The Biggest Disservice to 'The Monk' Movie Is Its Existence on Peacock

Many may know this, though some may not, but the biggest licensed series of the year, Suits, had long been available on Peacock before Netflix picked it up and made it arguably more popular than it was even during its initial run (in fact, it mostly got hate during its initial run from those dismissive of comfort television). All the same, the surging popularity of Suits has convinced NBC/Universal to do as I recommended earlier this year and reboot the USA Network. There are efforts underway to not only bring back Suits, but potentially more Psych, Royal Pains, Burn Notice, White Collar, and other series from the network’s “blue sky” era.

It’s a shame they’ll be streaming on Peacock, which desperately needs to merge with another streaming platform like Paramount+ to become a viable entity that doesn’t consider losing $2.8 billion in a year a pathway to success. If Peacock had the same reach as Netflix, Poker Face would be one of the biggest shows of the year, Mrs. Davis would’ve been a big hit, and it would not have taken months to renew a Kaley Cuoco mystery like Based on a True Story.

I’m not sure who the 30 million people who subscribe to Peacock are, but my guess is that they’re mostly people who have cut the cord but still want to watch Sunday Night Football and Bravo programming. It’s great for that, but it’s no place to launch a new series or even revive an old one.

Case in point: Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie premiered on Peacock 10 days ago, and I’ve heard barely a peep about it online. It’s not that it’s bad, either. In fact, it’s neither bad nor good: It just is. It’s a Monk movie, and precisely what anyone would expect: A feature-length version of a Monk episode featuring the original cast 14 years older than they were the last time we saw them.

But that’s the point: A feature-length version of a Monk episode doesn’t need to be spectacular. It should still be able to sell itself the way that Suits episodes did on Netflix. “I exist! Watch me!” Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie’s existence is reason enough to watch it, right? There’s a murder! Monk solves it. What else do we want?

My concern is that if Peacock follows through on their plan to revive the Blue Sky era of the USA Network, it will similarly get buried on Peacock like Monk and the old episodes of Suits before they hit Netflix. There is great potential for these revivals, but not if they’re relegated to a streaming dustbin.

Peacock should work out a co-production deal with Netflix. License USA Network’s Blue Sky series to Netflix one at a time, and if they find a big enough audience, revive them. The deal I’d make with Netflix is this: The streamer foots the entire cost for the reboots, and, in exchange, Peacock and Netflix get to premiere new episodes simultaneously. Netflix gets a share of the rights for one year, and after that, Peacock gains the exclusive rights to the episodes. It’s a win-win. Netflix gets a massive hit for one year, and Peacock gains the rights to first-runs and the catalog without paying for any of the production (it will still be on the hook for residuals). Better still, Adrian Monk won’t have to continue solving murders in relative obscurity.

In the meantime, if you have Peacock and enjoyed Monk, watch the movie! It’s fun. Alone, however, it does not justify a subscription to Peacock unless it’s also for Sunday Night Football and Bravo programming.