Crime-Solving Germaphobe Adrian Monk Is Back Post-COVID in “Mr. Monk's Last Case”: 'Like Riding a Bicycle'

Emmy-winning actor Tony Shalhoub returns as the germophobic detective in the upcoming film

Everyone’s favorite obsessive-compulsive detective is returning for what may be his final case.

In Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie, premiering Dec. 8 on Peacock, Tony Shalhoub steps back into the role of Adrian Monk, the germophobic detective he played in the USA Network series Monk for eight seasons.

Time hasn’t exactly been kind to Monk since the series ended in 2009. The detective had a tough time during the pandemic, as seen in the first episode of Peacock’s At-Home Variety Show in May 2020, washing his hands while singing “99 Bottles of Beer on The Wall” and putting fresh produce through the dishwasher.

Mr. Monk’s Last Case picks up soon after pandemic restrictions have been lifted. The trailer finds Monk, Randy Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford), Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard) and Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) in conversation with Rick Eden (James Purefoy) at a palatial estate.

Related: Who Is Tony Shalhoub's Wife? All About Actress Brooke Adams

"The great Adrian Monk. For a while there, you were solving a major case every week," Rick says.

"I couldn't have done it alone," Monk replies before joking, "I could have, but it would have taken longer."

"Monk is back for his first movie and last case," the trailer reads. "It's a different world. He fits in perfectly."

"I have traumatic symptoms, unprecedented in psychiatric history," Monk explains as the trailer shows him opening a tidy medicine cabinet filled with prescriptions.

"He's afraid of heights. It’s his second biggest fear after germs," Randy says.

Related: Tony Shalhoub Reveals He and Wife Brooke Adams Had COVID-19: 'It Was a Pretty Rough Few Weeks'

"Actually, it goes germs, needles, birds, then heights," Natalie adds.

Cutting to another scene, Molly (Caitlin McGee) pleads with her stepfather "to help" her look into the mysterious death of her fiancé. "That was no accident. He was murdered," she says.

In another scene, Monk is in the passenger seat of a car urging Natalie to make a really sharp turn. "Turn, turn it, turn it, turn it! There’s a bomb!" Monk says.

"I know there’s a bomb! You’re not helping!" she exclaims, before hitting another car and sheepishly adding, "We should leave a note."

Related: Tony Shalhoub Dedicated His SAG Award Win to Alan Arkin 4 Years Before His Death

Monk does what he does best (besides solving crime) in the next scenes, navigating his germophobic behaviors to comic effect: pointing out to a woman that a commercial hand sanitizer dispenser in a public building is, actually, his private property, and aggressively using hand wipes alongside Natalie, Randy and Leland.

At an airport terminal, Molly points out a couple sharing hand sanitizer. "Everybody's you," she says of the pair cleaning their hands.

"They're gonna hate it," he responds.

When Leland asks Monk how it feels to be working again, he says it's "like riding a bicycle."

Cutting to a therapy session, Monk's current therapist Dr. Neven Bell (Hector Elizondo) adds, "I'm glad to hear that."

"I mean, it's terrifying," Monk adds, before the trailer cuts to the movie title.

Related: Tony Shalhoub Is Excited to Become a Grandfather in 2020: 'I Am In Awe'

Peacock’s movie reunion arrives nearly 14 years after Monk's final episode aired and more than three years after the titular character’s appearance on Peacock’s At-Home Variety Show. During its run, the show snagged eight Emmys, including three for Shalhoub for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series.

For the film, many of the show’s original cast members return, including Shalhoub, Levine, Stanford, Howard and Melora Hardin as Trudy Monk, with newcomers Elizondo and Purefoy joining the mix.

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Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie premieres Dec. 8 on Peacock.

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