# Monk - Natalie's car(s) - or product placement badly done.



## Sherminator (Nov 24, 2004)

If a recurring theme on Monk, is that he underpays Natalie, why do we see her driving a different car almost every episode?

It must be product placement, as in "Monk & The Bully" we see her driving a Hyundai Genesis, where in the previous episode, I believe that she was driving a Nissan Maxima. When this episode cut to commercials, we (those who didn't skip quick enough) were greeted with "Monk is sponsored by the Hyundai Genesis, America's car of the year".


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

Sherminator said:


> If a recurring theme on Monk, is that he underpays Natalie, why do we see her driving a different car almost every episode?
> 
> It must be product placement, as in "Monk & The Bully" we see her driving a Hyundai Genesis, where in the previous episode, I believe that she was driving a Nissan Maxima. When this episode cut to commercials, we (those who didn't skip quick enough) were greeted with "Monk is sponsored by the Hyundai Genesis, America's car of the year".


At least the Genesis is a nice ride. It's being used on several shows this year. I don't recall seeing a maxima but she drove a Volvo for a couple years.


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## verdugan (Sep 9, 2003)

IJustLikeTivo said:


> At least the Genesis is a nice ride. It's being used on several shows this year. I don't recall seeing a maxima but she drove a Volvo for a couple years.


She drove a Jeep for a while too, IIRC.


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## anom (Apr 18, 2005)

IJustLikeTivo said:


> At least the Genesis is a nice ride. It's being used on several shows this year. I don't recall seeing a maxima but she drove a Volvo for a couple years.


It's not cheap, though, and it's not like she could have bought one used. It kind of undermines the idea that she's barely scratching out a living.


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## verdugan (Sep 9, 2003)

anom said:


> It's not cheap, though, and it's not like she could have bought one used. It kind of undermines the idea that she's barely scratching out a living.


Well, her family is loaded. She could be getting some help from them.


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## tgewin (Jan 28, 2002)

Sherminator said:


> If a recurring theme on Monk, is that he underpays Natalie, why do we see her driving a different car almost every episode?
> 
> It must be product placement, as in "Monk & The Bully" we see her driving a Hyundai Genesis, where in the previous episode, I believe that she was driving a Nissan Maxima. When this episode cut to commercials, we (those who didn't skip quick enough) were greeted with "Monk is sponsored by the Hyundai Genesis, America's car of the year".


She's also driven an Audi A3 at least one episode in the past two seasons. I thought she'd had it for several episodes, actually.


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## tiassa (Jul 2, 2008)

Maybe she bought the Hyundai with their new "if you lose your income we'll take it back" feature 

Seriously my guess is that it is product placement. Nathan Ford (Tim Hutton) drives a Genesis on Leverage (or started to in the 2nd or 3rd episode -- I'm guessing that is when the placement deal went through)


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## Tangent (Feb 25, 2005)

I'm glad I'm not the only one annoyed by this. Considering how Monk's cheapness is a recurring theme, I'd expect her to drive some older car not a brand new one. Going through at least _4_ new ones in the span of a few months is just a bit much...


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## dilbert27 (Dec 1, 2006)

Well we do know how Monk is about Cleanliness so maybe she has to get a new car each month to keep him from freaking out!


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## verdugan (Sep 9, 2003)

tiassa said:


> Maybe she bought the Hyundai with their new "if you lose your income we'll take it back" feature
> 
> Seriously my guess is that it is product placement. Nathan Ford (Tim Hutton) drives a Genesis on Leverage (or started to in the 2nd or 3rd episode -- I'm guessing that is when the placement deal went through)


At the end of the Pilot, Nathan bought a Tesla car. It hasn't made an appearance since.


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## ruexp67 (Jan 16, 2002)

There was a genesis on 24 this week too. It pulled up to the curb, making a perfectly framed shot that could have been in a magazine. Then they go to the rear, and pan OFF the actors to the rear badge on the car.

Hyndai is paying for a LOT of product placement. A LOT!


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## classicX (May 10, 2006)

It's a hot car. If I were in the market, I'd seriously consider one.


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

classicX said:


> It's a hot car. If I were in the market, I'd seriously consider one.


Agreed, had it been out last year when I bought the CTS, I would have looked at it pretty hard. A lot of car for the money.


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## verdugan (Sep 9, 2003)

ruexp67 said:


> There was a genesis on 24 this week too.


It was on Leverage this week too.


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## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

dilbert27 said:


> Well we do know how Monk is about Cleanliness so maybe she has to get a new car each month to keep him from freaking out!


It's a jungle out there.


