Monk on TV -- anything else like it?
May 2, 2008 12:46 AM Subscribe
Big fan of Monk on TV. Are there any other detective/crime fiction or shows that feature people with recognisable (or even diagnosed) psychological disorders? Played for laughs or serious.
I hesitate to recommend my own mystery novels, but my detective Denton Ward, suffers from anxiety and agoraphobia. My website is in my profile, and you can download the first five chapters of each book free there.
posted by willmize at 1:03 AM on May 2, 2008
posted by willmize at 1:03 AM on May 2, 2008
As Good As It Gets has Jack Nicholson playing a compulsive character, as does Matchstick Men with Nicholas Cage. And you might like Benny & Joon, with Johnny Depp and Mary Stuart Masterson both psychologically a little different from norm, and perhaps Don Juan, another Depp psychological portrait.
posted by cgc373 at 1:05 AM on May 2, 2008
posted by cgc373 at 1:05 AM on May 2, 2008
For a more chilling, less fun version of things, perhaps Julianne Moore in Safe?
posted by cgc373 at 1:06 AM on May 2, 2008
posted by cgc373 at 1:06 AM on May 2, 2008
Numbers and Bones both feature main characters who are very brainy but have trouble with normal social interaction. While Charlie (from Numbers) may just be socially inept, Temperance (from Bones) is practically a Vulcan. Neither one diagnosed, however. There's also Dexter, who's a crime-solving serial killer. Again, not diagnosed (or, perhaps, informally diagnosed by his father). There's also Lincoln Rhyme (Bone Collector) who suffers from depression at the beginning of the movie/novel (due to his physical condition).
posted by zanni at 1:09 AM on May 2, 2008
posted by zanni at 1:09 AM on May 2, 2008
Prison Break. Michael Scofield's diagnosed with something that made him super-smart. It was shown in one of the first few episodes
posted by drea at 1:09 AM on May 2, 2008
posted by drea at 1:09 AM on May 2, 2008
Jimmy McNulty is an alcoholic. Does that count?
posted by turgid dahlia at 1:16 AM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by turgid dahlia at 1:16 AM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Oh. Disregard me: Detective stuff. I'll reconsider.
Yes, that's right :) Although it's not just "detectives". Any story or fiction where a mystery is solved by somebody with a recognisable psychiatric condition is interesting.
I can actually answer my own question a little: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. A kid with Autism solves a mystery, although it's not really about the murder of the dog. More about him and how he views life. Excellent book, by the way. One of the best I've read in recent years.
posted by long haired lover from liverpool at 1:41 AM on May 2, 2008
Yes, that's right :) Although it's not just "detectives". Any story or fiction where a mystery is solved by somebody with a recognisable psychiatric condition is interesting.
I can actually answer my own question a little: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. A kid with Autism solves a mystery, although it's not really about the murder of the dog. More about him and how he views life. Excellent book, by the way. One of the best I've read in recent years.
posted by long haired lover from liverpool at 1:41 AM on May 2, 2008
Motherless Brooklyn features a detective with Tourette's syndrome.
posted by spasm at 2:34 AM on May 2, 2008
posted by spasm at 2:34 AM on May 2, 2008
Dexter's a psychopath...
posted by Omission at 2:55 AM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Omission at 2:55 AM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
Sherlock Holmes... manic / depressive.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:04 AM on May 2, 2008
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:04 AM on May 2, 2008
You could always go back to the source, the original Sherlock Holmes stories. You could argue that Holmes doesn't technically have a psychological disorder, but he's not a terribly well adjusted person either. The writers on Monk definitely acknowledge their debt to Holmes in the show. (Holmes has an older, smarter brother. Monk has an older, even crazier brother, etc.)
On the modern TV front, House takes the Holmes archetype and puts him in a medical setting. House's disorder is that he's a rampaging jerk, so this may or may not appeal to you, but it's definitely played for laughs more often then not. I've always considered Monk and House to be distant cousins, so on the off chance you've never seen it, give it a go.
posted by Aznable at 3:10 AM on May 2, 2008
On the modern TV front, House takes the Holmes archetype and puts him in a medical setting. House's disorder is that he's a rampaging jerk, so this may or may not appeal to you, but it's definitely played for laughs more often then not. I've always considered Monk and House to be distant cousins, so on the off chance you've never seen it, give it a go.
posted by Aznable at 3:10 AM on May 2, 2008
Any story or fiction where a mystery is solved by somebody with a recognisable psychiatric condition is interesting.
Well there's always Memento... or Mulholland Drive.
