We Couldn't Spread It Too Thin': Tony Shalhoub Explains Why One Character Wasn't Brought Back For 'Mr. Monk's Last Case'

Tony Shalhoub returned to his iconic character of Adrian Monk for a long-awaited movie called Mr. Monk's Last Case. The project debuted for Monk fans with Peacock Premium subscriptions almost exactly fourteen years after the original series came to an end on USA, but that didn't mean a new cast of characters to surround the titular character. Mr. Monk's Last Case recruited nearly all of the key actors from the original run of the series to reprise their roles for one more mystery. Tony Shalhoub spoke with CinemaBlend about one absent character he originally wanted in the movie.

Written by original series creator Andy Breckman, Mr. Monk's Last Case brought back Ted Levine as Leland Stottlemeyer, Traylor Howard as Natalie teeger, Jason Gray-Stanford as Randy Disher, Melora Hardin as Trudy Monk, and Héctor Elizondo as Dr. Bell in addition to Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk. The movie was full of nods to the past even as it told a brand new story. When I spoke with Shalhoub and Breckman, I asked if there was anybody who they wanted to bring back but were unable to.