I watched Monk on the USA Network when it first started, and then left it for a while. Today the Sleuth Channel showed the last 5 or 6 episodes. The fact that the show ran for 8 seasons and ended on its own terms with one of the best conclusions I've ever watched is a real testament to its cast and writers, especially Tony Shaloub and Traylor Howard. The premise was that this brilliant detective had so many debilitating phobia's, OCDs and personal ticks as the result of a nervous breakdown following his wife's murder, that he could only function with the support of a full-time assistant and the Captain of the San Francisco Police homicide department. He has a decent, kind personality but it's buried under so many compulsions and annoying phobias and habits that it's hard to watch sometimes. I think that's probably why I lost track of the show after the first few seasons. But over the past few months, I've been recording all the episodes as they've been replayed, just to say I've seen them. That's one of my own little OCDs, which has become possible since I retired.