dr. Neven Bell, played by Héctor Elizondo. Tim Bagley returns as Harold Krenshaw, Monk’s greatest rival, as does Emmy Clarke as Julie, Natalie’s daughter. Appearing for the final time is Jarrad Paul as Monk’s upstairs neighbor, Kevin Dorfman, and appearing for the very first time is Casper Van Dien as Steven Albright, Natalie’s new love interest. Speaking of Natalie, the main cast of usual suspects returns, including Natalie (Traylor Howard), Monk’s longtime and faithful assistant, Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine), his right hand, Lieutenant Randy Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford), and Melora Hardin as Trudy, whom we see occasionally in flashbacks and photos. This season also highlights Monk’s 100th case via a news magazine TV show, featuring interviews with past characters played by Sarah Silverman, John Turturro, Howie Mandel, Andy Richter, Brooke Adams, Ricardo Chavira, Angela Kinsey, Kathryn Joosten, and David Koechner. Guest stars include Joanna Pacuła, William Atherton, David Strathairn, Brad Garrett, Dina Meyer, Titus Welliver, Gena Rowlands, James Lesure, Noah Emmerich, Robert Loggia, Richard Schiff, Bradley Whitford, Steve Zahn, Evan Peters, Henry Czerny, Julie Bowen, Michael Badalucco, Pamela Adlon, Steve Valentine, Marcus Giamatti, Bob Costas, and Eric McCormack.

Monk continued to see further success, winning multiple awards and 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 seventh season of Monk were shot by cinematographer Joe Pennella 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 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, and 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. All of the episodes are clean, stable, and true to their film-based 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 Seven sits in a blue Amaray case with a double-sided insert, featuring 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 Buys a House (43:20)
2. Mr. Monk and the Genius (43:07)
3. Mr. Monk Gets Lotto Fever (42:52)
4. Mr. Monk Takes a Punch (42:38)

• Video Commentaries:
  • Mr. Monk Buys a House with Andy Breckman (SD – 4:33)
  • Mr. Monk Gets Lotto Fever with Hy Conrad (SD – 4:37)

DISC TWO

5. Mr. Monk Is Underwater (42:51)
6. Mr. Monk Falls in Love (42:32)
7. Mr. Monk’s 100th Case (43:11)
8. Mr. Monk Gets Hypnotized (42:55)

• Video Commentaries:
  • Mr. Monk Is Underwater with Jack Bernstein (SD – 2:46)
  • Mr. Monk Falls in Love with Josh Siegal and Dylan Morgan (SD – 5:18)
  • Mr. Monk’s 100th Case with Tom Scharpling (SD – 3:34)
  • Mr. Monk Gets Hypnotized with Tom Gammill and Max Pross (SD – 3:31)

DISC THREE

9. Mr. Monk and the Miracle (43:16)
10. Mr. Monk’s Other Brother (43:01)
11. Mr. Monk on Wheels (42:06)
12. Mr. Monk and the Lady Next Door (43:06)

• Webisodes:
  • Little Monk and the Geography Bee (HD – 4:00)
  • Little Monk and the Saturday Rehearsal (HD – 4:22)
  • Little Monk and the Balloon (HD – 3:46)
  • Little Monk and the Talent Show (HD – 3:39)
  • Little Monk and the Little Trophy (HD – 4:40)

DISC FOUR

13. Mr. Monk Makes the Playoffs (42:28)
14. Mr. Monk and the Bully (42:57)
15. Mr. Monk and the Magician (43:10)
16. Mr. Monk Fights City Hall (43:05)

• Anatomy of an Episode (SD – 9:02)
• Monk P.I. Promotional Ad (SD – :33)

All of this season’s DVD extras have carried over, offering interviews (or video commentaries) with some of the show’s writers and directors, as well as the Anatomy of an Episode featurette dedicated to the episode Mr. Monk Makes the Playoffs, and a humorous ad for the show’s forthcoming season. In addition, there are also the remaining five webisodes of Little Monk, which was a 2009 web series on the USA Network website, presented here in full HD. It’s a spin-off of sorts, showcasing bite-sized adventures of a young Adrian and Ambrose Monk. As is always the case, every season of Monk on Blu-ray, including Season Seven, is a home run for Kino Lorber. Highly Recommended.

- Tim Salmons

(You can follow Tim on social media at these links: Twitter, Facebook, BlueSky, and Letterboxd. And be sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel here.)