10 Best Movies & TV Shows Starring The Cast Of Monk

Jan. 3, 2025, 3:15 p.m.

Movies

10 Best Movies & TV Shows Starring The Cast Of Monk

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The cast of Monk is a big reason why the detective show is still so popular long after it ended, and many of the actors have appeared in some other great movies and TV shows. Each episode of Monk combines a compelling mystery with some crowdpleasing humor, and this could easily fall flat if not for the talents of the cast. Actors like Tony Shalhoub, Ted Levine and Traylor Howard have appeared in other projects that fans of Monk might find interesting.

The cast of Monk had a couple of big changes during the show's run, since Bitty Schram left in season 3 and Stanley Kamel sadly died of a heart attack between seasons 6 and 7. Mostly, the show stuck with the same actors, and this allowed them to develop a hilarious chemistry as Monk took on each murder investigation while trying to avoid all contact with germs, animals, children and anything else on his long list of phobias. Monk still has a lot of rewatch value, but hardcore fans of the show might want to check out what else the cast have been up to.

10 Murder One

Stanley Kamel Plays Dr. Graham Lester

Stanley Kamel was most famous for his role as Dr. Charles Kroger in Monk, and he became a fan favorite character. Kamel's death at the age of 65 was a sad moment for the show, but Monk paid tribute to the actor with an emotional episode about Monk's struggles to come to terms with his grief. Stanley Kamel was replaced by Héctor Elizondo for the last two seasons, as Monk had to get accustomed to a new therapist.

Kamel had a long career as an actor, making guest appearances in plenty of TV shows.

Kamel had a long career as an actor, making guest appearances in plenty of TV shows, including Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Nanny and Mission: Impossible. Some of his bigger roles include a breakthrough part in Days Of Our Lives, seven episodes of Cagney & Lacey and 13 episodes of Melrose Place. Just like in Monk, Kamel plays a therapist in legal drama Murder One, which received positive reviews before fizzling out.

9 Two Guys & A Girl

Traylor Howard Plays Sharon Carter-Donnelly

Monk's second assistant Natalie Teeger is easily Traylor Howard's most prominent role, but she also starred in a couple of sitcoms before replacing Bitty Schram in Monk. Howard's first big show was the short-lived and largely-forgotten sitcom Boston Common, in which she stars as the love interest of the main character. Shortly after Boston Common's cancelation, Howard was cast in Two Guys and a Girl.

The sitcom has become more famous since it ended in 2001, thanks to Nathan Fillion and Ryan Reynolds' careers both taking off.

Two Guys and a Girl had the much clunkier title, Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place in its first two seasons, but this was eventually shortened after the second season, when the pizza shop was abandoned as the plot changed directions. The sitcom has become more famous since it ended in 2001, thanks to Nathan Fillion and Ryan Reynolds' careers both taking off. Monk fans often debate Sharona and Natalie's roles, and Traylor Howard's sitcom experience often makes Natalie a funnier character.

8 Will & Grace

Tim Bagley Plays Larry

Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 Leave a Review Your changes have been saved My List My Favorite TV Shows My Watchlist Success! 8/10 Will and Grace Where to Watch stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available *Availability in US Release Date September 21, 1998 Seasons 8 Cast Eric McCormack , Debra Messing

Tim Bagley plays Harold Krenshaw, one of Dr. Kroger's other patients, who shares many of Adrian Monk's tics and disorders. Naturally, this makes him and Monk despise each other. Harold Krenshaw only appears in a handful of episodes, but he creates some of Monk's funniest moments, like when he takes a bullet for Dr. Kroger or when he is suspected of being a famous daredevil.

Related Mr. Monk’s Last Case 2 Wishlist: 8 Things That Should Happen In The Monk Movie Sequel While Mr. Monk’s Last Case 2 hasn’t been confirmed, there are a lot of things that a Monk sequel could do, including bringing back beloved characters.