But both sort of depend on your definition of 'solved'.
posted by rokusan at 3:18 AM on May 2, 2008
Well there's always Memento... or Mulholland Drive.
But both sort of depend on your definition of 'solved'.
posted by rokusan at 3:18 AM on May 2, 2008
On reconsideration, lhlfl, I think Matchstick Men stands, as it's a story about con artists and scams and crime. Primal Fear with Richard Gere and Edward Norton has some psychologically complicated stuff happening amidst its brutal murder trial of a plot. Not to mention Vertigo, which is an obvious point of reference for this kind of story, right?
posted by cgc373 at 3:20 AM on May 2, 2008
posted by cgc373 at 3:20 AM on May 2, 2008
Response by poster: You could argue that Holmes doesn't technically have a psychological disorder, but he's not a terribly well adjusted person either.
Holmes changes a little throughout the stories. The first story shows him as quite an unpleasant character, very much involved in his own mind and world (Aspergers?), whereas he later expands into a more flamboyant character. He was also an opium addict, of course.
posted by long haired lover from liverpool at 3:33 AM on May 2, 2008
Holmes changes a little throughout the stories. The first story shows him as quite an unpleasant character, very much involved in his own mind and world (Aspergers?), whereas he later expands into a more flamboyant character. He was also an opium addict, of course.
posted by long haired lover from liverpool at 3:33 AM on May 2, 2008
Oh! And a movie nobody ever sees called Whispers in the Dark, part of the scene of stylish thrillers released around the same time as Basic Instinct (which also might count, if you're lenient about psychological tics). Not a perfect movie, but worth seeing for the performances. I'd say the same thing about Zero Effect, recommended above. Pullman's good and weird, and you can see Kim Dickens before Deadwood. Heck, now that I think of it, Deadwood in its third season has a pretty kinked out character in the person of Francis Wolcott, a murderous aesthete.
posted by cgc373 at 3:34 AM on May 2, 2008
posted by cgc373 at 3:34 AM on May 2, 2008
Holmes changes a little throughout the stories. The first story shows him as quite an unpleasant character, very much involved in his own mind and world (Aspergers?), whereas he later expands into a more flamboyant character. He was also an opium addict, of course.
That's a fair point, but he does meet the criteria you were looking for. Obviously you've already read them, so it's not really helping you any. ^_^
I'll also second rokusan's suggestion of Memento. That's an excellent film. Nothing at all like Monk, mind you, but definitely worth checking out.
posted by Aznable at 3:55 AM on May 2, 2008
That's a fair point, but he does meet the criteria you were looking for. Obviously you've already read them, so it's not really helping you any. ^_^
I'll also second rokusan's suggestion of Memento. That's an excellent film. Nothing at all like Monk, mind you, but definitely worth checking out.
posted by Aznable at 3:55 AM on May 2, 2008
I think I'm still missing the point in a lot of ways. You want stories with psychologically challenged protagonists who themselves solve crimes somehow? I'm giving you nothing. Sorry, long haired lover from liverpool.
posted by cgc373 at 4:20 AM on May 2, 2008
posted by cgc373 at 4:20 AM on May 2, 2008
Fiction: Charles Todd's Inspector Rutledge suffers from hallucinations brought on by shell shock.
posted by thomas j wise at 4:40 AM on May 2, 2008
posted by thomas j wise at 4:40 AM on May 2, 2008
Ever seen the movie Gaslight? The mystery is whether she is mentally ill or whether her husband is playing with her mind. It's not a Hitchcock movie, but it feels like one and stars Ingrid Bergman. It's a nice thriller that gets under your skin.
posted by parkerjackson at 5:46 AM on May 2, 2008
posted by parkerjackson at 5:46 AM on May 2, 2008
The Caveman's Valentine is a film about a homeless man with paranoid schizophrenia trying to solve a murder.
posted by burnmp3s at 5:53 AM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by burnmp3s at 5:53 AM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
Nick Meyer's The Seven-Per-Cent Solution is a pastiche that involves Holmes being treated for addiction by Sigmund Freud.
posted by EarBucket at 6:30 AM on May 2, 2008
posted by EarBucket at 6:30 AM on May 2, 2008
I'd second Bones. Some of the best moments of the concern the main character Temperance Brennan who is very intellectual and academic, but can be very clueless about pop culture and other mundane things. This is exploited by having another main character, an FBI agent, contrasting as your average joe.
