It introduces the character of Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub), a private detective with obsessive–compulsive disorder and multiple phobias, and his assistant Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram), as well as police officers Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) and Randy Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford).

Adrian Monk was a San Francisco Police Department investigator, but the death of his wife, Trudy, exacerbated his obsessive–compulsive disorder and led him to develop depression and multiple phobias.

Monk meets St. Claire, his wife Miranda, and their advisor Gavin Lloyd, and walks to the site of the assassination attempt.

Monk was originally envisioned as an Inspector Clouseau type of show by an American Broadcasting Company (ABC) executive.

[8] USA Network's executive vice president Jeff Wachtel stated that looking for the right actor to portray Monk was "casting hell".

This situation remained until Jackie Lyons, a former ABC's executive who joined USA, recommended Monk to her boss, Wachtel.

"[3] Sharona's character was originally written as an African-American, but Bitty Schram, who "had this great maternal thing crossed with an East Coast-type", according to Shalhoub, was cast instead.

[17] Although Judith S. Gillies, writing for Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, pointed it debuted in a period when other networks offer less competition,[5] Broadcasting & Cable's writer Allison Romano said the numbers were "impressive".

"[1] United Feature Syndicate's critic Kevin McDonough praised the "whimsical" direction, and added "Monk is not easy to love, but shines as a funny and fresh alternative to summer reruns.

[23] Variety's Phil Gallo praised the "breezy gait of the storytelling, the nicely explained quirks of a brilliant mind and Tony Shalhoub's sterling characterization" in his review.

[24] Tom Gliatto, a People's critic, declared "This is probably not a clinically accurate portrayal of an OCD sufferer, but Shalhoub's gentle earnestness keeps it from being gimmicky.

"[26] Chris Hicks of Deseret News declared, "this pilot episode is good enough to be a theatrical film; in fact, it's better than most features — funny, warm, character-driven and loaded with hilarious vignettes.

[28] David Zurawik, in a review for The Baltimore Sun, said the major problem of it is trying to combine comedy and drama with detective fiction.

Zurawik, however, praised Breckman and Shaulhoub who "combine to deliver one of the most weirdly appealing television sleuths since Richard Belzer's Detective John Munch of Homicide: Life on the Street.