Former police detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub), whose photographic memory and amazing ability to piece together tiny clues made him a local legend, has suffered from intensified obsessive-compulsive disorder and a variety of phobias since the unsolved murder of his wife, Trudy, in 1997. Now on psychiatric leave from the San Francisco Police Department and working as a freelance detective consultant on difficult cases, Monk hopes to convince his former boss, Captain Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine), to allow him to return to the force. Stottlemeyer, who wavered between admiration for Monk and annoyance at his eccentricities during the first season, is becoming more of a friend to Monk as the series develops, frequently calling him in to help, as much for Monk's benefit as for his own. However, he knows Monk's limitations as well as his strengths and may still harbor doubts about the wisdom of allowing Monk to carry a gun or subdue a perpetrator. Stottlemeyer's second-in-command, Lieutenant Randall Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford), also seems to be developing both admiration and compassion for the man he once labeled the defective detective.Despite flaws and inadequacies all around, the three are becoming an increasingly effective team, with additional help from Monk's personal assistant. From the double-episode pilot through the first half of season three, Monk was aided by his nurse, Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram). But in the tenth episode of the third season, Sharona was replaced by a new assistant, Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard). Like Sharona, a divorcee with a son named Benjy, Natalie is a single parent, a widow with a daughter named Julie (Emmy Clarke). Unlike Sharona, Natalie is not a nurse but a former bartender with a fresh perspective on Mr. Monk, as she still addresses her new boss.

稀有书经销商阿波罗和他的妻子艾玛丶刚出生的儿子一直过着幸福的生活，唯一的问题是阿波罗经常做噩梦。有一天艾玛突然失踪，阿波罗去寻找她的旅程，以及这段旅程的结果，都十分引人入胜丶描绘动人。和拉维列早期的作品《银色的恶魔》（TheDevilinSilver）丶《狂喜之人》（TheEcstatic）一样，他的这本新书也有着童话的意味，并将多种文学类型融合在一起，是一部带有恐怖元素的严肃文学作品。故事发生在另一个纽约市，一对父亲和丈夫在魔法世界中寻找被绑架的儿子和失踪的妻子。阿波罗·卡格瓦的父亲失踪后，给儿子留下了一盒书和反复出现的奇怪梦境。现在阿波罗自己也当上了父亲，当他和妻子艾玛开始适应父母的新生活时，疲惫和焦虑开始产生影响。阿波罗的旧梦回归，艾玛开始表现奇怪。起初，艾玛似乎表现出产后抑郁症的迹象。但在阿波罗采取任何行动之前，艾玛做出了可怕的行为并消失了。于是，阿波罗开始了寻找妻子和孩子的旅程，但他们的妻子和孩子与他想象的完全不同。他的冒险旅程将他带到了一个被遗忘的岛屿、一个充满秘密的墓地、一片移民传说仍然存在的森林，最后回到了一个他认为永远失去的地方。

该剧由Greg Garcia开发，首季10集。故事根据Greg Garcia曾经撰写过的系列虚构故事改编，剧情聚焦「循迹山」小镇度假出租屋及其形形色色的客人。作为诗选类型剧集，故事地点虽然不会变，但每集都描述不同客人的故事——如同本周刚刚播出的《104房间》（Room 104）。其中两个值得一提的故事为：一个基督教信徒试图让坚持无神论的媳妇接受基督教洗礼，甚至为此想出了一套搞笑的「阴谋诡计」；一场阿曼门诺教派的「过渡礼」出现严重问题，导致他们和当地人发生搞笑的互动。该剧也会有独特的主线故事，尤其是季终集。　　Kellie Martin在首季中扮演「循迹山」小镇的警官Kimberly Leahy，Charlie Robinson扮演性格随和的租赁别墅总经理Wilfrid，Aloma Wright扮演Wilfrid的妻子Emma，Carly Jibson扮演一家比基尼酒吧的强势女经理Vivian，Lou Wilson扮演Vivian的继子Frank。Garret Dillahunt、Laura Bell Bundy和Eddie Steeples参与演出。　　在首季中客串「客人」的影视明星包括：Danny Pudi、Jenna Fischer、Tommy Dewey、Lauren Lapkus、Michaela Watkins、Mary Lynn Rajskub、Michael Rapaport、Kate Micucci、Jaime Pressly、Stockard Channing、Andrew J. West、John Ortiz、David Zayas、Shannon Woodward、Margo Martindale和Stephnie Weir。Maureen McCormick参与演出。