posted by Atreides at 6:36 AM on May 2, 2008
posted by Atreides at 6:36 AM on May 2, 2008
Perhaps not a disorder persay, but Medium deals with a psychic that helps solve crimes, and she seems to struggle a bit with her "gifts" so the show focuses quite heavily on how her visions/sightings/thoughts effect her family and friends. Might be something you're looking for.
posted by genial at 6:36 AM on May 2, 2008
posted by genial at 6:36 AM on May 2, 2008
My favorite is Vincent D'Onofrio's character on Law and Order : Criminal Intent. According to the Wiki : "At times, Goren's investigative style resembles that of a high-functioning autistic, or someone suffering from OCD, (e.g. Adrian Monk, protagonist of the USA Network series, Monk), for his ability to focus on details and make connections that others overlook."
posted by Liosliath at 6:45 AM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Liosliath at 6:45 AM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
Two films by the same director: Lodge Kerrigan's Clean, Shaven and Keane. However, as with some of the above examples, it depends on your definition of "solved". Note that neither of the characters here are detectives but both are involved in a mystery.
I was also going to recommend Memento and Mulholland Drive but someone beat me to the punch.
Fight Club may also qualify, but it depends how you define your terms.
posted by dobbs at 7:10 AM on May 2, 2008
I was also going to recommend Memento and Mulholland Drive but someone beat me to the punch.
Fight Club may also qualify, but it depends how you define your terms.
posted by dobbs at 7:10 AM on May 2, 2008
I'd posit that most detective stories have main characters who are flawed in some way or another. Maybe not to the extent that Monk is, but most of the background stories have something that shows that these detectives are not middle of the road normal.
Not a psychological problem, but the show Ironsides features a detective in a wheelchair.
posted by gjc at 7:26 AM on May 2, 2008
Not a psychological problem, but the show Ironsides features a detective in a wheelchair.
posted by gjc at 7:26 AM on May 2, 2008
Response by poster: I'd posit that most detective stories have main characters who are flawed in some way or another.
All fictional detectives have quirks of one kind or another, whether they're elementary quirks (simply being Belgian, like Poirot, or down-on-their-luck, like most classic American crime fiction), or actually mentally ill, like Monk. The fashion right now seems to be for quirks that are borderline mental illnesses, like House. There's also a fashion for unexplainable quirks, heading into the magical realism sphere (Pushing Dasies), which was kinda kicked off by Twin Peaks, I guess.
Funny enough, I'm reading a book at the moment that parodies quirky detectives: The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde. In this fictional universe detectives publish crime fiction and therefore have to be quirky to be successful.
posted by long haired lover from liverpool at 7:54 AM on May 2, 2008
All fictional detectives have quirks of one kind or another, whether they're elementary quirks (simply being Belgian, like Poirot, or down-on-their-luck, like most classic American crime fiction), or actually mentally ill, like Monk. The fashion right now seems to be for quirks that are borderline mental illnesses, like House. There's also a fashion for unexplainable quirks, heading into the magical realism sphere (Pushing Dasies), which was kinda kicked off by Twin Peaks, I guess.
Funny enough, I'm reading a book at the moment that parodies quirky detectives: The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde. In this fictional universe detectives publish crime fiction and therefore have to be quirky to be successful.
posted by long haired lover from liverpool at 7:54 AM on May 2, 2008
Nero Wolfe refuses to leave his house, which complicates matters when it comes to solving crimes. Luckily he has Archie Goodwin to be his outside man!
posted by robocop is bleeding at 7:54 AM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by robocop is bleeding at 7:54 AM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
Inspector Morse is an alcoholic, later a diabetic, bachelor with a fondness for crossword puzzles and real ale. In both the books and the PBS series, he gets pretty OCD about certain details. He's also often wrong, but usually refuses to admit so.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 7:57 AM on May 2, 2008
posted by robocop is bleeding at 7:57 AM on May 2, 2008
There are two BBC shows I really like that both feature psychologically damaged detectives: Cracker and Touching Evil. Fitz in Cracker is addicted to gambling and alcohol and is just generally an ass who chases away the people he loves (played beautifully by Robbie Coltrane). Creegan in Touching Evil (played by the equally excellent Robson Green) suffers from PTSD from being shot in the head.
posted by hydropsyche at 8:13 AM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by hydropsyche at 8:13 AM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
Robson Green also plays a criminal psychologist with issues in Wire in the Blood, which is a pretty cool series. DO NOT WATCH THE AMERICAN VERSION OF CRACKER. The BBC version is great though.
posted by BrotherCaine at 9:30 AM on May 2, 2008
posted by BrotherCaine at 9:30 AM on May 2, 2008
Hercule Poirot from Agatha Christie's novels is actually obsessive compulsive, but it is not the principal feature of the books. Many readers are not even aware that that is his nature.
posted by shmegegge at 9:37 AM on May 2, 2008
posted by shmegegge at 9:37 AM on May 2, 2008
Dexter's a psychopath...
