Class is in session for year four of Professor T, the character-driven British detective series often compared to its American counterpart, Monk. While the former’s main character is an educator and the latter’s a private detective, both revolve around how the quirky professionals deal with their clinical obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) at work and at home.
In Professor T‘s case, the new season finds the titular Jasper Tempest (Ben Miller) leaving the police force to focus on improving his life through therapy. Alas, when a mysterious murder occurs aboard a fancy yacht, Professor T is thrust back into a stressful investigation that tests his resolve and challenges his medical condition. With the highest-rated season premiere to date, Professor T is back and better than ever for Season 4.
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‘Professor T’s Premise
Adapted from the Belgian TV show bearing the same title, Professor T is a British psychological crime drama that premiered on ITV in July 2021. The title refers to Professor Jasper Tempest (Miller), a genius criminology professor at the prestigious Cambridge University. Although he is the leading authority in his field, Jasper is also diagnosed with clinical Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), a chronic mental health condition related to an obsession with germs, cleanliness, tidiness, harm, catastrophe, and more.
While OCD is often thought to be debilitating, Jasper proves the opposite is true in Professor T. As he continues to educate criminology students and consult with the local police, Jasper overcomes his disorder and continues to help solve the most trying murder cases in England. At home, Jasper must also deal with his domineering mother, Adelaide Tempset (Frances de la Tour), who provides much of the show’s comic relief.
At work, Jasper’s OCD complicates his working relationship with DI Lisa Donckers (Emma Naomi), a former student who becomes his professional partner. Lisa’s boyfriend, Dan Winters (Barney White), is also a member of the police force, serving as a Detective Sergeant. Off work, Jasper often consorts with his therapist, Dr. Helena Goldberg (Juliet Stevenson), who helps him manage his OCD and keep his eye on his professional obligations.
Along with various other law enforcers, Jasper and Lisa take on a new murder mystery every week, which keeps the show fun, fresh, and never a bore to watch.
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How ‘Professor T’ Compares to ‘Monk’
Although Professor T adapts the Belgian series of the same name, it’s nearly identical to Monk‘s conceit. Premiering on the USA Network in 2002, Monk follows the personal and professional exploits of Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub), a genius San Francisco homicide detective who also has OCD. Manageable until the death of his wife left him unable to function, Monk’s crippling fears, anxieties, and depression get the best of him, and he is forced to leave his work.
Motivated by his nurse, Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram), Monk finds newfound purpose when he starts his own private investigation practice and begins consulting with the SFPD. As he works to solve his wife’s murder, Monk begins to overcome his OCD and solve a rash of outstanding crimes that mystify the entire police force, including Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine). What Monk may lack due to his medical condition, he more than compensates for with his keen observational skills and highly perceptive detection.
Adrian Monk and Jasper Tempest are two peas in a pod. Both work tirelessly in their struggles to not only triumph over a medical condition, but to use that very condition as a detective feature, not a bug. Without their OCD, both characters would not be able to solve as many murders as they do. Moreover, both Monk and Jasper leave their primary professional posts behind to consult with the police and spend their off-hours working through their psychological stresses through therapy.
However, the biggest difference between the two shows is that Monk is an outright comedy, whereas Professor T has moments of levity in a more serious and sobering crime drama. Even so, both appeal equally, with Monk‘s 89% Popcorn Meter rating and Professor T‘s 88% Popcorn Meter rating on Rotten Tomatoes proving such.
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Why ‘Professor T’s 4th Season Is the Best Thus Far
Professor T‘s fourth season premiered on ITV on August 24, 2025, and is slated to conclude on September 28th. With one new episode released weekly, the underrated British crime series‘ newest opening episode kicked off with a bang. Despite vowing to no longer consult with the police force, Dr. Goldberg implores Jasper to investigate the disappearance of a woman from a lavish yacht.
Although it’s early, Professor T‘s Season 4 premiere has drawn the best IMDb ratings to date (8.1). When Jasper is summoned to investigate a murderous garden party in Episode 2, fans are reminded that Professor T has always been an ideal summer show. With all episodes released between July and September, Professor T also features the same sunny seasonal vibration as Monk, which always premiered in June, July, or August.
Following the best start in series history, Professor T promises more appointment viewing this summer. Cases that Jasper and his colleagues are assigned to solve ahead involve a brutally stabbed school teacher, a real knife being swapped for a fake on a theater stage, a mysterious painting that leads to murder, and a man who confesses to murder before lunging in front of a moving car.
While the tone can be a bit more severe than Monk‘s at times, Professor T is an ideal companion piece that is hitting its stride in Season 4. The way in which it humanizes those with OCD rather than demonizing or denigrating them makes for an absorbing watch.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
