12. TOLERANT

Dr. Charles Kroger on "Monk," played by Stanley Kamel (center)

Quite simply, Dr. Kroger gets Monk. And that counts for a lot. He understands the crime solver from the inside out, and he is able to talk Monk out of his crazy places. Kroger is supremely tolerant, even when Monk sent his garbage to his home -- sorted, of course. Without the good doctor, Monk would be forever stuck, and so would a few San Francisco murder cases.