al hou b ▁is ▁not ▁present . ▁However , ▁Alter ▁wrote ▁Mon k ▁is ▁" far ▁from ▁a ▁bad ▁show ", ▁calling ▁Sh al hou b ▁" the ▁best ▁thing " ▁about ▁it . ▁David ▁Zur aw ik , ▁in ▁a ▁review ▁for ▁The ▁Baltimore ▁Sun , ▁said ▁the ▁major ▁problem ▁of ▁it ▁is ▁trying ▁to ▁combine ▁comedy ▁and ▁drama ▁with ▁detect ive ▁fiction . ▁Zur aw ik , ▁however , ▁pra ised ▁Bre ck man ▁and ▁Sh a ul hou b ▁who ▁" comb ine ▁to ▁deliver ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁weird ly ▁appe aling ▁television ▁sle uth s ▁since ▁Richard ▁Bel zer ' s ▁Det ect ive ▁John ▁M unch ▁of ▁Hom ic ide : ▁Life ▁on ▁the ▁Street ." ▁An ita ▁G ates ▁from ▁The ▁New ▁York ▁Times ▁declared , ▁" There ▁is ▁a ▁break through ▁of ▁sorts ▁in ▁this ▁episode , ▁and ▁it ' s ▁disappoint ing ▁in ▁its ▁predict ability ". ▁Sh al hou b ▁" is ▁not ▁the ▁only ▁reason ▁to ▁watch " ▁Mon k , ▁according ▁to ▁G ates ▁who ▁pra ised ▁the ▁series ▁for ▁a ▁jo ke ▁" that ▁even ▁Six ▁Fe et ▁Under ▁might ▁hes itate ▁to ▁do ." ▁Although ▁he ▁said ▁" Story - wise , ▁there ' s ▁nothing ▁in ▁Mon k ▁that ▁makes ▁the ▁show ▁ter rib ly ▁different " ▁from ▁other ▁shows ▁of ▁the ▁genre , ▁Rob ▁O wen ▁of ▁Pitts burgh ▁Post - G az ette ▁pra ised ▁Sh al hou b ' s ▁port ray al ▁of ▁Mon