Tim Bagley started his career writing and performing comedy, but he soon started making one-episode guest appearances in TV comedies such as Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm and 3rd Rock From the Sun. Outside of Monk, he's most famous for playing Larry in Will & Grace. Not only was Will & Grace one of the funniest sitcoms of its generation, but it also broke new ground with its portrayal of gay characters. Bagley is gay himself, and so is his Will & Grace character Larry.

7 A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Jason Gray-Stranford Plays Ainsley

Jason Gray-Stanford brings a lot of humor to Monk with his bizarre, implausible theories about cases and his general awkwardness. Randy is a great foil to Captain Stottlemeyer. Gray-Stanford has a few other notable TV credits to his name, with guest appearances in big shows like The Boys, Bones and Grey's Anatomy. He's also a prolific voice-actor, especially working on anime movies and TV shows like Dragonball Z.

Jason Gray-Stanford provided backing vocals on Gaslight, the first album from Russell Crowe's rock band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts.

Jason Gray-Stanford provided backing vocals on Gaslight, the first album from Russell Crowe's rock band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts. In the years after Gaslight, he appeared in minor roles in two Russell Crowe movies. He plays Deputy Bobby Michan in Mystery Alaska, and Ainsley in A Beautiful Mind. Ainsley is one of John Nash's friends in A Beautiful Mind. It's not a big role, but Gray-Stanford can boast that he has acted in a movie that won four Oscars, including Best Picture.

6 A League Of Their Own (1992)

Bitty Schram Plays Evelyn Gardner

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buy Not available Not available Not available *Availability in US Release Date July 1, 1992 Director Penny Marshall Cast Tom Hanks , Geena Davis , Madonna , Lori Petty , Rosie O'Donnell , Megan Cavanagh , Ann Cusack , Anne Ramsay

Bitty Schram was such an integral part of Monk's early seasons, and her departure created a huge problem for the show. She was capably replaced by Traylor Howard, but it's still nice to see her returning for one of Monk's best episodes in season 8, "Mr. Monk and Sharona". Schram first gained widespread attention for her role in the 1992 baseball comedy A League of Their Own, which remains her best work excluding Monk.

A League of Their Own stars Tom Hanks as the coach of a women's baseball team during the Second World War. It's loosely based on a true story, but Big director Penny Marshall plays up the comedic elements of the story. The actors playing the Rockford Peaches include Geena Davis and Madonna, but Schram also gets some laughs as the right fielder Evelyn Gardner. She's on the receiving end of Hanks' famous quote: "There's no crying in baseball."

5 Galaxy Quest (1999)

Tony Shalhoub Plays Fred Kwan

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buy Not available Not available Not available *Availability in US Release Date December 25, 1999 Director Dean Parisot Cast Alan Rickman Daryl Mitchell , Sam Rockwell , Sigourney Weaver , Tim Allen , Tony Shalhoub

Tony Shalhoub's best movies and TV shows are mostly comedies. His big-screen hits include Barton Fink and Big Night, and he also has a brief but memorable appearance in Men in Black. Galaxy Quest is arguably his funniest movie of all, however. It's a sci-fi comedy just like Men in Black, but it gives Shalhoub a larger role alongside Sigourney Weaver, Tim Allen and Alan Rickman, all of whom are in great form.

Galaxy Quest follows a group of washed-up actors, still milking their old sci-fi TV show, who get abducted by aliens who believe that their show is real. It's a great spoof for fans of Star Trek, but Galaxy Quest is just as enjoyable for people who have never seen Star Trek. Shalhoub plays Fred Kwan, a socially awkward actor from the show who falls in love with one of his alien abductors.

4 Severance

John Turturro Plays Irving Bailiff

Monk has plenty of great guest stars, and John Turturro is always a pleasure on the odd occasion when he shows up as Adrian's brother Ambrose. Turturro seems a little underutilized by Monk, considering his talents as a comedic actor. He has worked in movies and TV for decades, often as a character actor in supporting parts, although he has had some starring roles in movies like Barton Fink.

