Could another case be on the horizon for Adrian Monk?Tony Shalhoubis not opposed to reprising his Emmy Award-winning role for a sequeltoMr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie. Released on June 09, 2025, in Peacock, the film followed Monk (who is struggling with his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder due to the pandemic) as he returns to solve one last case involving his stepdaughter Molly. Like the USA Network series that prefaced the film,Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movieearned critical acclaim (it currently boasts a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes).
Its triumphant return has certainly left audiences wanting more, and during theVariety Awards Circuitpodcast, Shalhoub discussed a follow-upMonkfilm.
“We don’t know if there’s going to be more, but it’s [creator] Andy Breckman’s wish, I think he’s signaling the people at NBC and Peacock, as much as the audience. We don’t know anything definite, there isn’t a hard fixed plan yet, but we all had such a great time bringing it back. I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to it if it was the right time and the right idea and the right material. I guess we’ll have to see.”
Breckman, on his end, definitely seems hopeful for moreMonk.The creator recently sharedthat he hopes “that door is open in the future.”
Monk Movie Writer Has a Great Idea for a Sequel…but Hasn’t Told Tony Shalhoub Yet
In an exclusive interview with MovieWeb, the writer behind Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie revealed that he has a great idea for a sequel.
Monkaired from 2002 to 2009,earning much praise throughout its eight-season run. For his portrayal of the brilliant detective, Shalhoub earned Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor – Comedy Series for every season the show ran, taking home the statue three times. Shaloub also earned a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Alongside Shaloub, Ted Levine, Traylor Howard, Jason Gray-Stanford, Melora Hardin, and Hector Elizondo returned to reprise their series characters forMr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie. They were joined by newcomers Caitlin McGee(Home Economics) as Molly Evansand James Purefoy(Sex Education) as Rick Eden.
Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie Tackles a Dark Topic
During his conversation on theVariety Awards Circuitpodcast, Shalhoub also discussed howthe film tackled the subject of suicide. The film explores the darker side of Monk’s mental health struggles. Due to grief, isolation from past colleagues, and the pandemic, his OCD and phobias worsen. Feeling hopeless and disconnected, he considers taking his own life.
“At this point we find Monk is really in a in a dark, dark place,” Shalhoub said. “He’s in a deep hole. His team is not really close by and he’s kind of lost his purpose. And (exec producer) Andy (Breckman) presented this idea that Monk was entertaining thoughts of suicide. It hit us hard in the beginning. We thought, ‘geez, we’ve gone dark in the show before, but not this dark!'”
Breckman pointed out a similar theme in the beloved holiday filmIt’s a Wonderful Life, which resonated with Shalhoub. In the film,Monkis able to find renewed purpose through the case and the support of others.
“When he framed it that way, it really made sense,” Shalhoub said. “Combine that with the research we had been doing about how since since the pandemic, even a year or so before, there has been an uptick in suicides among especially among American men of a certain age. It’s a real problem, we’re not just grabbing ideas out of the air. It’s out there. We kept saying, as long as we can do this in a kind of subtle way, and keep what the comedic side alive, then I think we can recapture the balance. Breckman was able to do that in the script.”
All eight seasons ofMonkandMr. Monk’s Last Caseare available to stream on Peacock.