You mean sociopath. And cocaine was the drug featured in Holmes stories, opium was only mentioned occasionally.
(Just dropping in to nitpick. Everyone I was going to mention has been named already. Sorry).
posted by goo at 9:53 AM on May 2, 2008
You mean sociopath. And cocaine was the drug featured in Holmes stories, opium was only mentioned occasionally.
(Just dropping in to nitpick. Everyone I was going to mention has been named already. Sorry).
posted by goo at 9:53 AM on May 2, 2008
Jim Thompson's THE KILLER INSIDE ME. The book's narrator is a sheriff/killer who suffers from paranoid schizophremia....
posted by cinemafiend at 11:49 AM on May 2, 2008
posted by cinemafiend at 11:49 AM on May 2, 2008
Raines with Jeff Goldblum was a great show. He plays a homocide detective whose victims speak to him/haunt him and help him solve their own murder.
Great show that was cancelled, but you can still watch it!
posted by odi.et.amo at 11:57 AM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
Great show that was cancelled, but you can still watch it!
posted by odi.et.amo at 11:57 AM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
...homicide...
posted by odi.et.amo at 11:58 AM on May 2, 2008
posted by odi.et.amo at 11:58 AM on May 2, 2008
It's not TV, but how about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time? Detective story told by a boy with Aspergers-like autism: "Christopher is a mathematical savant, has a photographic memory, is extremely observant and has a pathological inability to tell lies. However, he has difficulty understanding human behaviour, gestures and relationships." Makes for a very interesting detective story, as he has no grasp of the obvious, but a thorough comprehension of minutiae.
Psych is fun (a hyperactive uses his hyperobservant tendencies to pretend he's got psychic powers and solves crimes). Raines (hallucinates conversations with the murder victim, has to hide this to stay on the force) and Life (detective returns to the force from a decade in prison after being framed for a murder he didn't commit - stayed sane (? or went functionally crazy?) by embracing Zen in a quirky way) are both in the brilliant-but-cancelled category.
Would Life On Mars count? Modern detective gets hit by a car, wakes up in 1970's - it's a feature of the show that he's not sure if it's time travel, the afterlife, if he's crazy, or in a coma and imagining the whole thing. People in the 70's think he's crazy, anyway.
posted by bartleby at 12:38 PM on May 2, 2008 [4 favorites]
Psych is fun (a hyperactive uses his hyperobservant tendencies to pretend he's got psychic powers and solves crimes). Raines (hallucinates conversations with the murder victim, has to hide this to stay on the force) and Life (detective returns to the force from a decade in prison after being framed for a murder he didn't commit - stayed sane (? or went functionally crazy?) by embracing Zen in a quirky way) are both in the brilliant-but-cancelled category.
Would Life On Mars count? Modern detective gets hit by a car, wakes up in 1970's - it's a feature of the show that he's not sure if it's time travel, the afterlife, if he's crazy, or in a coma and imagining the whole thing. People in the 70's think he's crazy, anyway.
posted by bartleby at 12:38 PM on May 2, 2008 [4 favorites]
I'm actually surprised nobody brought up House, who's a drug addict and anti-social.
posted by General Malaise at 1:25 PM on May 2, 2008
posted by General Malaise at 1:25 PM on May 2, 2008
House fits. You do realize he's a modern version of Sherlock Holmes? He even lives at 221 Baker Street in the series.
posted by elendil71 at 4:04 PM on May 2, 2008
posted by elendil71 at 4:04 PM on May 2, 2008
Seconding the Vincent D'Onofrio eps of L&O: CI. It gets repetitive and isn't the main focus of the show at all, but is pretty good.
posted by arnold at 4:47 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by arnold at 4:47 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
BrotherCaine: Robson Green also plays a criminal psychologist with issues in Wire in the Blood, which is a pretty cool series.
The miniseries, now filming its sixth season, is based on a series written by Val McDermid. Clinical psychologist Tony Hill has problems forming relationships with normal people, but has no difficulties getting into the minds of serial killers.
I strongly recommend both the books and the shows-- which diverged from the books after 2 or 3 seasons. Far superior to Monk.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:02 PM on May 2, 2008
The miniseries, now filming its sixth season, is based on a series written by Val McDermid. Clinical psychologist Tony Hill has problems forming relationships with normal people, but has no difficulties getting into the minds of serial killers.
