The final season of the show that made USA famous for something other than playing non-stop reruns of Wings is turning into a reunion special. Or should I say a special reunion? Bitty Schram, the actress who played Sharona, Adrian Monk's original partner in fighting crime on Monk, will return for an episode sometime during the show's eighth and final season.
This will mark her first appearance on the comedy-mystery since she mysteriously disappeared from the show halfway through the third season. It should also make for an interesting close to a series that has redefined the way the higher channels on the dial create and produce their own series.
I've really missed Sharona since she left the show. No disrespect to actress Traylor Howard. She has done an excellent job as Natalie Teeger and saved it from certain doom when Sharona jumped out of the script. Schram left the show in the middle of the third season because of contract problems, creative differences or whatever reason producers pulled out of their random fishbowl excuse generator.
But Sharona brought an interesting ying to Monk's yang. She had a tough emotional exterior but also served as a great force of exasperation to Monk's constant edginess. She was the B.A. to Monk's Hannibal, only with far less jewelry and a lesser likelihood of getting your ass beaten to death with your own ass for making fun of her jewelry.
Her reappearance will not only bring closure to a great series, but could reignite some abandonment issues and other clinical problems for ol' Monky depending on when she returns. Monk is the closest my TV has come to creating a pure schadenfreude comedy. The more whacked out Monk becomes, the funnier the show will be. Here's hoping Monk is a drooling fetal ball by the time the final credits roll.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-25-2009 @ 9:35AM
J. said...
YAY!! I've been waiting for this.
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3-25-2009 @ 9:54AM
Jason said...
I didn't say that. Imposter! :D
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3-25-2009 @ 10:05AM
makb said...
This is fantastic. Too bad it is only for one episode. Whenever USA has marathons of Monk -- I always find myselft watching the ones with Sharona because I miss her so much. It would be great if Sharona's son and Natalie's daughter hit it off too. Can't wait !
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3-25-2009 @ 11:08AM
Jimmy said...
Would it make me a bad person if I said I've never, ever watched an episode of Monk and will never, ever watch an episode of Monk? Oh, well.
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3-25-2009 @ 11:42AM
Midnight13 said...
I like Natalie, and was a fan of hers early on, but I know there are/were many fans who hated the switch. For me the show is owned by Tony Shaloub, and everyone around him while being good in thier roles, really serve as support. I hope bringing Sharona back brings closure to her character that the series never gave to the fans of hers.
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3-25-2009 @ 11:49AM
Parl said...
Great news!
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3-25-2009 @ 1:23PM
MrC said...
I like Sharona and missed her when Bitty Schram got herself fired, but I have to admit I don't know how much longer the relationship between the two characters was sustainable. Sharona being fully aware of the implications of all of his neuroses/etc was very "kid gloves" with Monk, whereas Natalie is more assistant and less nurse, and has much less patience for his shenanigans.
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3-25-2009 @ 1:31PM
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3-25-2009 @ 1:51PM
La-Di-Dah said...
yay! times 2.
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3-25-2009 @ 2:29PM
basil said...
I have watched Monk since the begininng and I don't miss Sharona in the least. I watch Monk for the laughs and not for closure.
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3-26-2009 @ 11:12AM
Jennifer said...
Well, thank goodness. Honestly, I can't stand Monk without Sharona on it. I quit watching it this season because the guy NEEDS someone to give him a smackdown at times and god knows Natalie is too nice to.
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3-26-2009 @ 9:37AM
MadMup said...
I liked Sharona when she was on, but quickly became a Natalie fan. I'm not really looking forward to Sharona being back on, frankly, even for an episode.
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3-26-2009 @ 11:18AM
Leah said...
I'm glad it's only one episode. I love Natalie. Sharona was ok, and I liked her, until Natalie game along and then I didn't.
I would love for Sharona and Natalie to get into it, and monk have to chose between them.
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