Trudy "T.K." Jensen is a San Francisco-based journalist who becomes Leland Stottlemeyer's second wife.
Biography[]
Employed by a consumer products magazine to review household appliances, T.K. was at a trade show to promote a new self-cleaning vacuum cleaner in 2009, when Stottlemeyer was there to interview possible witnesses about a recent homicide. Noticing her at the reception, Leland approached her, and the two began dating. When she told him that the "T" in her name stood for "Trudy," he decided that "It's not going to work" and to just keep calling her T.K., out of concern for his friend Adrian Monk's sensibilities. (Happy Birthday, Mr. Monk)
A few months later, when Sharona Fleming visited Stottlemeyer in his office, she saw T.K.'s picture and he told her he felt like he'd "won the lottery." (Mr. Monk and Sharona)
Six months into their relationship, Leland proposed marriage to her, and she accepted. Their wedding was almost canceled, however. Unknown to T.K., her best friend and maid of honor, Stephanie Briggs, was actually a wanted fugitive who had just murdered a man to protect her secret, and left a critical piece of evidence among Stottlemeyer's things.
Stephanie "stalked" T.K. in secret, trying to scare her into calling off the wedding. She nearly succeeded, and T.K. did so, feeling that there was too much risk involved in being a police captain's wife. Leland loved her so much that he offered to quit the police to be with her, but she refused, knowing he'd be miserable if he were anything but a cop. But Natalie Teeger stepped in and convinced T.K. that love was always worth the risk.
After Stephanie was discovered and arrested, T.K. reconciled with Leland, and the two married in a simple ceremony on the beach. Before the minister pronounced them man and wife, T.K. pinned his badge on the front of his tuxedo, making sure he knew she was proud that he was a policeman.
Monk, who was best man, said of T.K. to Leland, "she's your answer." Also, before the wedding, Leland asked his friend if he was pained that Leland was marrying a woman who shared the name of Monk's deceased wife, Trudy Monk. Monk said, on the contrary, he was all for it, because "everyone should have a Trudy in their life." (Mr. Monk Is the Best Man)
At the time of his last appearance in the show, Leland kissed his wife a fond goodbye as he left for work. (Mr. Monk and the End, Part 2)
Background Information and Notes[]
- T.K. was played by Virginia Madsen.
