‘Mr. Monk’s Last Case’ review: Can germaphobe Adrian Monk function in a COVID world?

Rare is the reboot that captures the magic of the original. But sometimes it’s nice to catch up with familiar characters years later, and the TV movie “Mr. Monk’s Last Case” (on Peacock) is one such opportunity, with Tony Shalhoub returning as the obsessive-compulsive crime solver he played on “Monk,” the USA series that ran for eight seasons from 2002 to 2009.

Monk’s germaphobia has always been central. So what does his life look like now, amid an ongoing pandemic caused by an airborne virus? Do the ideas behind the character’s idiosyncrasies even work in this new context?

In short, no.

Creator Andy Breckman does acknowledge Monk’s fixation on hygiene — often met with eyerolls in the series — makes a good deal of sense in light of (gestures broadly) everything. But here’s me, clomping through the pleasant, low-stakes vibes of a brief “Monk” return to point out that the story now also requires you to believe the character would go anywhere post-2020 sans face mask.

That’s because you can’t make a satisfying story if your lead actor is delivering lines behind an N95. So we get Adrian Monk raw-dogging the air without any anxiety — but still intense about hand sanitizer. Sure. OK. (Throws hands up in defeat).

But I do love how “Mr. Monk’s Last Case” begins, with a clip from an old episode that has him fixating on his old stove. The scene devolves into a voice-over monologue about the number of times the six-burner flat top had been recalled. “I had it for 22 years. It was one of the longest relationships of my life — and certainly one of the happiest.” Brilliant!

Turns out, Monk is reading from his manuscript. He scored a book deal to write about his career, but his editor isn’t buying what he’s selling.

“Here in Chapter 4, you have two paragraphs about the suspect and” — she leafs through the pile — “seven, eight, nine pages about his vacuum cleaner.”

Monk: “We had the same vacuum cleaner!”

Sorry, she says, you’re in breach of contract. We need back the advance we paid you. That’s a problem, because Monk has earmarked the money for the wedding of his stepdaughter, Molly.

Wait, stepdaughter?

If your brain has been filled with other, more pressing information since the last episode of “Monk” aired in 2009, a refresher: Trudy was Monk’s late wife. Before they were together, she had a child, who was later adopted by other people. This detail was introduced in the show’s two-part finale “Mr. Monk and the End” and it’s a dubious backstory to rely on, since viewers have no emotional connection to (and possibly no memory of) this character.

(Can we pause to ponder Monk’s finances? He’s not a police consultant anymore, so if his book money was going to that wedding, how does he support himself? In San Francisco, no less? I’m stressed out!)

Molly moved in with Monk during COVID — cut to Monk in a hazmat suit in his kitchen — and the death of her fiance pulls him out of retirement. Once again, the old gang is back together, including one-time assistant Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard), police captain Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine), and Leland’s knucklehead colleague Randy Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford).

They’ve all moved on with their lives, but come back together for the case.

Despite its breezy tone, the movie goes in some surprisingly dark places. Monk considers ending it all, and while I don’t think his suicidal ideation works tonally, it does feel like a real effort to seriously consider the character’s ever-present grief and what it means to lose a spouse and feel forever untethered to the world thereafter.

If the central mystery is unsatisfying, Shalhoub remains the reason to watch. He imbues this difficult, ridiculous man with so much humanity in a performance that is both clenched and silly. At one point, Monk goes undercover as a pool bartender in a straw hat and a mustache, insisting each beverage be made to perfection while the thirsty crowd glares. It’s a classic Monk moment and Shalhoub finds such a light and funny way of playing around with it.

The ending of “Mr. Monk’s Last Case” leaves the door open for another movie. Or for a reboot of the show itself. You never know. It’s a jungle out there.

“Mr. Monk’s Last Case” — 2.5 stars (out of 4)

Where to watch: Peacock

Nina Metz is a Tribune critic

nmetz@chicagotribune.com