The fifth season of Monk originally aired in the United States on USA Network from July 7, 2006, to March 2, 2007. It consisted of 16 episodes. Tony Shalhoub, Traylor Howard, Ted Levine, and Jason Gray-Stanford reprised their roles as the main characters. A DVD of the season was released on June 26, 2007.
The police find themselves dealing with a pair of seemingly unrelated homicides: a woman found dead of a head injury in her own apartment, and the shooting death of a pawnbroker during a robbery at his shop. The investigation is complicated by the presence of a renowned actor (Stanley Tucci) who is to portray Monk in a TV movie adaptation of one of his past cases – and who has a habit of losing himself in his roles as he prepares for them. Cameo appearance by Peter Weller.
A sanitation union boss is found dead in his office during a citywide garbage strike. Although Monk wants to call the case a suicide so the union will go back to work, Natalie persuades him to follow the evidence and investigate it as a murder, prolonging the strike and putting the mayor (Chi McBride) at risk of being indicted. Guest appearances by David DeLuise and Alice Cooper.
The coach of Julie's high school basketball team is fatally electrocuted just before the league championship game. Julie and her friends persuade Monk to investigate, convinced that the death was not accidental, and he uncovers links to a recent wildfire and a cold case of a young girl's murder while "helping" Natalie coach the team. Jennifer Lawrence appears briefly as a mascot in one of her earliest television roles. Guest starring Jim O'Heir.
While having his smoke detectors tested at the firehouse, Monk witnesses the bludgeoning death of a firefighter and is then blinded when the killer throws cleaning solvent in his face. As Monk struggles to cope with the possibility that he may never see again, Stottlemeyer persuades him to help investigate as best he can, and he soon discovers that the firehouse attack may be connected to the death of a construction company secretary in a recent house fire.
Inspired by her grandfather's success in the toothpaste industry, Natalie persuades a reluctant Monk to open his own private detective agency. His first client, realtor Linda Fusco (Sharon Lawrence), wants him to find out who hit her car in a parking lot, but the accident leads him to a woman's disappearance that the police are investigating and a doctor (Fred Weller) who may be connected to it.
Monk and Natalie go to UC Berkeley for Monk's college reunion, but when Stottlemeyer and Disher show up investigating the murder of a longtime retired nurse who worked there, Monk discovers a murder plot against Trudy's roommate (Cynthia Stevenson). Also guest stars Brian McNamara.
When Dr. Kroger's cleaning lady is stabbed and killed in his office, apparently by one of the shrink's patients, Dr. Kroger believes he's responsible and decides to retire. It's up to Monk to solve the case and get Dr. Kroger back to work. Kiernan Shipka has a bit part, one of her earliest TV roles, credited as 'Little Girl'. Also guest stars Gordon Clapp.
Monk and Natalie go to a major rock concert (as far outside Monk's comfort zone as he could possibly get) in search of Captain Stottlemeyer's runaway son Jared (Jon Kyle Hansen), but get sidetracked when a roadie (Terry Fradet) turns up dead of an apparent drug overdose in one of the port-a-potties, and are subsequently roped-in to investigating by the victim's girlfriend (Tamara Feldman).
When Monk's truck driving father Jack (Dan Hedaya) rolls into town at Christmas time, Monk joins him on the road, where they stumble across a very peculiar mystery after Jack's boss is killed. Also guest stars Brian Kerwin.
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"Mr. Monk and the Leper"
Randall Zisk
Charles Evered and Joe Karter
December 22, 2006 (2006-12-22)
N/A
A missing billionaire suffering from leprosy (Stephen Bogardus) comes out of hiding to hire Monk, who soon finds himself in the midst of a shadowy murder plot worthy of a classic Hollywood film noir. The investigation leads Monk and Natalie to the man's wife (Sarah Brown), who originally has a difficult time believing their story. The episode was broadcast in black & white as well as in color.
A fun-loving, FPSL-enjoyer everyman (Andy Richter) bumps into Monk, and the two become fast friends. For the first time in his life, Monk appears to have a buddy. But is this everyman hiding a dark secret?
When Natalie suspects foul play in the deaths of her parents’ (Michael Cavanaugh and Holland Taylor) wealthy neighbors, Monk goes undercover as a butler to the deceased's son (Sean Astin) to investigate, but he soon finds himself more obsessed with his job than with investigating. Also guest stars Ashley Johnson.
Monk and Natalie suspect that a popular radio shock jock (Steven Weber) has murdered his wife. There's only one problem: at the time of death, he was on the air broadcasting a live show. Also guest stars Danny Woodburn.
When Randy's uncle Harvey apparently dies by his own hand after accidentally killing his beloved prize pig, and leaves his farm to Randy in his will, Randy decides to quit the police force and start a new life in the country. But Randy soon suspects that his neighbor (Ricardo Chavira) may have murdered Harvey, so Monk joins him on the farm to investigate. Along the way Monk must also woo the local sheriff (Brooke Adams) and go undercover as a farmhand to investigate Randy's neighbor. Also guest stars James Gammon.
When the mysterious "Six Way Killer" strikes in San Francisco, Monk must match his detective skills against the flashy forensic technology of a federal agent as they both pursue the murderer.
Monk goes to the emergency room for a bloody nose, but when a doctor in the hospital turns up dead, Monk joins the murder investigation, and soon his own life is in grave danger. Guest stars Charles Durning and Dan Butler.
