Thank you for sharing! I loved the character of John Munch (best line: "I AM NOT MONTEL WILLIAMS!") and I named one of my cats Detective Munch. I spent many happy years explaining to people where my cat's name originated. She died at the age of 18, and I still hold her in my heart. She was kind of an asshole, though, which I think is appropriate because so was Belzer's character.
Somewhat related, I also had a cat I named Polly Walnuts after Paulie Walnuts on "The Sopranos" (the cat was female, so I changed the spelling). I currently have a Leeloo (from "The Fifth Element") and a Tulip O'Hare (from "Preacher"). I name all my cats after TV/movie characters ;-)
John Munch was a character who truly went the distance, in so many shows, and that's down to Richard Belzer and the character (in every sense of the word! LOL) he created. What I really admire about Munch is how he could have been so one-note, except that Richard Belzer wasn't afraid to let Munch's vulnerabilities come through. Both the good (trying to protect both Howard and Kellerman from bullets after the detective shooting he witnessed; his goofy yet devoted admiration of "The Big Man") and the bad (giving Pembleton such a hard time in early season 5, deserved or not; his choices in his relationships). In short, Munch wasn't just comic relief.
My absolute favorite episode with Munch is "Kaddish," for obvious reasons as it really gave Munch's backstory, but also for less obvious reasons: he and Kellerman were very surprisingly good together. I don't know if they ever paired together again, but I wish they had - they were unexpectedly compelling together on screen. Munch and Kellerman could have totally written the other off, as opposite as they were, but instead they formed an unexpected bond.
Munch, as much as he kidded around and was hilariously and unapologetically snarky throughout Homicide, also deeply cared, and not just about himself. It sounds like there were definitely parts of Munch that came from Richard Belzer in real life. What a special and deserved tribute.
Thank you for sharing! I loved the character of John Munch (best line: "I AM NOT MONTEL WILLIAMS!") and I named one of my cats Detective Munch. I spent many happy years explaining to people where my cat's name originated. She died at the age of 18, and I still hold her in my heart. She was kind of an asshole, though, which I think is appropriate because so was Belzer's character.
Somewhat related, I also had a cat I named Polly Walnuts after Paulie Walnuts on "The Sopranos" (the cat was female, so I changed the spelling). I currently have a Leeloo (from "The Fifth Element") and a Tulip O'Hare (from "Preacher"). I name all my cats after TV/movie characters ;-)
John Munch was a character who truly went the distance, in so many shows, and that's down to Richard Belzer and the character (in every sense of the word! LOL) he created. What I really admire about Munch is how he could have been so one-note, except that Richard Belzer wasn't afraid to let Munch's vulnerabilities come through. Both the good (trying to protect both Howard and Kellerman from bullets after the detective shooting he witnessed; his goofy yet devoted admiration of "The Big Man") and the bad (giving Pembleton such a hard time in early season 5, deserved or not; his choices in his relationships). In short, Munch wasn't just comic relief.
My absolute favorite episode with Munch is "Kaddish," for obvious reasons as it really gave Munch's backstory, but also for less obvious reasons: he and Kellerman were very surprisingly good together. I don't know if they ever paired together again, but I wish they had - they were unexpectedly compelling together on screen. Munch and Kellerman could have totally written the other off, as opposite as they were, but instead they formed an unexpected bond.
Munch, as much as he kidded around and was hilariously and unapologetically snarky throughout Homicide, also deeply cared, and not just about himself. It sounds like there were definitely parts of Munch that came from Richard Belzer in real life. What a special and deserved tribute.
These essays are just wonderful, Kyle. This one might be my favorite so far.