The fifth season of ''

Monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

'' originally aired in the United States on

USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...

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

Tony Shalhoub Anthony Marc Shalhoub ( ; ; born October 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is known for a variety of roles ranging from comedic to dramatic on stage and screen. He has received several accolades including five Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, s ...

Traylor Howard Traylor Elizabeth Howard (born June 14, 1966) is an American actress. From 2005 to 2009, Howard played Natalie Teeger in the USA Network television series ''Monk''. She has also starred on the sitcoms '' Boston Common'' (1996–1997) and '' Two ...

Ted Levine Frank Theodore Levine (born May 29, 1957) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Jame Gumb (Buffalo Bill) in the film '' The Silence of the Lambs'' (1991) and Leland Stottlemeyer in the television series ''Monk'' (2002–2009 ...

, and

Jason Gray-Stanford Jason Gray-Stanford (born May 19, 1970) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for playing Lieutenant Randy Disher in the USA Network television series ''Monk'' and for voicing the role of Raditz in the Ocean Productions dub of '' Dragon Ball Z ...

reprised their roles as the main characters. A DVD of the season was released on June 26, 2007.

Crew

Andy Breckman Andrew Ross Breckman (born March 3, 1955) is an American screenwriter, comedian, and radio personality. He is the creator and executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning television series ''Monk'' on the USA Network and is co-host of WFMU radi ...

continued his tenure as

show runner A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...

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

, and writer

Tom Scharpling Thomas John Giuliano II (born February 9, 1969), known professionally as Tom Scharpling, is an American comedian, television writer, producer, music video director, voice actor, and radio host. He is best known for hosting the weekly Internet r ...

NBC Universal Television Studio Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a division of Universal Studio Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which, in turn, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast. It serves as the networ ...

was the primary production company backing the show.

Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist, composer, conductor and orchestrator. He is known for his non-rhotic Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early America ...

's theme (" It's a Jungle Out There") continued to be used, while

Jeff Beal Jeff Beal (born June 20, 1963) is an American composer of music for film, television, recordings, and the concert hall. Highly regarded as a jazz instrumentalist and versatile composer, Beal creates music that often incorporates a synthesis of impr ...

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

Randall Zisk Randall "Randy" Zisk is an American television director, producer, and writer. Biography He graduated from the University of Southern California and is a native of Dallas, Texas, where he graduated from St. Mark's School of Texas. His family ...

Jerry Levine Jerry Levine (born March 12, 1957) is an American actor and director of television and theatre. As an actor, he is best known for his roles as Joe on ''Will & Grace'', Stiles in the 1985 feature film ''Teen Wolf'' and Jamie in the 1988 movie '' Ca ...

Peter Weller Peter Francis Weller (born June 24, 1947) is an American actor and television director. He has appeared in more than 70 films and television series, including ''RoboCop'' (1987) and its sequel ''RoboCop 2'' (1990), in which he played RoboCop ( ...

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

Lee Goldberg Lee Goldberg is an American author, screenwriter, publisher and television producer, producer known for his bestselling novels ''Lost Hills'' and ''True Fiction'' and his work on a wide variety of TV crime series, including ''Diagnosis: Murder'' ...

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

Cast

All four main characters returned for the fifth season.

returned as former homicide detective

Adrian Monk Adrian Monk, portrayed by Tony Shalhoub, is the title character and protagonist of the USA Network television series ''Monk (TV series), Monk''. He is a renowned former homicide detective for the San Francisco Police Department. He has obsessive� ...

, with

returning as Monk's faithful assistant,

Natalie Teeger The following is a list of characters from ''Monk'', an American comedy-drama detective television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk. Monk's assistant Sharona Fleming, portrayed by Bitty Schram, was repl ...

returned as the SFPD captain,

Leland Stottlemeyer The following is a list of characters from ''Monk'', an American comedy-drama detective television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk. Monk's assistant Sharona Fleming, portrayed by Bitty Schram, was repl ...

, and

reprised his role as the lovable but oblivious

Lieutenant Randy Disher The following is a list of characters from ''Monk'', an American comedy-drama detective television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk. Monk's assistant Sharona Fleming, portrayed by Bitty Schram, was repl ...

