TV Show Review: Monk - Season 5/Psych - Season 1

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Two funny mysteries show cheaper together then individually

Cons: Some weak episodes among the fun.

The Bottom Line:

With these two great shows

You'll laugh in the face of death

Perfectly funny

Great Marketing Continued

After four years on the air, Monk found the perfect mate. No, I'm not talking about a wife or new assistant or anything like that. I'm talking about fellow TV show Psych. The two fit together perfectly and make for two fun hours of TV every Friday night. And this combo pack contains the most recent seasons of both shows for your enjoyment any night of the week.

Up first is established hit Monk. In its fifth season, the show continues to follow the adventures of Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub). Monk is a former homicide detective who had to leave his job when his phobias and obsessive compulsive disorder overwhelmed him. But he still works with the police to solve murders, which is why he finds himself solving the murder of a union boss or racing against the clock to find the "Six Way Killer." He's hired by a leper, opens his own private eye business, and finally meets his father. Along the way, he has to face and overcome his fears while using his compulsions to find clues.

I've been a fan of the show since season two, and this season continued to entertain. Tony Shalhoub is brilliant as Monk. His understate performance lets you laugh at Monk while still sympathizing with him. And the rest of the regular cast is just as great. Guest stars this season include such people as Stanley Tucci, Alice Cooper, and Sean Astin. The biggest flaw of the season is the writing that occasionally turns things into more of a farce then anything else. But that's really only a problem in one or two episodes.

Following this is newcomer Psych. It follows the adventures of Shawn Spencer (James Roday). From birth, Shawn has been trained by his dad to be the perfect cop with amazing observational skills. When he tries to use those to tip off the police, he comes under suspicion himself, so he pretends to be a psychic to get out of that jam. He has so much fun; he decides to do it full time, worming his way into kidnappings, robberies, and murders. He even opens his own psychic detective agency and is hired to track down missing husbands and stalkers.

Like many freshman shows, this one took some time finding it's footing. The early episodes feature weak mysteries that are poorly resolved. But half way through, the show started to click. The mysteries became better without sacrificing the laughs. In fact, the shows became funnier as well with more banter and physical comedy to keep you laughing. At times, the acting is over the top, but this is a show that doesn’t take itself too seriously, so it fits the mood.

The reason these show work so well together is that at their heart, they are very similar. Both are mixes of comedy and mystery. Both feature unusual cases that cater to the unique gifts of their main characters. Monk has a more somber tone underneath the fun, while Psych is pure, light hearted fun.

The brilliant pairing continues with this combo pack. It's really just the two individual sets shrink wrapped together. No special extras. You need look no further then the fact that the pilot for Psych is included in the set for Monk and the Psych set has a coupon for three dollars off the Monk set to see this. However, if you are interested in both sets, it is cheaper to buy this combo then buying the two sets individually. In fact, if you love one and are mildly interested in the other, this is still a deal worth considering since most places offer it for $20 more then buying one set individually.

I love mysteries, and I love to laugh, so these shows are perfect for me. If you fall into that category, pick these sets up today.