One of the more clever television creations of the new millennium, Monk combines the high-grade suspense of a traditional TV drama with the quirky humor of a big screen comedy. Originally developed for ABC, the show became an instant prime-time lynchpin for the USA network, proving itself one of the more successful shows on cable TV'

In Monk, Tony Shalhoub stars in the title role of Adrian Monk, a former San Francisco detective placed on psychiatric leave. A true legend in the community, Monk solves unsolvable crimes via his towering intellect, photographic memory, and meticulous observations. But the one case that alludes Monk is the 1997 murder of his wife Trudy, which forever altered Monk's capacity to perform his job. Suffering from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder and a number of odd phobias, Monk requires a personal assistant, Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram), for even his most basic daily activities. Yet Monk remains a police consultant on difficult cases, and he hopes to persuade Capt. Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) to give him his old job back. But Stottlemeyer and colleague Lt. Randall Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford), harbor doubts about Monk's mental faculties. As Monk solves cases though, those doubts dissipate and Stottlemeyer and Disher learn to appreciate Monk's special talents - despite his inability to cope with the day-to-day activities of a normal detective' Nevertheless, he remains a de facto investigator as he and Sharona aid the San Francisco police department in solving numerous high profile cases'

The Monk DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere "Mr. Monk and the Candidate" in which the audience first learns the background of Adrian Monk, a modern day Sherlock Holmes beset by mental problems. After Monk solves a mysterious murder simply by looking at the crime scene, Capt. Stottlemeyer enlists him to help in the investigation of a failed assassination attempt of mayoral candidate Warren St. Claire'Other notable episodes from Season 1 include "Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger" in which Monk investigates the death of a billionaire shot while trying to mug a police officer, and "Mr. Monk and the Earthquake" in which Monk investigates the murder of a wealthy businessman (which occurred during an earthquake) while suffering verbal difficulties as a result of the earthquake's numerous aftershocks'

Below is a list of episodes included on the Monk (Season 1) DVD:

Episode 1 (Mr. Monk and the Candidate: Part 1) Air Date: 07-12-2002
Episode 2 (Mr. Monk and the Candidate: Part 2) Air Date: 07-12-2002
Episode 3 (Mr. Monk and the Psychic) Air Date: 07-19-2002
Episode 4 (Mr. Monk Meets Dale the Whale) Air Date: 07-26-2002
Episode 5 (Mr. Monk Goes to the Carnival) Air Date: 08-02-2002
Episode 6 (Mr. Monk Goes to the Asylum) Air Date: 08-09-2002
Episode 7 (Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger) Air Date: 08-16-2002
Episode 8 (Mr. Monk and the Other Woman) Air Date: 08-23-2002
Episode 9 (Mr. Monk and the Marathon Man) Air Date: 09-13-2002
Episode 10 (Mr. Monk Takes a Vacation) Air Date: 09-20-2002
Episode 11 (Mr. Monk and the Earthquake) Air Date: 10-04-2002
Episode 12 (Mr. Monk and the Red-Headed Stranger) Air Date: 10-11-2002
Episode 13 (Mr. Monk and the Airplane) Air Date: 10-18-2002