The fifth season of Monk

Monk (TV series)

Monk is an American comedy-drama detective mystery television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as the titular character, Adrian Monk. It originally ran from 2002 to 2009 and is primarily a mystery series, although it has dark and comic touches.The series debuted on July...

originally aired in the United States on USA Network

USA Network

USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...

 from July 7, 2006 to March 2, 2007. It consisted of 16 episodes. Tony Shalhoub

Tony Shalhoub

Anthony Marcus "Tony" Shalhoub is an American actor of Lebanese descent. His television work includes the roles of Antonio Scarpacci on Wings and sleuth Adrian Monk on the TV series Monk. He has won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for his work in Monk...

, Traylor Howard

Traylor Howard

Traylor Elizabeth Howard is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Sharon Carter on the television series Two Guys and a Girl and as Natalie Teeger on the USA Network series Monk.-Early life:...

, Ted Levine

Ted Levine

Frank Theodore "Ted" Levine is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs and Captain Leland Stottlemeyer in the television series Monk.-Early life and career:...

, and Jason Gray-Stanford reprised their roles as the main characters. A DVD of the season was released on June 26, 2007.

Crew

Andy Breckman

Andy Breckman

Andy Breckman is a television and film writer and a radio personality. He is the co-creator and executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning television series Monk on the USA Network, and is co-host of WFMU radio's long-running conceptual comedy program Seven Second Delay...

 continued his tenure as show runner

Show runner

Showrunner is a term of art originating in the United States and Canadian television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television seriesalthough such persons generally are credited as an executive producer...

. Executive producers for the season included Breckman, David Hoberman, series star Tony Shalhoub

Tony Shalhoub

Anthony Marcus "Tony" Shalhoub is an American actor of Lebanese descent. His television work includes the roles of Antonio Scarpacci on Wings and sleuth Adrian Monk on the TV series Monk. He has won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for his work in Monk...

, and writer Tom Scharpling

Tom Scharpling

Tom Scharpling is an American radio host, comedian, television writer, producer and music video director. He is best known for hosting the weekly freeform radio call-in comedy program The Best Show on WFMU and for acting as a writer/executive producer for the TV show Monk.Scharpling is also noted...

. NBC Universal Television Studio was the primary production company backing the show. Randy Newman

Randy Newman

Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....

's theme (It's a Jungle out There

It's a Jungle out There

"It's a Jungle Out There" is a song written by Randy Newman, the theme song for the TV series Monk since its second season. In 2004, it won an Emmy Award for best theme song....

) was continued to be used, while Jeff Beal

Jeff Beal

Jeff Beal is an American composer of music for film, television, recordings, and the concert hall. Highly regarded as a jazz instrumentalist and versatile composer, Beal's music often incorporates a synthesis of improvisatory and composed elements.- Early life :Beal began trumpet studies in the...

's original instrumental theme could be heard in some episodes. Directors for the season included Randall Zisk

Randall Zisk

Randall "Randy" Zisk is an American television director and producer.As both a director and producer, he has worked most substantially on the television series Monk and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman...

, Jerry Levine

Jerry Levine

Jerry Levine is an American actor and director, perhaps best known for his role as Rupert 'Stiles' Stilinski in the feature film Teen Wolf.-Career:...

, and Andrei Belgrader. Writers for the season included Andy Breckman, David Breckman, Jonathan Collier, Hy Conrad, Daniel Dratch, Lee Goldberg

Lee Goldberg

Lee Goldberg is an American author, screenwriter and producer, known for his work on several different TV crime series, including Diagnosis: Murder, A Nero Wolfe Mystery, Hunter, Spenser: For Hire, Martial Law, She-Wolf of London, SeaQuest, 1-800-Missing, The Glades and Monk...

, Dylan Morgan, William Rabkin, Josh Siegal, Joe Toplyn, and Tom Scharpling

Tom Scharpling

Tom Scharpling is an American radio host, comedian, television writer, producer and music video director. He is best known for hosting the weekly freeform radio call-in comedy program The Best Show on WFMU and for acting as a writer/executive producer for the TV show Monk.Scharpling is also noted...

