Tag / USA

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Book 30 (of 52) – Mr. Monk Is Miserable

Mr. Monk Is Miserable – Lee Goldberg

On their way home from Germany, Natalie coerces Mr. Monk to stop in Paris for a real vacation.  When he finds a recently murdered skull in the famous catacombs, however, their vacation once again turns into a work trip.  When the skull is identified and tied back a crime in San Francisco, Captain Stottlemeyer and Lt. Disher join them in the city of lights, looking for the mysterious killer.

Mr. Monk Is Miserable is the seventh of 18 novels based on the USA Network dramedy that ran from 2002 to 2009 from series writer Lee Goldberg. This outing once again over exaggerates Monk’s reactions everyday occurrences way beyond what would be seen in the show and again adds in a pair of local Parisian detectives who are thinly veined copies of Stottlemeyer and Disher, but also eventually brings in the real deal, which helped this outing feel like a closer fir with the television series. I’ve got eleven more of these books waiting for me, so hopefully this upward trend continues.

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Book 3 (of 52) – Mr. Monk Goes To Germany

Lee Goldberg – Mr. Monk Goes to Germany

When Dr. Kroger heads to a conference in Germany, Monk suddenly finds himself unable to function.  He decides the only way forward is to head to Germany himself so he can continue his sessions.  While there, he comes across a man with six fingers, who he immediately suspects of having murdered his wife. But when a real-life murder takes place, Monk and Natalie work with the local police to find the killer in exchange for their help in finding the six-fingered man.

Mr. Monk Goes to Germany is the sixth of 18 novels based on the USA Network dramedy that ran from 2002 to 2009 from series writer Lee Goldberg. This outing once again over exaggerates Monk’s reactions everyday occurrences way beyond what would be seen in the show and adds in a pair of local German detectives who are thinly veined copies of Stottlemeyer and Disher.  I’ve got twelve more of these books waiting for me and, unfortunately, they seem to be trending in the wrong direction.

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Book 45 (of 52) – Mr. Monk In Outer Space

Lee Goldberg – Mr. Monk in Outer Space

When the creator of a legendary cult science fiction show is murdered outside of a hotel convention center, Monk is brought in to solve the case.  Thanks to some unexpected help from his brother Ambrose, Monk is able to tie this murder to another case and identifies the true killer.

Mr. Monk in Outer Space is the fifth of 18 novels based on the USA Network dramedy that ran from 2002 to 2009 from series writer Lee Goldberg. Once again told from the perspective of Natalie, the book over exaggerates Monk’s reactions to some everyday things beyond what would be seen in the show but also hits close to home as an attendee at many comic cons in the past.  I’ve got thirteen more of these books waiting for me, which I’m sure I’ll get to sooner rather than later.

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Book 25 (of 52) – Mr. Monk And The Two Assistants

Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants – Lee Goldberg

Monk learns that Sharona has moved back to San Francisco after a chance encounter in an emergency room after Julie breaks her arm in a soccer game.  Fearing for her job, Natalie tries to convince Monk to take the case of Sharona’s husband, who is in jail in Los Angeles having been charged with murder.  A quick trip overwhelms Monk’s senses, so he returns home hoping to make a breakthrough remotely.  Another case, looking like an alligator attack, takes over Monk’s time, at least until another consultant, brought in by Disher, solves both murders, leading to the arrest of both Sharona and Natalie.

Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants is the fourth of 18 novels based on the USA Network dramedy that ran from 2002 to 2009 from series writer Lee Goldberg. Once again told from the perspective of Natalie, the story shares the bones of the plot, with Sharona returning and causing friction with Natalie, with an episode from the final season of Monk, aired two years later.  With the remaining fourteen books waiting for me, hopefully things start to gel more as the series goes forward.

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Midseason Review – Sundays

With the advent of winter premieres, the start of the premium cable network shows, and with February sweeps around the corner, it’s time to revisit my thoughts from the beginning of the season and look ahead at what’s to come for Sunday nights.

Now, let’s see what interesting tidbits are coming this spring:

Suits: L.A. – A spinoff of the old USA Network series, which became a big hit on Netflix in 2023.

Grosse Pointe Garden Society – Starring Melissa Fumero and Aja Naomi King as members of a suburban gardening club that share a murderous secret.

The White Lotus – The show returns to HBO for its third season, with Leslie Bibb and Carrie Coon in tow.

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Book 3 (of 52) – Mr. Monk and The Blue Flu

Mr. Monk and The Blue Flu – Lee Goldberg

When negotiations with the police union go south leading to an unofficial strike, the mayor offers Monk his badge back and promotes him to captain, leading a rag-tag group of detectives who have also been rehired despite some issues that led to them losing their jobs in the first place.  His task: find the  Golden Gate Strangler and deal with other murders that come up along the way.  While Monk and his team crack the Golden Gate Strangler case and track down another murderer, the real police return when one of their own is gunned down.  Working again with Stottlemeyer and Disher, Monk helps to solve that case, but once again loses his job in the process.

