Monk becomes a social pariah when he shoots a man dressed as Santa Claus. Then he must clear his name and foil a larger criminal plot, all in time for Christmas.

Monk searches for a killer who is apparently targeting women with the name Julie, a name which Natalie's daughter shares.

When three homeless men seek Monk's services at the holidays, Natalie convinces him to investigate their friend's death; Stottlemeyer's faith is reawakened after a visit to a monastery fountain rids him of crippling pain.

Is Monk hallucinating or is he really seeing Trudy?

Monk must confront his prejudice against nudists when he's called to investigate a murder on a nude beach.

Monk tries to prove a sports agent is guilty of murder while helping Natalie’s teenage daughter with her love life.

Monk becomes involved in the disappearance of a city official that could have ramifications concerning Trudy's murder.

Needing a date for her brother's rehearsal dinner, Natalie resorts to asking Lt. Disher.

When Monk's truck driving father rolls into town at Christmastime, Monk joins him on the road, where they stumble across a very peculiar mystery.

A missing millionaire suffering from leprosy 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. Episode originally aired in black and white.

Stottlemeyer must keep up the pretense that Monk is dead, while Adrian tries to determine who framed him for murder.

When Monk's delinquent half-brother, Jack Jr., escapes from prison and breaks into Monk's apartment, he manipulates Monk into helping him find the person he claims framed him for murder.

When an officer dies after drinking poisoned wine sent to Captain Stottlemeyer as a Christmas gift, the captain suspects Frank Prager, who tried to shoot him outside a bar several months earlier. Searching the crime scene for clues, Monk notes that the bullet holes seem to form a pattern, but neither he nor Stottlemeyer can figure out the message they're intended to convey. After trying unsuccessfully to talk with Prager's young daughter, Monk goes under cover as Santa Claus. This time he learns that Prager is hiding in a church with ""three ladies"" in front of it. But when Prager is caught and interrogated, it's clear that he had nothing to do with the poisoned wine. With the other suspects on Disher's list also eliminated, Monk and the captain are back to square one. But when Monk opens the card accompanying his gift from the Christmas party, he finds the clue that solves the case.

When a man he sent to prison years ago is cleared based on new evidence, a guilty Monk tries to help him adjust to life on the outside.

Monk goes toe to toe with a popular radio shock jock who is suspected of killing his wife.

Monk finds himself forced to move into what he hopes will be his dream house... which is anything but.

Monk agrees to undergo hypnotic therapy as treatment for his OCD and reverts to a different persona.

Monk appears to have met his match when a fellow detective shows up at a crime scene knowing all the answers.

Monk is facing a crisis: he's down to five shirts. But Inspector No. 8, the only shirt inspector who can meet Monk's criteria for perfection, is not up to her usual standards. Sensing that something is wrong, Monk visits No. 8 on the job. The inspector, Maria Ortiz, informs him that her son, Pablo, has been imprisoned for murdering a fashion model, but she's certain that he's innnocent. Monk is chiefly concerned about his shirts, but Natalie persuades him to talk to Pablo because ""it's the right thing to do."" The conversation uncovers just one clue: Pablo can't read English. When Monk realizes that the killer must have been able to read an emergency exit sign, he's convinced that Pablo is innocent despite the DNA evidence used to convict him. With Stottlemeyer and Disher in tow, Monk and Natalie attempt to talk to the model's former roommate and the fashion designer she worked for, Julian Hodge. But now there's a new problem: Hodge wants thirteen-year-old Julie to model for him. Watching the rehearsal for a fashion show in which Julie will make her debut, Monk discovers a clue that points him to the real killer. When another supermodel is found dead, it's imperative that Monk find new evidence to prove his suspect guilty of both murders and set Pablo free--and for Natalie to get Julie away from the person committing the murders.

Monk decides to take up painting as a hobby, and discovers an ardent admirer willing to buy anything he produces.

When a friend of Monk's is killed, Monk believes that a magician is responsible and a battle of wits and sleight-of-hand ensue.

With her daughter's school about to be closed as a cost-cutting measure, Natalie becomes a candidate in the upcoming school board election despite Monk's fears that she'll desert him if she wins. Natalie's frustrations with a jammed photocopier and other defective equipment bought at a police auction are dwarfed by fear for her life when a sniper fires into her campaign headquarters, further damaging the equipment and killing a security guard. The only clues to the identity of the sniper are an oddly folded note demanding that ""Natalie Teege"" withdraw from the election and a bullet from a semiautomatic rifle made in Russia. Suspicion falls on Natalie's opponent in the election, Harold Krenshaw, whom Monk knows as a fellow patient of Dr. Kroger's. Although Monk thinks that Krenshaw is lying about his friendship with Dr. Kroger and Krenshaw admits to being an excellent shot, Monk is sure that Krenshaw is innocent because he wouldn't misspell Natalie's name. When Krenshaw passes a polygra

A fun-loving everyman named Hal bumps into Monk, and the two become fast friends. For the first time in his life, Monk appears to have a buddy. But is Hal up to something?

Monk's friendship with Captain Stottlemeyer is put to the test when Monk suspects the captain's girlfriend of murder.

Monk digs up trouble after following a treasure map brought to him by Dr. Kroger's son Troy.