.

Cast

All four main characters returned for the fifth season. Tony Shalhoub

Tony Shalhoub

Anthony Marcus "Tony" Shalhoub is an American actor of Lebanese descent. His television work includes the roles of Antonio Scarpacci on Wings and sleuth Adrian Monk on the TV series Monk. He has won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for his work in Monk...

 returned as former homicide detective Adrian Monk

Adrian Monk

Adrian Monk is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Shalhoub and the protagonist of the USA Network television series Monk. He is a renowned former homicide detective for the San Francisco Police Department...

, with Traylor Howard

Traylor Howard

Traylor Elizabeth Howard is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Sharon Carter on the television series Two Guys and a Girl and as Natalie Teeger on the USA Network series Monk.-Early life:...

 returning as Monk's faithful assistant, Natalie Teeger

Natalie Teeger

Natalie J. Teeger is a fictional character on the American crime drama Monk. She becomes Adrian Monk's personal assistant midway through the third season of the show...

. Ted Levine

Ted Levine

Frank Theodore "Ted" Levine is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs and Captain Leland Stottlemeyer in the television series Monk.-Early life and career:...

 returned as the SFPD captain, Leland Stottlemeyer

Leland Stottlemeyer

Captain Leland Francis Stottlemeyer is a fictional police officer played by Ted Levine on the American crime drama Monk. He is Captain of the San Francisco Police Department 's Homicide Detail, and a longtime friend of Adrian Monk from their days on the force together where he served as Monk's...

, and Jason Gray-Stanford reprised his role as the lovable but oblivious Lieutenant Randy Disher.

The astronomical number of guest stars grew even higher for the fifth season. Stanley Kamel

Stanley Kamel

Stanley Kamel was an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Charles Kroger on the American television series Monk.-Biography:...

 returned as Monk's psychiatrist, Dr. Charles Kroger. Emmy Clarke

Emmy Clarke

Mary Elizabeth Clarke , better known as Emmy Clarke, is an American actress.At the age of one Clarke moved with her parents to Houston, Texas. At age 6 she moved to Woking, England, where she attended TASIS England before moving to New York City at age 11. The nickname "Emmy" is derived from her...

 portrayed Julie Teeger, Natalie's daughter, in a third season. Melora Hardin

Melora Hardin

Melora Diane Hardin is an American actress, best known for her roles as Jan Levinson on NBC's The Office and Trudy Monk on USA's Monk.-Early life:...

 continued to portray Trudy Monk, Monk's deceased wife (whose murder is the series' main story arc), while Lindy Newton played a younger version of the character. Tim Bagley

Tim Bagley

Timothy Hugh "Tim" Bagley is an American character actor who has appeared in numerous films and television programs. He is perhaps best known for his recurring roles on the TV series Will & Grace, Monk and $h*! My Dad Says.-Early life:...

 returned to play Harold Krenshaw, Monk's main rival, after a one-season absence. The character of Monk's annoying upstairs neighbor, Kevin Dorfman, was brought back, portrayed by Jarrad Paul

Jarrad Paul

Jarrad Paul is an American actor and screenwriter.He moved to Los Angeles, CA after graduating from high school. During the 1990s, Paul had recurring roles on such shows as Legend and Home Improvement. In 1999, he co-starred with Jay Mohr in Action as screenwriter Adam Rafkin...

. Cody McMains

Cody McMains

Cody McMains is an American film and television actor, best known for playing Mitch Briggs in Not Another Teen Movie....

 starred, for the first time, as Dr. Kroger's son, Troy Kroger. Michael Cavanaugh and Holland Taylor

Holland Taylor

Holland Virginia Taylor is an American actress of film, stage and television. Her notable television roles include Ruth Dunbar in Bosom Buddies, senator's wife Margaret Powers on Norman Lear's The Powers That Be, Judge Roberta Kittleson in The Practice and Evelyn Harper in Two and a Half...

 returned for the final time as Natalie's ultra-rich parents, Bob and Peggy Davenport, and Sharon Lawrence

Sharon Lawrence

Sharon Elizabeth Lawrence is an American television actress. She is best known for the role of Sylvia Costas Sipowicz in the Television series NYPD Blue...

 made her debut on the series as Stottlemeyer's girlfriend, Linda Fusco. Additionally, several non-recurring guest stars made appearances, including Brooke Adams, Joshua Alba

Joshua Alba

Joshua Lauren Alba is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Krit on the television series Dark Angel. He is the younger brother of actress Jessica Alba.-Early life:...

