Not EXACTLY Birds of a Feather

I love mysteries.

As a child, I cut my early sleuthing teeth on a little known set of books called The Happy Hollisters. I read and reread those maroon colored hardback books until the spines hung on by a thread. In my late Elementary and early Junior High years, I progressed to the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. Many nights I devoured one of these "thrillers" until my eyes grew heavy with sleep. The next morning, I shoved the books into my backpack and if I ever had free time in class, I read one of these classic mysteries. Even today, I love a good whodunit. In the Summer and Fall of 2020, I stumbled upon a cardboard box of over 100 Agatha Christie mysteries at a garage sale and am currently reading through the novels one at a time. But, not only do I enjoy reading mysteries, I also love watching them. One of my favorites is "Monk" starring Tony Shaloub.

Adrian Monk is the poster child for obsessive compulsive disorder. He might be best described as a combination of Rain Man, Columbo, and Sherlock Holmes. Monk suffers certain phobias. He fears things like germs, dirt, heights and milk. (Although he's working on milk.) In fact, Monk struggles with day to day living and employs a nurse to be his aid. Though some people, including Monk, might consider his disorder an impediment, it actually assists Monk in his ability to solve crimes. Because of his OCD, Monk sees and hears things others miss . In each episode, Monk identifies clues and inconsistencies that other seasoned detectives and law enforcement officers miss. Watching Monk's ability to dissect a crime and point out the criminal is quite entertaining. Ever humble, Monk inches his way into your heart and you cannot help but be a fan.

And if you love Monk, you are going to love Psych.

The premise of Psych is similar. In this show, two friends team up as for the Santa Barbara Police Department. James Roday plays the role of Psychic Detective, Shawn Spencer. He pals around with his childhood friend, Gus, a pharmaceutical representative. Shawn grew up in the home of a police officer. Shawn's dad instilled in his son the importance of survival skills and taught him to be ever mindful of his surroundings. For instance, as a child, Shawn might eat breakfast with his dad at a café. At some point during the meal, his dad might order Shawn to close his eyes. Then, his dad would ask question about the setting and the people seated nearby. Shawn developed the ability to remember things like the number of hats in the room, the waitresses' name, the color of a certain customer's shirt. As an adult, he took advantage of his gift of observation and claimed he had a psychic gift. Like Monk, Shawn Spencer sees things others don't. Monk leans on his OCD and Shawn employs his observation skill.

There are key differences between the two. Monk squirms when he witnesses kids eating with dirty hands. Shawn might scoop up a hotdog off the sidewalk, brush it off (or not) and enjoy it as a snack. Monk fights crime in an orderly and polished fashion never intentionally bringing too much attention to himself; Shawn employs theatrics as he taps into his "gift." He loves the limelight, especially if the limelight includes attractive young ladies. Shawn tends to enjoy adventure and an occasional brush with danger. Monk shies away from his own shadow. Definite personality contrasts exist, but when it comes to crime solving both incorporate an ability to spot things others miss.

If you love Monk, you will love Psych. And there's good news. If you are an Amazon Prime Subscriber, you can watch them free.