Stanley Kamel Stanley Kamel (January 1, 1943 – April 8, 2008) was an American actor. From 2002 until his death in 2008, he played Dr. Charles Kroger on the American television series ''Monk''. Biography Kamel was born to a Jewish family and raised in Sou ...

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

Emmy Clarke ''Monk'' is an American police procedural comedy drama detective mystery television series that originally ran on the USA Network from July 12, 2002, to December 4, 2009, with 125 episodes broadcast over eight seasons. It follows Adrian Monk ...

portrayed

Julie Teeger The following is a list of characters from ''Monk'', an American comedy-drama detective television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk. Monk's assistant Sharona Fleming, portrayed by Bitty Schram, was repl ...

, Natalie's daughter, in a third season.

Melora Hardin Melora Diane Hardin Jackson (born June 29, 1967) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Jan Levinson on NBC's ''The Office'' (2005–2013), Trudy Monk on USA Network's ''Monk'' (2004–2009), and Tammy Cashman o ...

continued to portray

Trudy Monk The following is a list of characters from ''Monk'', an American comedy-drama detective television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk. Monk's assistant Sharona Fleming, portrayed by Bitty Schram, was repl ...

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

Tim Bagley Timothy Hugh Bagley (born August 17, 1957) is an American actor and comedian, who has appeared in numerous films and television programs. He had recurring roles on the TV series ''Will & Grace'', '' Hope & Gloria'', ''Strip Mall'', ''According t ...

returned to play

Harold Krenshaw The following is a list of characters from ''Monk'', an American comedy-drama detective television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk. Monk's assistant Sharona Fleming, portrayed by Bitty Schram, was repl ...

, Monk's main rival, after a one-season absence. The character of Monk's annoying upstairs neighbor,

Kevin Dorfman The following is a list of characters from ''Monk'', an American comedy-drama detective television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk. Monk's assistant Sharona Fleming, portrayed by Bitty Schram, was replac ...

, was brought back, portrayed by

Jarrad Paul Jarrad Paul (born June 20, 1976) is an American screenwriter, director and actor. Early life and education Paul grew up in Miami, Florida. After graduating from high school, he moved to Los Angeles. Career Paul co-created and executive produce ...

Cody McMains Cody Arthur McMains (born October 4, 1985) is an American former actor. He is best known for playing Mitch Briggs in '' Not Another Teen Movie''. He also appeared as Patch in '' Thomas & the Magic Railroad'', and as Kirby in '' Big Bully''. He ...

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

Holland Taylor Holland Taylor (born January 14, 1943) is an American actress. She won the 1999 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Judge Roberta Kittleson on ABC's ''The Practice'' (1998–2003) and she ...

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

Sharon Lawrence Sharon Elizabeth Lawrence (born June 29, 1961) is an American actress. From 1993 to 1999, she starred as Sylvia Costas in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC drama series, ''NYPD Blue''. The role garnered her three Primetime Emmy Award nomina ...

made her debut on the series as Stottlemeyer's girlfriend,

Linda Fusco The following is a list of characters from ''Monk'', an American comedy-drama detective television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk. Monk's assistant Sharona Fleming, portrayed by Bitty Schram, was replac ...

. Additionally, several non-recurring guest stars made appearances, including Brooke Adams (Shalhoub's wife, playing her third different character), Joshua Alba,

Sean Astin Sean Patrick Astin (; born February 25, 1971) is an American actor. His acting roles include Mikey Walsh in '' The Goonies'' (1985), Billy Tepper in '' Toy Soldiers'' (1991), Dave Morgan in '' Encino Man'' (1992), Daniel Ruettiger in '' Rudy'' ...

Catherine Bach Catherine Bach (born Catherine Bachman; March 1, 1954) 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''. In 2012, she joined the cast of the CBS ...

Graham Beckel Graham Stuart Beckel (born December 22, 1949) is an American character actor, known for his roles in films and guest appearances on television. Early life and education Beckel graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. ...

Paul Blackthorne Paul Blackthorne (born 5 March 1969) is an English actor. Although born in Shropshire, he spent his early childhood on UK military bases in Britain and Germany. Blackthorne broke into acting via television advertisements in England. His breakth ...

Stephen Bogardus Stephen Bogardus (born March 11, 1954) is an American actor. He originated the role of Whizzer in the Broadway musical, ''Falsettos''. Biography Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Bogardus graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall in 1972 and Princeton Unive ...