, Sean Astin

Sean Astin

Sean Astin is an American film actor, director, voice artist, and producer better known for his film roles as Mikey Walsh in The Goonies, the title character of Rudy, and Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In television, he appeared as Lynn McGill in the fifth season of 24...

, Catherine Bach

Catherine Bach

Catherine Bach is an American actress. She is known for playing Daisy Duke in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard and Margo Dutton in African Skies.-Career:...

, Graham Beckel

Graham Beckel

Graham S. Beckel is an American character actor. He is known for his prolific guest appearances on television but has had prominent roles in several major films as well. Most recently he played Jack Fisk on Battlestar Galactica and Hal Sanders on Heroes...

, Paul Blackthorne

Paul Blackthorne

Paul Blackthorne is a British actor on film, television and radio. Although born in Shropshire, England, he spent his early childhood on British Military bases in both England and Germany. Blackthorne broke into acting via television commercials in England...

, Stephen Bogardus

Stephen Bogardus

-Biography:Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Bogardus graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall in 1972 and Princeton University in 1976, where he was a member of the Princeton Nassoons and the Princeton Triangle Club.-Career:...

, Ivar Brogger

Ivar Brogger

Ivar Brogger is an American actor of stage, motion pictures and television. He is known for his appearances in several TV shows like 24, NCIS, Star Trek: Voyager, Private Practice and a recurring role in Invasion. He had small roles in motion pictures like Dreamgirls, Ocean's Thirteen and Little...

, Sarah Brown, Dan Butler

Dan Butler

Daniel Eugene "Dan" Butler is an American playwright and actor known for his role as Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe on the TV series Frasier.- Life and career :...

, Ricardo Chavira, Gordon Clapp

Gordon Clapp

Gordon Clapp is an American actor, best known for portraying the role of Det. Greg Medavoy for all 12 seasons on the television series NYPD Blue, winning an Emmy Award in 1998.-Early and personal life:...

, Alex Cohen

Alex Cohen

Alex Cohen is an American radio journalist currently working for KPCC in Pasadena, California as a host and reporter. Prior to KPCC, she was a host and reporter for NPR's daily news program, Day to Day. Cohen has also reported for American Public Media's financial news program Marketplace and...

, Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...

, David DeLuise

David DeLuise

David Dominick DeLuise is an American actor and director.-Career:DeLuise was born in 1971 in Los Angeles, California. He is the youngest son of actor and comedian Dom DeLuise and actress Carol Arthur , and the brother of actor, writer, director Peter DeLuise and actor Michael DeLuise.His first...

, Charles Durning

Charles Durning

Charles Durning is an American actor. With appearances in over 100 films, Durning's memorable roles include police officers in the Oscar-winning The Sting and crime drama Dog Day Afternoon , along with the comedies Tootsie, To Be Or Not To Be and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the last two...

, Art Evans

Art Evans

Arthur James "Art" Evans is an American actor who has made multiple film and television program appearances over the span of three decades....

, Tom Everett

Tom Everett

Tom Everett is an American actor known for his performances in political films such as Air Force One and Thirteen Days.-Film:-TV:-External links:...

, Kevin Farley

Kevin Farley

Kevin Peter Farley is an American actor, production designer, singer, dancer, occasional composer and aspiring stand-up comic.-Early life:...

, Tamara Feldman

Tamara Feldman

Tamara Feldman is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Mary Beth in Hatchet and in The CW television series Smallville, Supernatural and Gossip Girl.- Personal life :...