Related 10 Best John Turturro Movies, According To Letterboxd John Turturro has recently starred in The Batman, but the actor has been giving great performances for decades. Letterboxd ranks his best here.

John Turturro is famous for his collaborations with the Coen brothers, appearing in comedy hits like The Big Lebowski and O Brother, Where Art Thou? More recently, he has starred in Apple TV+'s critically-acclaimed sci-fi show Severance. He plays one of the workers at Lumon who undergoes a surgical procedure to sever his memories of work from his memories of the outside world. He brings a lot of heart to his character's emotional subplot, and the long-awaited season 2 promises more of the same.

3 The Office

Melora Hardin Plays Jan Levinson

Even though Melora Hardin doesn't appear in too many episodes of Monk, her character casts a long shadow over the show. Adrian's wife Trudy was the love of his life before her death in a car bomb explosion. His grief explains a lot of his personality and his story, as he is motivated to solve her murder despite knowing that nothing he can do will bring her back. Monk's enduring love of Trudy creates some of the show's most heartbreaking moments.

Hardin makes the most of the few episodes of The Office that she appears in.

Melora Hardin plays Trudy in flashbacks and home videos throughout Monk, and it's hard to forget the episode where she gets the chance to play a doppelgänger. Hardin is probably most famous for her role as Jan Levinson in The Office, however. Jan couldn't be further from the purity and sweetness of Trudy in Monk. Jan is Michael Scott's boss at Dunder Mifflin, and she eventually becomes his lover in a toxic and ill-fated relationship. Hardin makes the most of the few episodes she appears in.

2 The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Tony Shalhoub Plays Abe Weissman

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buy Not available Not available Not available *Availability in US Release Date March 17, 2017 Seasons 5 Cast Rachel Brosnahan , Kevin Pollak , Caroline Aaron , Jane Lynch , Marin Hinkle , Michael Zegen , Tony Shalhoub , Alex Borstein

Monk isn't Tony Shalhoub's only hit comedy show. Before starring as Adrian Monk, he was part of an ensemble cast in the 1990s sitcom Wings, which exists in the same universe as Cheers and often features special guests like Kelsey Grammar and George Wendt. Fans of Monk would be better off watching The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, however, since it truly brings the best out of Shalhoub's talents.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was created by Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, and it's just as lively and quick-witted.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was created by Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, and it's just as lively and quick-witted. The show follows a woman in 1950s New York City who decides to become a comedian after her husband cheats on her. Shalhoub plays Midge Maisel's disapproving father, Abe Weissman, and he is capable of stealing every scene he's in. The character of Abe fits Shalhoub like a glove, and he's frequently a highlight amid a talented cast.

1 The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

Ted Levine Plays Jame Gumb

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buy Not available Not available Not available *Availability in US Release Date February 14, 1991 Director jonathan demme Cast Jodie Foster , Anthony Hopkins , Scott Glenn , Ted Levine , Anthony Heald , Brooke Smith , Diane Baker , Kasi Lemmons

Ted Levine has had a solid career in movies and TV shows, and he has many memorable roles that aren't nearly as comedic as his portrayal of Captain Stottlemeyer in Monk. Levine rarely has starring roles, but he has appeared in huge Hollywood movies like Heat, Shutter Island and The Fast and the Furious. The Silence of the Lambs gives him a pivotal role as Jame Gumb, and it's certainly his most iconic movie role.

Related 8 Best Shows Like Monk If You’re Still Missing Tony Shalhoub’s Detective Many viewers are still missing the hilarious Detective Adrian Monk, but these other fantastic comedy detective TV shows are just as strong as Monk.

Jame Gumb is the real identity of the deranged serial killer known as "Buffalo Bill" who Clarice must hunt down with the help of Hannibal Lecter. Levine embodies the character with such intensity and menace that it's often hard to believe he's the same actor who plays lovable old Leland Stottlemeyer. Jame Gumb's creepy presence quickly becomes deadly in the unforgettable final confrontation between him and Clarice in his basement.