I was heartbroken to hear of ...
Question: I was heartbroken to hear of
Stanley Kamel's passing. His portrayal of Dr. Kroger on
Monk was a delight, particularly his deadpan delivery in his counseling session scenes with Tony Shalhoub's character. What do you think Mr. Kamel's death will mean for the
Monk series? I know Dr. Kroger was a supporting character rather than a lead, but the therapy scenes provided the heart of the show. I would hate to lose that aspect of the program. Regardless of how Monk handles this loss, Stanley Kamel will be impossible to replace.
Answer: I have a very fond memory of this actor. Around the time when he was playing a much darker psychiatrist character on
Murder One as well as guest-starring regularly on other shows (like
Beverly Hills, 90210), I "honored" him in a year-end package by naming him "slimeball of the year" or some such thing. He wrote me back a personal note saying how much he enjoyed the shout-out. He was a terrific character actor, and the
Monk role was among his best. I don't yet know how they'll deal with his absence, but it seems to me the best way to pay homage is to continue the therapy storyline by forcing Monk to adjust to someone who's not at all like Dr. Kroger, the better to remind us all of what we're missing.