, John Furey

John Furey

John Furey is an American actor who has starred in film and on television. He is best known for his role in the 1981 horror film Friday the 13th Part 2 as Paul Holt. His most recent film is the 2005 movie The Galindez File....

, Deborah Geffner

Deborah Geffner

Deborah Geffner is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She is best known for her role as Victoria in Bob Fosse's award winning movie All That Jazz which she filmed concurrently with performing in A Chorus Line on Broadway She worked again with Fosse in his movie Star 80...

, Greg Grunberg

Greg Grunberg

Gregory Phillip "Greg" Grunberg is an American television actor. He is best known from starring as Matt Parkman on the NBC television series Heroes. Other notable roles included the characters Sean Blumberg on Felicity and Eric Weiss on Alias , both created and produced by childhood friend J. J...

, Dan Hedaya

Dan Hedaya

Daniel G. “Dan” Hedaya is an American character actor. He often plays sleazy villains or uptight, wisecracking individuals; three of his best-known roles are as Italian Mafia boss Tony Costello in Wise Guys, a cuckolded husband in the Coen brothers' crime thriller Blood Simple, and the scheming...

, Brad Hunt

Brad Hunt

Brad Hunt is an American actor born in Moberly, Missouri.-Filmography:*Just Add Water as Denny*The Tripper as Hank*The Plague as Sam Raynor*The Darwin Awards as Stan*Lucky 13 as Zach Bader...

, Jamie Kaler

Jamie Kaler

Jamie Kaler is an American stand-up comedian and actor who has gained fame by portraying the character Mike Callahan on the TBS comedy "My Boys". He has appeared on such talk shows as the Late Late Show as well as having a role on the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and had a recurring role on Will...

, Brian Kerwin

Brian Kerwin

Brian Kerwin is an American actor.Born in Chicago, Illinois, Kerwin won the Theatre World Award in 1988 for the off-Broadway play Emily. His Broadway theatre credits include the 1997 revival of The Little Foxes and the Elaine May comedy After the Night and the Music in 2005...

, Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Shrader Lawrence is an American film and television actress. She has had lead roles in TBS's The Bill Engvall Show and in the independent films The Burning Plain and Winter's Bone, for which she received critical acclaim and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress...

, James Logan

James Logan

-People:* James Logan , colonial American statesman* James Richardson Logan , British lawyer and amateur ethnologist* James Harvey Logan , American horticulturist...

, Chi McBride

Chi McBride

Kenneth "Chi" McBride is an American actor. He starred as Steven Harper on the series Boston Public, as Emerson Cod on Pushing Daisies, and recently appeared in Fox's drama Human Target.-Early life:...

, Brian McNamara

Brian McNamara

Brian McNamara is an American actor, known for his portrayal of Dean Karny in the TV Movie Billionaire Boys Club for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a supporting role.-Biography:...

, Jacob Miller

Jacob Miller

Jacob Miller was a Jamaican reggae artist who first recorded with Clement Dodd. While pursuing a prolific solo career, he became the lead singer for reggae group Inner Circle with whom he recorded until his death in a car accident at the age of 27.-Biography:Jacob Miller was born in Mandeville,...

, Silas Weir Mitchell

Silas Weir Mitchell (actor)

Silas Weir Mitchell is an American character actor known for playing disturbing or unstable characters.-Career:He has had recurring guest roles in the first season of 24 , My Name Is Earl , and Prison Break...

, Sandra Nelson

Sandra Nelson

Sandra Nelson Winkler is an American actress. She is best known as the second actress to play the role of Phyllis Romalotti on The Young and the Restless from 1997 to early 1999.Nelson's other credits include guest roles:*Monk as Dr Jackman*Without a Trace as Stephanie...

, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jim Piddock

Jim Piddock

James Anthony "Jim" Piddock is an English actor, writer, and producer who began his career on the stage in England, before emigrating to the U.S. in 1981.-Life and career:...

