From a dedicated fan* in Turkey, I’ve learned that there is now a Turkish language version of Monk, and they’re “adapting” the American episodes… adapting in this instance meaning taking the original scripts and translating them, including my favorite of the three episodes Lee Goldberg and I wrote together, Mr. Monk Goes to Mexico. Although I guess it stretched credibility just a little to have the Turkish Monk driving from Ankara to Mexico, so they’ve transplanted the story to Cypress. That brings up all sorts of interesting questions for me, since so much of the original’s fun was based on Monk’s acceptance of stereotypes of Mexico as being dirty and disease-ridden, with potentially toxic consequences if he ate or drank anything across the border. Is that how Turks see Cypress?
Well, maybe you can figure it out from the first sixteen minutes of the show:
If you do, let me know!
*The fan in actually not one of mine, but of Lee Goldberg, to whom he sent this link. But since we wrote the episode together, I lay claim to half of his fan’s devotion.
Writing The Pilot 
Turkey hasn’t been very good to Cypress and they may take liberties and make their former rival to be worse than it actually is. But how will we ever know since the show is in Turkish. But the star does put me in mind of Tony Shaloub altho his assistant seems far too young.