I strongly recommend both the books and the shows-- which diverged from the books after 2 or 3 seasons. Far superior to Monk.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:02 PM on May 2, 2008
3rding L&O: Criminal Intent. Goren is awesome. And they have his partner, Eames, as a very normal, well-adjusted person, so they play off each other well.
posted by fructose at 5:08 PM on May 2, 2008
posted by fructose at 5:08 PM on May 2, 2008
It's not specifically germane, but the series "Psych" tickles the same button in my brain that Monk and House do.
posted by rhizome at 6:44 PM on May 2, 2008
posted by rhizome at 6:44 PM on May 2, 2008
I just finished Denise Mina's Garnethill. It's the first book of a trilogy. Not much like Monk! But the main character is a sexual abuse victim and has significant psychological challenges. She's not a detective but has to figure out whodunit, and rises to the challenge. "Tartan Noir."
posted by Snerd at 7:07 PM on May 2, 2008
posted by Snerd at 7:07 PM on May 2, 2008
House fits. You do realize he's a modern version of Sherlock Holmes? He even lives at 221 Baker Street in the series
Yes, I do. As do the others who have mentioned him in this thread. No need for General Malaise to be actually surprised.
posted by goo at 12:58 AM on May 3, 2008
Yes, I do. As do the others who have mentioned him in this thread. No need for General Malaise to be actually surprised.
posted by goo at 12:58 AM on May 3, 2008
Response by poster: I like how the second part of this thread duplicates the first half. We live in a strange world where people prefer to write rather than read.
posted by long haired lover from liverpool at 1:46 AM on May 3, 2008
posted by long haired lover from liverpool at 1:46 AM on May 3, 2008
I know someone's already mentioned Memento, maybe Insomnia would also fit the bill (although it's a movie).
posted by featherboa at 3:38 AM on May 3, 2008
posted by featherboa at 3:38 AM on May 3, 2008
I hesitate to recommend my own mystery novels
Why, are they really bad? :)
Okay, okay I get self promotion is somewhat frowned upon in MeFi. But in non-jerky contexts (answering someone's question) I think they're totally reasonable. Please feel free to link directly to your website next time...I personally am off to read some of your work right now.
posted by Deathalicious at 7:05 AM on May 3, 2008
Why, are they really bad? :)
Okay, okay I get self promotion is somewhat frowned upon in MeFi. But in non-jerky contexts (answering someone's question) I think they're totally reasonable. Please feel free to link directly to your website next time...I personally am off to read some of your work right now.
posted by Deathalicious at 7:05 AM on May 3, 2008
I've never read Holmes, but I am a fan of the Basil Rathbone movies. In one of them, he furiously solves the crime and quickly states something like "gentlemen, I am quite in need of rest and you'll excuse me if I take my leave of you. Doctor, come along. And bring the needle."
That implies an opioid of some kind, to me. Perhaps he abstains while solving a crime, focusing the intensity of the withdrawal onto the solution, obtaining sweet relief only when the crime is solved.
posted by gjc at 9:15 AM on May 3, 2008
That implies an opioid of some kind, to me. Perhaps he abstains while solving a crime, focusing the intensity of the withdrawal onto the solution, obtaining sweet relief only when the crime is solved.
posted by gjc at 9:15 AM on May 3, 2008
He took morphine therapeutically and opium for a few cases, but it was cocaine he was addicted to - a seven-percent solution, injected three times a day for stimluation when he wasn't working on a case:
'"My mind," he said, "rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation."' ("The Sign of Four").
There's lots written about Holmes' addiction to cocaine, check out this google scholar search for articles.
posted by goo at 9:51 AM on May 3, 2008
'"My mind," he said, "rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation."' ("The Sign of Four").
There's lots written about Holmes' addiction to cocaine, check out this google scholar search for articles.
posted by goo at 9:51 AM on May 3, 2008
Hercule Poirot from Agatha Christie's novels is actually obsessive compulsive, but it is not the principal feature of the books. Many readers are not even aware that that is his nature.
Ditto this. There are a few incidents where he'll absent-mindedly tidy up items on a table or bookshelf or something only to recall later that the manner in which the items where disordered is somehow a significant clue.
posted by juv3nal at 3:28 AM on May 4, 2008
Ditto this. There are a few incidents where he'll absent-mindedly tidy up items on a table or bookshelf or something only to recall later that the manner in which the items where disordered is somehow a significant clue.
posted by juv3nal at 3:28 AM on May 4, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by sharkfu at 12:56 AM on May 2, 2008