, Andy Richter

Andy Richter

Paul Andrew "Andy" Richter is an American actor, writer, comedian, and late night talk show announcer. He is best known for his role as the sidekick of Conan O'Brien on each of the host's programs: Late Night and The Tonight Show on NBC, and Conan on TBS...

, Bryce Robinson

Bryce Robinson

Bryce Robinson is an American child actor.An Albuquerque, New Mexico native, Robinson began his career at age 6, in 2006. He has had various roles in television shows and movies, including portraying Connor Rowan on the series October Road and a 7-year-old Patrick Grogan in the film Marley & Me...

, Kiernan Shipka

Kiernan Shipka

Kiernan Brennan "Kiki" Shipka is an American child actress noted for playing Don and Betty Draper's daughter Sally on the AMC series Mad Men.-Career:...

, Peter James Smith, Cynthia Stevenson

Cynthia Stevenson

Cynthia Stevenson is an American actress.Stevenson was born in Oakland, California, the daughter of Gayle, an editor, and Al Stevenson, an upholstery warehouse owner. She grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia....

, Heather Tom

Heather Tom

Heather Marie Tom is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Victoria Newman on The Young and the Restless, Kelly Cramer on One Life to Live and currently Katie Logan Spencer on The Bold and the Beautiful....

, Stanley Tucci

Stanley Tucci

Stanley Tucci is an American actor, writer, film producer and film director. He has been nominated for several notable film awards, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his performance in The Lovely Bones...

 (in an Emmy award-winning performance), Reginald VelJohnson

Reginald VelJohnson

Reginald VelJohnson is an American actor of film, stage and television, well known for his role as Carl Winslow on the sitcom Family Matters, where he was the only cast member to appear in every single episode. He also portrayed LAPD Sgt...

, Steven Weber

Steven Weber (actor)

Steven Robert Weber is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the television show Wings which aired throughout the 1990s on NBC.-Early life:...

, Frederick Weller, Peter Weller

Peter Weller

Peter Frederick Weller is an American film and stage actor, director and lecturer.He is best known for his roles as the title character in the first two RoboCop films and Buckaroo Banzai in the cult classic The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension...

, Chris Williams

Chris Williams (actor)

-Career:Williams, a graduate of Georgetown University, has made appearances on numerous television shows such as CSI, JAG, The Shield, Weeds, Reno 911!, Californication, and popularly as fictional rap artist Krazee-Eyez Killa on Curb Your Enthusiasm...

, Danny Woodburn

Danny Woodburn

Danny Woodburn is an American dwarf film, television and stage actor best known for having played Mickey Abbott on the sitcom Seinfeld...

, and Odette Yustman

Odette Yustman

Odette Juliette Annable , better known by her birth name Odette Yustman, is an American actress.-Early life:...

.

Episodes

>

Series #	Season #	Title	Written by	Directed by	Original air date

Emmy Awards

• Outstanding Actor - Comedy Series (Tony Shalhoub, nominated)
• Outstanding Guest Actor - Comedy Series (Stanley Tucci
  Stanley Tucci
  Stanley Tucci is an American actor, writer, film producer and film director. He has been nominated for several notable film awards, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his performance in The Lovely Bones...
  
   for playing "David Ruskin" in "Mr. Monk and the Actor", won)

Trivia

• Traylor Howard
  Traylor Howard
  Traylor Elizabeth Howard is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Sharon Carter on the television series Two Guys and a Girl and as Natalie Teeger on the USA Network series Monk.-Early life:...
  
   was pregnant for most of the production of season 5, which explains why Natalie is usually hidden behind various objects, such as boxes and tables. However, Howard's pregnancy worked out rather well for a scene in the episode "Mr. Monk Is At Your Service" where Natalie pretends to be pregnant to Paul Buchanan, although she later confides to Monk that it's just a pillow.
• The DVD release of this season contained both the black & white and color versions of the episode "Mr. Monk and the Leper".
• The DVD release of this season also included the Pilot episode of the USA Network
  USA Network
  USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
  
   show Psych
  Psych
  Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts...
  
  .