 " Mr. Monk and the Man Who Shot Santa Claus " is the tenth episode of the sixth season of the American comedy @-@ drama detective television series Monk , and the show 's 87th episode overall . The series follows Adrian Monk ( Tony Shalhoub ) , a private detective with obsessive – compulsive disorder and multiple phobias , and his assistant Natalie Teeger ( Traylor Howard ) . In this episode , Monk is labeled by media as a social pariah as he is accused of killing a man dressed in Santa Claus apparel , and must prove his innocence . 
