TV Quote of the Day (‘Monk,’ With the Detective at a Postseason Football Game)

Adrian Monk [played by Tony Shalhoub]: [after encountering drunk football fans at a pregame tailgating party] “Did you enjoy civilization, Leland? I sure did. It was a hell of a run. 8,000 years.”—Monk, Season 7, Episode 13, “Mr. Monk Makes the Playoffs,” original air date Jan. 30, 2009, teleplay by Josh Siegal and Dylan Morgan, directed by Randy Zisk

Mr. Monk acts this way during the playoffs. Can you imagine how he would deal with the Super Bowl?

The sad fact is, 2021 is one year when sports fans could use a bit—just a bit, mind you!—of his germaphobia. Let’s hope the average Super Bowl Sunday party doesn’t turn into what has become one of the most awful word coinages of the 21^st century: “Superspreader Event.”