Mr. Monk and the Blue Flu is the third of 18 novels based on the USA Network dramedy that ran from 2002 to 2009 from series writer Lee Goldberg. Once again told from the perspective of Natalie, the story shares the bones of the plot with an episode from Monk‘s final season, aired two years later.  With the remaining fifteen books waiting for me, hopefully things start to gel more as the series goes forward.

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Book 49 (of 52) – Mr. Monk Goes To Hawaii

Mr. Monk Goes To Hawaii – Lee Goldberg

When Nataile heads to Hawaii for her best friend’s wedding, Monk, afraid of being left alone, tags along.  After stopping the wedding, Monk gets involved with a local murder, helping the police solve multiple other crimes along the way.  While Natalie tries to enjoy her time away, Monk focuses on the murder and on proving a famous television psychic is a phony.

Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii, the second of 18 novels based on the USA Network dramedy that ran from 2002 to 2009 from series writer Lee Goldberg.  Once again told from the perspective of Natalie, the book tried to stay close to feel of the show, but still felt just a little off.  With the remaining 16 books waiting for me, hopefully things start to gel more as the series goes forward.

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NBC Upfronts

NBC announced their new fall schedule last week, one in which they add three new shows to the lineup.  The week gets off to a familiar start with The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by Brilliant Minds, a new medical drama starring Zachary Quinto.  Tuesday starts with new mockumentary-style comedy St. Denis Medical, starring Wendi McLendon-Covey and David Alan Grier, followed by a third season of the new Night Court.  A second installment of The Voice followed by season two of The Irrational, closes out the night.

Wednesday and Thursday continue to be dominated by Dick Wolf franchises, with his three Chicago series running back-to-back-to-back on Wednesday and the two original entries in his Law & Order franchise the following night.  Thursday wraps up with a second season of Found.  A second comedy block leads off Friday night, with Happy’s Place, led by Reba McEntire, followed by Lopez vs. Lopez.  Two hours of Dateline NBC wrap up the night.  Sunday remains filled with the NFL.

For midseason, NBC has The Americas, a ten-part nature series narrated by Tom Hanks which has been in the works since 2020.  Also waiting in reserve are The Hunting Party, a crime drama starring Melisssa Roxborough, the returning Deal or No Deal Island, and a new competition series titled Destination X.  Still under consideration are Suits: LA, a spinoff to the old USA show which has become a streaming juggernaut, and Grosse Point Garden Society, from the producers of Good Girls.

Shows gone from our sets include Extended Family, La Brea, Magnum P.I., and Quantum Leap.  Law & Order: Organized Crime moves to Peacock.

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The CW Upfronts

The CW has finally decided to expand to a 7th night of programming for the first time in their existence this fall, with 3 new shows added to the schedule.  Monday gets a brand new look, with the returning All American followed by 4400, a reboot of the USA show from the mid-2000s.  Tuesday brings the new seasons of Flash and Riverdale, while Wednesday leans in to the DC multiverse with DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman.

Walker lead off on Thursdays, followed by Legacies.  Friday has Penn & Teller: Fool Us and Nancy Drew.  The weekends are given over to reality programming, with Saturday’s initial offerings being 2 episodes each of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and World’s Funniest Animals.  The Sunday night offerings are Legends Of The Hidden Temple, a reboot of a Nickelodeon game show from the 90s, followed by Killer Camp, a US version of the British competition where a mix of 13 campers navigate through new deadly twists and surprises while competing to expose the “killer” among them.

Waiting in the wings for midseason are All American: Homecoming, from the producers of All American, Naomi, the latest DC adaptation from the book created by Brian Michael Bendis, David F. Walker, and Jamal Campbell, alongside returning seasons of Charmed, Stargirl, Dynasty, In The Dark, Kung Fu, Superman & Lois, and Roswell, New Mexico

Lost to the sands of time are Black Lightning and Supergirl.

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Book 5 (of 52) – Dare Me

Dare Me – Megan Abbott

In Megan Abbott’s Dare Me, a team of high school cheerleaders adjust to their new coach, while navigating the back-stabbing and in-fighting of their social structures.  When the coach’s boyfriend ends up dead, it pits some of the girls against one another, as old jealousies and rivalries come back to the forefront.

I’ll admit, the fact that this book was being turned into a television series is what drew me in, even though I’m not watching the USA series.  This was a weird read, where I was invested enough to want to know what happened next, but not invested enough to sit down and really spend the time to find out.  If I happened across one of Abbott’s other works for a reasonable price, I might check back in with her, but I don’t see myself seeking her out.