Ivar Brogger Ivar Brogger (born January 10, 1947) 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 ...

Sarah Brown Sarah Brown may refer to: * Sarah Brown (athlete) (born 1986), American middle-distance runner * Sarah Brown (cook), British pioneer vegetarian television cook * Sarah Brown (model) (1869–?), pseudonym of Marie Roger, French artists' model in 1890 ...

Dan Butler Daniel Eugene Butler (born December 2, 1954) is an American actor known for his role as Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe on the TV series ''Frasier'' (1993–2004), later reprising the role in 2024; Art in ''Roseanne'' (1991–1992); for the voice of Mr ...

Ricardo Chavira Ricardo Antonio Chavira (born September 1, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Carlos Solis in the ABC television series ''Desperate Housewives'' (2004–2012). He also played Abraham Quintanilla in '' Selena: The Series' ...

Gordon Clapp Gordon Clapp (born September 24, 1948) is an American actor best known for playing Det. Greg Medavoy for all 12 seasons of the television series ''NYPD Blue'', winning an Emmy Award in 1998. Early life and education Clapp was born in North Con ...

Alex Cohen Alexandra "Alex" Cohen (born July 8, 1972) is an American radio and Emmy Award winning television journalist, roller derby skater, and author. Early life Cohen was born in New York City and moved to California at the age of two. She studied at I ...

Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...

David DeLuise David Dominick DeLuise (born November 11, 1971) is an American actor. He has had roles in numerous films and television shows. He is best known for playing Coop on ''Megas XLR'' and Jerry Russo on ''Wizards of Waverly Place''. Career The son of ...

Charles Durning Charles Edward Durning (February 28, 1923 – December 24, 2012) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 movies, television shows and plays.Schudel, Matt (December 26, 2012) "''In real life and on the screen, he played countless role ...

, Art Evans,

Tom Everett Tom Everett (born October 21, 1948) is an American actor known for his performances in political films such as ''Air Force One Air Force One is the official air traffic control-designated Aviation call signs, call sign for a United States ...

Kevin Farley Kevin Prindiville Farley (born June 8, 1965) is an American actor, singer, comedian, writer, producer and director. He is the younger brother of American comedian and actor Chris Farley. Early life, family and education Kevin Farley was born i ...

Tamara Feldman Amara Zaragoza (born December 5, 1980), known by her stage name Tamara Feldman, is an American actress. Career Feldman is known for playing Marybeth Dunston in the horror film ''Hatchet'' (2006) and for her roles in the television series ''Smallv ...

John Furey John Furey (born April 13, 1951) is an American actor who has starred in film and on television. His film credits include ''Friday the 13th Part 2'' (1981), '' Black Thunder'' (1998) and '' Land of the Free'' (1998). Outside of film, Furey has ...

Deborah Geffner Deborah Geffner is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Early life Born in Pittsburgh, Geffner moved to New York City at the age of sixteen to train at the Juilliard School. She later danced for the Stuttgart Ballet and American Chamber Bal ...

Greg Grunberg Gregory Phillip Grunberg (born July 11, 1966) is an American film and television actor known for starring as Eric Weiss in the ABC series '' Alias'', Matt Parkman in the NBC series '' Heroes'', Temmin "Snap" Wexley in '' Star Wars: The Force ...

Dan Hedaya Daniel G. Dan Hedaya (born July 24, 1940) is an American actor best known for his supporting roles in films such as '' The Hunger'' (1983), '' Blood Simple'' (1984), ''Commando'' (1985), '' The Addams Family'' (1991), ''Benny & Joon'' (1993), '' ...

, Brad Hunt,

Jamie Kaler Jamie Kaler (born September 14, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian and actor who has gained fame by portraying the character Mike Callahan on the TBS comedy ''My Boys''. Career Kaler hosted '' America: Facts vs. Fiction'' on American Heroes ...

Brian Kerwin Brian Kerwin (born October 25, 1949) is an American actor who has starred in feature films, Broadway shows, and television series and movies. Life Kerwin was born in Chicago and raised in Flossmoor, Illinois. He has three siblings, Anne, Dennis, ...

Jennifer Lawrence Jennifer Shrader Lawrence (born August 15, 1990) is an American actress and producer. She is known for starring in both action film franchises and independent dramas, and her films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide. The List of high ...

