Originally written on November 27, 2006.
This just in from the worst promotion in the history of the television department, the USA network has announced they will be running back-to-back episodes of the newest Monk on December 22. The same show mind you, but it will first run in black and white and then be followed by itself in color. They not only expect us to watch the same freaking episode twice but to then vote on which version they prefer.
I’m not going to get into the stupidity of expecting us to watch the same exact episode back to back, but do they really expect us to vote? And do they really think we don’t already know the outcome of that vote?
Seriously, black and white doesn’t stand a chance. Why would anyone want to see Monk in black and white every week? I can dig doing one episode in black and white for a goofy effect, say Monk works a case in a haunted house or solves the murder of some old TV star. But it is ridiculous to expect an audience to vote for Monk to be in black and white.
Not that they are actually marketing this as something they’ll do in the future, but the whole vote is just dumb.
Now before I go any further, let me state for the record that I am a fan of black and white. I love old movies, I love new movies in black and white. I love the way it casts shadows and how the absence of color creates a certain mood and a distinct set of images. But let’s face it, Monk ain’t Casablanca. It’s a silly TV show not a grand opus by Orson Welles.
I actually like Monk. It feels like a throwback to the classic detective shows of the 80s like Moonlighting and Remington Steele. It is a lot of fun, but it is certainly not great art. The camera work on the show is very basic with easy frames and movements. Showing it in black and white will be novel, but nothing truly amazing, I suspect.
And let’s face it, American popular culture doesn’t want its television to be in black and white. It took me many years to watch anything that wasn’t in color, and I’m sure many folks raised on color everything have no desire to go backwards.
It is simply a marketing ploy to get people to watch the show twice and then go to the website so they can be inundated with more commercials.
Give me a break, USA Network, we deserve better than that.
themidnightcafe.org 
The black and white was supposed to be like the old mystery movies because it had a few scenes like the dimly lit bar scene that were intended to be like the old sherlock holmes films for example. I thought that It was a good idea.