8:12 PM
The second season of Monk began tonight. My immediate reaction: I like Randy Newman, but replacing Jeff Beal's note-perfect acoustic guitar with a standard piece of Newmania just doesn't work to my ear. Somehow it steals the Island-of-Misfit-Toys whimsy that the opening had last season.

In contrast to that new and gloomier opening, everything is a bit glossier in the episode proper; you can tell that the first season was successful enough that the production company has a little more money to play with now. Of course, that success likely drew more attention from the USA suits, perhaps causing the bit of forced stiffness to this first episode that I don't remember from last season.

Nice to see Sledge Hammer and Turk 182 getting work, though.

Apologies for musing fannish in public--I'm drafting an spec episode for fun right now, so I'm a bit invested in the show.