, James Logan,

Chi McBride Kenneth "Chi" McBride ( ; born September 23, 1961) is an American actor. He has appeared in films, where he is known primarily as a character actor, and in television, where he has had numerous starring roles. In film, he has played prominent ro ...

Brian McNamara Brian McNamara (born November 21, 1960, in Long Island, New York, USA) is an American actor. His first major role was in the film ''The Flamingo Kid'' (1984). He then went on to appear in a few films, such as ''Short Circuit'' (1986), ''Caddysh ...

, Jacob Miller, Silas Weir Mitchell, Sandra Nelson,

Lawrence O'Donnell Lawrence Francis O'Donnell Jr. (born November 7, 1951) is an American television anchor, actor, author, screenwriter, liberal political commentator, and host of '' The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell'', an MSNBC opinion and news program that ...

Jim Piddock Jim Piddock (born April 8, 1956) is an English actor, producer and writer who began his career on the stage in the United Kingdom before immigrating to the United States in 1981. After establishing himself in leading roles on Broadway, he moved ...

Andy Richter Paul Andrew Richter (born October 28, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and talk show announcer. He is best known as the sidekick for Conan O'Brien on O'Brien's talk shows: '' Late Night'' and ''The Tonight Show'' on NBC and '' Cona ...

, Bryce Robinson,

Kiernan Shipka Kiernan Brennan Shipka (born November 10, 1999) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as List of Mad Men characters#Sally Draper, Sally Draper in the AMC (TV channel), AMC drama series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), and Sabrina Spe ...

, Peter James Smith,

Cynthia Stevenson Cynthia Stevenson (born August 2, 1962) is an American actress. She first played a leading role in the syndicated parody comedy series ''My Talk Show'' (1990–91), before starring in a number of sitcoms, including ''Bob (TV series), Bob'' (CBS ...

Heather Tom Heather Tom (born November 4, 1975) is an American actress and director. She is best known for her roles as Victoria Newman on ''The Young and the Restless'' (1990 to 2003), Kelly Cramer on ''One Life to Live'' and ''All My Children'' (2003 to ...

Stanley Tucci Stanley Tucci Jr. ( ; born November 11, 1960) is an American actor. Known as a character actor, he has played a wide variety of roles ranging from menacing to sophisticated, earning numerous accolades, including six Emmy Awards and two Golden ...

(in an Emmy award-winning performance),

Reginald VelJohnson Reginald VelJohnson (born Reginald Johnson; August 16, 1952) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying police officers on screen, such as Sergeant Al Powell in the ''Die Hard'' franchise (1988–2008) and Carl Winslow in the tele ...

Steven Weber Steven Robert Weber (born March 4, 1961) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Brian Hackett on the television series '' Wings'', and as Dr. Dean Archer on NBC’s Chicago Med. He also voiced Charlie B. Barkin in '' ...

Frederick Weller Frederick Breithoff Weller (born April 18, 1966) is an American actor known for portraying Johnny Sandowski on ''Missing Persons,'' Shane Mungitt in ''Take Me Out'' and Marshall Mann on ''In Plain Sight''. Early life Weller was born in New Orl ...

, Chris Williams,

Danny Woodburn Danny Woodburn (born July 26, 1964) is an American actor, comedian and activist for the disability rights movement linked to his dwarfism. He played Mickey Abbott on the sitcom ''Seinfeld''. He has more than 150 television and 30 film appeara ...

, and

Odette Yustman Odette Juliette Annable (; born May 10, 1985) is an American actress. She is known for various roles in film and television, including as Dr. Jessica Adams in the Fox medical drama series ''House'', Beth McIntyre in the monster film ''Cloverfi ...

Episodes

Awards and nominations

Emmy Awards

*Outstanding Actor – Comedy Series (Tony Shalhoub, nominated) *Outstanding Guest Actor – Comedy Series (

for playing "David Ruskin" in "Mr. Monk and the Actor", won)

Golden Globe Awards

*Best Actor – Musical or Comedy Series (Tony Shalhoub, nominated)

Screen Actors Guild

*Outstanding Actor – Comedy Series (Tony Shalhoub, nominated)

References

{{Monk (TV series) Monk (TV series) 2006 American television seasons 2007 American television seasons Monk (TV series) seasons