cop". Jason Gray-Stanford accepted to work on it when he became aware of Shalhoub and Parisot's involvement. He originally auditioned for the role of deputy mayor and, as he was not cast, Parisot invited him to read for Disher. Gray-Stanford agreed as he became excited to try for the role of Levine's sidekick. The pilot, originally developed as a TV film, was written by Breckman and filmed in the fall of 2001 in Vancouver. Originally shot in 35 mm film, it was changed to Super 16mm for budget reasons when USA acquired it. Reception "Mr. Monk and the Candidate" was first broadcast in the United States on the USA Network at 9 pm EST on July 12, 2002. According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was viewed by an estimated number of 4.8 million viewers with a 3.5 household rating. This rating made it the highest rated program on cable television that night. Although Judith S. Gillies, writing for Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, pointed it debuted in a period when other networks offer less competition, Broadcasting & Cables writer Allison Romano said the numbers were "impressive". Traylor Howard, who replaced Schram as Monk's assistant in the middle of the third season, elected it as her favorite episode along with "Mr. Monk vs. the Cobra". In The Futon Critic's Brian Ford Sullivan ranking of the fifty best episodes of 2002, it was placed 17th. David Bianculli, a writer for New York Daily News, said the pilot "not only establishes the character of Monk, it establishes the perfect tone for the show, a delicate but deft blend of wry humor and tender drama." United Feature Syndicate's critic Kevin McDonough praised the "whimsical" direction, and added "Monk is not easy to love, but shines as a funny and fresh alternative to summer reruns." It was also called "fresh and funny" by Entertainment Weeklys Bruce Fretts, and an "invigorating" "fresh spring breeze in the middle of summer" by The Washington Posts Tom Shales. Varietys Phil Gallo praised the "breezy gait of the storytelling, the nicely explained quirks of a brilliant mind and Tony Shalhoub's sterling characterization" in his review. Tom Gliatto, a Peoples critic, declared "This is probably not a clinically accurate portrayal of an OCD sufferer, but Shalhoub's gentle earnestness keeps it from being gimmicky." San Francisco Chronicles Tim Goodman praised how OCD was used "creatively from humor to sadness." Chris Hicks of Deseret News