'Mr. Monk's Last Case': Tony Shalhoub and Andy Breckman Detail Reviving Monk for New Movie (Exclusive)

Monk, a mystery-comedy-drama series that ran on the USA Network from 2002 to 2009, was a huge success, winning eight Emmy Awards, one Gloden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. It starred Tony Shalhoub as the title character, and he's back for one more adventure as Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie is now streaming on Peacock. PopCulture.com spoke to Shalhoub and series creator Andy Breckman, who executive produces the movie. The duo talked about what motivated them to bring back Monk after the series ended 14 years ago. 

"We did a short film two years ago, and I think the pandemic forced our hand," Breckman told PopCulture. "Everybody wanted to know how Monk was doing. Everyone loves this character, but they also worry about this character and they want to make sure how Monk was doing. And unfortunately, the news we gave them was Monk was not doing very well. But in the course of this movie, Monk finds his way and gets his footing, and I think we end the movie on a hopeful and positive note."

In Mr. Monk's Last Case, Monk is trying to solve a very personal case that involves his stepdaughter, Molly (Caitlin McGee), a journalist preparing for her wedding. At the same time, Monk is dealing with his own issues after losing a book deal and not working regularly. 

"When we first rediscover Monk in this movie, he is in a very dark place and he's contemplating suicide and the pandemic has had that severe impact on him," Shalhoub said. "But I really love the challenge of that, delving into his darker side, and given that, what the challenges were to pull him out of that and to somehow help him to survive it. Ultimately, it's all about loss. It's about the loss of his wife, it's about the loss of his work, his friends have all gone away, and he's a very lonely, lonely beast. And that's always some interesting territory to explore."

Along with Shalhoub reprising his role as Monk, the movie brings back multiple cast members from the show, including. Ted Levine, Jason Gray-Stanford, Traylor Howard, Melora Hardin and Hector Elizondo. Shalhoub admitted when he began production on the film, it didn't feel like old times. 

"It was a little strange in the early going, but it didn't take that long once we got all the cast back together and Andy gave us these great scenes to work on, and we even had Randy Zisk, who was our director, showrunner on the series, he directed the movie," Shalhoub said. "So we had all of the pieces in place to be able to make shortcuts and recreate the vibe of the show. And once we got into it after first, second day, we were just back in the saddle. It felt great."

Mr. Monk's Last Case is getting strong reviews, earning a 94 percent score from critics and an 80 percent score from fans on Rotten Tomatoes. With that along with the way the film ended, is it possible Monk returns for another movie in the foreseeable future? 

"I think Tony plays poker more than me," Breckman said. "I don't play poker, but in this case, I am holding my cards close to the vest. I do have an idea that I'm excited about and if the situation arises, I'd love to move forward with it. But for right now, I'm playing my cards close to the vest."