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## lambertman (Dec 21, 2002)

verdugan said:


> It was on Leverage this week too.


As mentioned in the post you quoted in your previous post.


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## DeDondeEs (Feb 20, 2004)

I've noticed they've been doing alot of product placement of the McFlurry on NBC. They prominently featured it on 30 Rock last week, and I recall them mentioning it on an SNL skit.


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## verdugan (Sep 9, 2003)

lambertman said:


> As mentioned in the post you quoted in your previous post.


Not a smeek b/c in this episode it was being driven by Haridson, not Nathan Ford. 

They actually didn't focus at all on what Nathan was driving this week.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

DeDondeEs said:


> I've noticed they've been doing alot of product placement of the McFlurry on NBC. They prominently featured it on 30 Rock last week, and I recall them mentioning it on an SNL skit.


I'm not sure if I believe it, but there have been multiple articles, even quoting Tina Fey, who have said that WASN'T product placement.. at least not directly (the latest article, mentioned in the 30 rock thread, does say they ran the episode by McD's... but not that they got paid for it).


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## pigonthewing (May 6, 2002)

tiassa said:


> Maybe she bought the Hyundai with their new "if you lose your income we'll take it back" feature
> 
> Seriously my guess is that it is product placement. Nathan Ford (Tim Hutton) drives a Genesis on Leverage (or started to in the 2nd or 3rd episode -- I'm guessing that is when the placement deal went through)


I thought the Hyundai was _waaaay_ too obviously an ad placement in Leverage. The shot of the steering wheel controls, the center console controls, the audio player's display... dialog took a back seat to beauty shots.


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## Alfer (Aug 7, 2003)

classicX said:


> It's a hot car. If I were in the market, I'd seriously consider one.


My dad bought one and having driven it around myself, I must say it is indeed a great car...he's STILL trying to figure out all the things the system in it can do...lol.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

BTW, I haven't watched the latest episode yet, but isn't that the last episode? the bugs were saying 'season finale', but I thought this was the last season of Monk.

(unless they're doing one of those "split season" things where they make what most people would call one season of episodes and air them in two chunks, calling them different seasons.. That seems to NOT be the case by looking at the epguides.com page for Monk though.)


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## trainman (Jan 29, 2001)

mattack said:


> BTW, I haven't watched the latest episode yet, but isn't that the last episode? the bugs were saying 'season finale', but I thought this was the last season of Monk.
> 
> (unless they're doing one of those "split season" things where they make what most people would call one season of episodes and air them in two chunks, calling them different seasons.. That seems to NOT be the case by looking at the epguides.com page for Monk though.)


Yes, they're doing a split season. I happened to see, while fast-forwarding through a commercial break, that they ran a promo that said the final "season" of "Monk" is coming this summer.


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## wtherrell (Dec 23, 2004)

trainman said:


> Yes, they're doing a split season. I happened to see, while fast-forwarding through a commercial break, that they ran a promo that said the final "season" of "Monk" is coming this summer.


Just as well, I guess. The writing has deteriorated into near nothingness and scene continuity has tanked. Used to be that every scene had clues you could easily miss and you needed to pay attention. Now they have scenes that have little or no relation to the plot. Just padding out the time I guess. I suppose in these times it had a pretty good run. Don't see anything lasting 20 some years like "Gunsmoke". Too many choices these days.


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## Jesda (Feb 12, 2005)

CSI was bad about that too.

Cars I've seen on Monk:
Jeep
Ford Escape
Buick Lucerne (referred to directly as a "nice car")
Hyundai Genesis
Nissan Altima


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

wtherrell said:


> Just as well, I guess. The writing has deteriorated into near nothingness and scene continuity has tanked. Used to be that every scene had clues you could easily miss and you needed to pay attention.


Wow. I totally would disagree. I *like* the show, but I've always thought it was somewhat "fluff". Sort of today's "Murder She Wrote" or the one with Dick van ****... a very light "someone gets murdered, lets figure it out" show, which had very few clues.. (as opposed to Columbo, where you did have to pay pretty close attention to at least the beginning.. to see the clues to out how Columbo figured it out).


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

mattack said:


> Wow. I totally would disagree. I *like* the show, but I've always thought it was somewhat "fluff". Sort of today's "Murder She Wrote" or the one with Dick van ****... a very light "someone gets murdered, lets figure it out" show, which had very few clues.. (as opposed to Columbo, where you did have to pay pretty close attention to at least the beginning.. to see the clues to out how Columbo figured it out).


The best was the old Ellery Queen with Jim Hutton. They literally showed you the same things he did and at the end, EQ would look at the camera and ask. Do you know who did it?


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