Tony Shalhoub's Adrian Monk is back, hand sanitizer in hand, taking a case for the first time since Monk concluded its 125-episode run in 2009. The private detective battling severe OCD and a range of phobias is returning for Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie, and Peacock has unveiled the first trailer.

The comedy — even if it never looked like a comedy on paper — about a PI with a nearly debilitating fear of germs (among literally hundreds of other things) and an inability to accept the terms of his wife's death debuted on USA Network in 2002. The role earned Shalhoub an Emmy nomination in each of the show's eight seasons, and he won the award three times.

The new movie was written and created by Andy Breckman, creator of the original series. Mr. Monk's Last Case catches up with the brilliant analytical mind as he is drawn into a final case with a very personal angle involving his stepdaughter. He's also confronting the realities of living with his conditions in a post-pandemic world.

How Monk might fare through the pandemic was something fans thought a lot about, Breckman told EW last month. "During the lockdown, everyone was asking me, and I'm sure they were asking Tony, 'Gosh, I wonder how Monk would fare?' Or, 'Maybe Monk would thrive because he was suddenly in his element living in a bubble,'" he said. "Everyone was asking about Monk and concerned about Monk and curious about Monk during the lockdown."

The pandemic seems to play a crucial role in the film. When Monk ended in 2009, the detective was given some answers about his wife's death and there was a sense that he was on his way to at least lessening the symptoms that had grown out of control after his loss. However, the pandemic has upended any progress Monk might have experienced. "The movie finds Monk in a pretty dark place, and he's back in a hole that he has to try to dig out of emotionally," Breckman said.

Shalhoub won't be the only familiar face returning in the movie: Maybe most importantly, Traylor Howard returns as Natalie, Monk's reluctant assistant, who carries similar familial trauma. Ted Levine, Jason Gray-Stanford, Melora Hardin, and Hector Elizondo also return from the original cast.

Breckman, along with executive producer David Hoberman and director/producer Randy Zisk, released a statement Wednesday about their return to the world of Monk. "We're so delighted to have made a movie version of Monk, and we are thrilled that every one of our stars were so enthusiastic about coming back," they said. "But in coming back, we wanted to do a film that was worthy of our legacy. Mr. Monk's Last Case is a story that is powerful, emotional, funny, heartwarming, and has something to say about the human condition."

Mr. Monk's Last Case will be released Dec. 8 on Peacock. Watch the new trailer above.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content