Monk Finale Sets Records

Monk ended its series on the highest note in its eight-year run, and the highest-note for basic cable ever! With 9.8 million viewers, it shattered The Closer's previous record of 9.2. Some 3.2 million of those viewers were from the 18-49 range. Monk not only beat-out basic cable records, it also shut-out the Friday night competition across the boards!

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

100th Monk, In Plain Sight, More

USA Channel's Monk celebrates its 100^th episode this September with a slew of guest-stars, many of which will be reprising their roles on the long-running, hit series. USA also re-upped on In Plain Sight, the Mary McCormack vehicle which premiered this summer, and ordered three new pilots.

Monk has leapt between cable and network TV several times in the course of its seven-season career. Originally an ABC project to star Michael Richards, the network backed-out when Richards did. USA Network picked up the series and ABC re-ran several of the episodes for one season. Since then, USA was purchased by NBCU, and NBC affiliates began airing the Monk/Psych block as-is in 2006 to very low ratings. However, both shows perform spectacularly on their home network, and Monk has garnered several awards.

The 100^th episode is set to air September 5^th.

The Starter Wife, starring Debra Messing and based on the mini-series of the same name, will begin its regular season October 10^th.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Monk's Psychiatrist Dead at 65

Veteran actor, Stanley Kamel, was found dead of a heart attack in his apartment yesterday. He was 65.

While his list of credits is long (including stints on Golden Girls, LA Law, Mission: Impossible, Charlie's Angels, and more), he is probably most well-known to readers here for his last role, as Adrian Monk's psychiatrist on the USA hit, Monk. He appeared just last week at a promotional event in LA for the network.

One episode has the neuroses-beset sleuth in a panic to solve a murder so he doesn't have to switch psychiatrists, so I wonder how Kamel's death will play-out on-screen. At any rate, our heartfelt condolences go out to all of his friends, family, and co-workers.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Monk Creator Comes to Comics!

I told you we had a slew of Dark Horse press releases - all of them good, too! So here's yet another one, this time about Monk creator, Andy Breckman, and his new DH project (his first foray into sequential art):

USA’s hit show Monk lends Dark Horse their creator Andy Breckman. Paired with legendary artist Peter Gross, the team delivers Long Lost, a drama full of loss, suspense, and mystery. Andy Breckman has a long history in comedy, having been a stand-up comedian, movie writer, and television producer. For the first time ever, Breckman takes a stab at both drama and the comics medium in this electrifying emotional narrative. The fantastic art of Peter Gross adds an element of honesty and realism to the masterpiece that is Long Lost.

When a mother suddenly comes face to face with a teenage boy claiming to be her son who was kidnapped as a baby, she is skeptical of this spontaneous return is real. Of one family’s tragedy is explored in this twisting story of grief, psychosis, and deception. Long Lost takes every parent’s worst nightmare and turns it into a thrilling tale that keeps readers on their toes.

Breckman explains the background of the project: “Sometimes—not often, but sometimes—things work out exactly the way they’re supposed to. I’ve been kicking Long Lost around for a while. After years of writing comedy, I wanted to try something new. I wanted to try scaring the shit out of people. I was proud of the story, and aching to tell it. But how? It was too dark—too twisted—for TV. And way too intense—too claustrophobic—for the big screen. Then I met the amazing Peter Gross and his blessed-by-God right hand. He sent me a few rough pages, and that was it. Long Lost was home. I realized it was always meant to be a graphic novel, and Peter was always meant to bring it to life. I can sleep easy. My baby is in good hands.”

“I’m always a little wary about working with writers from other mediums who want to dip into comics for the first time, because it’s a harder medium than they expect, with unique challenges all its own. After talking to Andy the first time, I knew I had to do this project—he’s smart, funny, personable, and has a great story . . . and he promised me I would be the ‘director’ of this project, with all the story-cutting privileges that go along with that. After watching Andy geek out at the NY Comic-Con, paying big bucks for an early issue of Jimmy Olson that he loved as a kid, I knew he had comics in his blood. He’s just one of those guys who became incredibly successful in other media so he could break into comics,” said Gross on the collaboration.

Long Lost is scheduled for a 2008 release date.