Tony Shalhoub is a FANTASTIC actor! He really was very convincing in his role in "MONK". He has the gift of bringing out genuine emotions of various kinds and degrees due to his quirky antics. He was VERY HUMOROUS, and kept me laughing out loud until it hurt. He brought me to utter tears that I felt was deeply heart wrenching, when Monk became very emotional in several episodes.....ESPECIALLY in the last Season 8 in "Mr. Monk and the End, (Part One & Two)." I still weep when I reflect upon the depth of those emotions in and thru his acting and the way my feelings affected me personally as a result. I respect his talents and his own personality. I can easily sense a genuine kind and deep feeling person thru various interviews and thru his demeanor in general. He must have a notable character himself to be able to portray such fine acting on the screen. He definitely knows how to touch the heart of his audiences. Tony was OUTSTANDING in his role as an OBSESSIVE, COMPULSIVE DETECTIVE. Genius WRITING of the episodes are evident as well. Tony Shalhoub is by far an actor of actors and deserves the various awards he received. He acted as Executive Producer of that production of MONK as well. I have all 8 seasons on DVD....and they are well-worth the investment! Hopefully you will be able to enjoy this Comedy/Drama as I do!