Sharona Shall Return for ‘Monk’ Final Season
March 29, 2009 by Chandra
That’s the good news — actress Bitty Schram has agreed to reprise her very much missed role as nurse Sharona Fleming, Adrian Monk’s former and first assistant in crime, during the upcoming eighth and final season of USA Network’s Monk.
Then there’s the bad news — she’s only appearing on one darn episode. I guess that’s better than none, though.
The network announced the news earlier this week with an accurate comment from series star Tony Shalhoub included: “We couldn’t think of a better way to help wrap up the series than with the return of Bitty’s character. Bringing some closure to Sharona is long overdue.”
I’ll say. As longtime fans will recall, Sharona left the series midway through the third season in 2004 when her character reconciled with her ex-husband Trevor Howe and schlepped across the country to New Jersey to move back in with him, her son Benjy in tow. Viewers were informed of the development after the fact, in a subsequent episode, and never received a fitting opportunity to say goodbye properly.
The real reason Schram, a best comedy actress Golden Globe nominee for the series that same year, moved on was allegedly due to a contract dispute that wasn’t resolved in her favor. However, the network maintains her departure was because of a change in “creative direction.”
In any case, it’s good Schram and Sharona will return for the last leg of one of USA Network’s most successful series ever and the one that put it on the “quality basic-cable programming” map. If only she were sticking around for multiple episodes, I could be thoroughly thrilled instead of just slightly happy.
I think the whole ‘going back to the loser ex’ was a poor way to have her written off the show in the first place. I can’t wait to see Ms. Schram’s return! Woo Hoo!
Do you have a better way to explain the situation she was in? First; I don’t do woo hoo. Then, you have to remember that we did see her again in that episode when Natalie said she saw Trudy. I don’t remember which season that was, I only remember everything about the episode.
I am excited that Bitty Schram, is returning even for one episode. The bad news is that Monk is going off the air after this season. My husband and I are very disappointed that a funny, entertaining, and good acting show should be taken off. Yet other programs not as good or entertaining remain. I for one know many of my friends who watch Monk, are very unhappy that it is going off the air. If there is anyway to save it I wish someone could do something to keep it going. I think getting Bitty Schram back would be one of the ways to keep the show going on. Tony Shaloup, and the rest of the cast just fit together and should be given awards for their great work. Thank you for Monk, it will be sorely missed.
I LOVE MONK AND HATE TO SEE IT GO OFF THE AIR, I WILL MISS MY WEEKLY DOSE OF MONK..I AM HAPPY SHARONA WILL COME BACK FOR A FINAL TIME, I DO MISS HER, NOT TO SAY NATALIE ISNT GOOD BUT SHARONA STARTED THIS RIDE WITH US AND ITS ONLY FAIR SHE END IT WITH US..
I didn’t care for Sharona and her whining nature … Natalie has added a lot of class to the show. Thank God Sharona will ONLY be back for one episode. Guess I can’t join in the Sharona celebration but I just didn’t care for her character.
Loved Sharona – Loved Natalie – Loved MONK – will miss the WHOLE CAST. This was television at some of its very best.
will miss the WHOLE CAST
I agree 100 percent, Toni, and I wonder what show will ever pair up with Psych as brilliantly as Monk does. That’s a match made in TV heaven.
First, to Jesse,
Actually Sharona has never been back on the show. The closest we came to seeing her was the 2-part episode of “Monk on the Run” where Natalie mentioned that she and her son would come back for Adrian’s funeral.
As for a return of her for the final season, I’m very happy for the closure, but the show is not really about her, so a single episode appearance is appropriate to me.
I would love to see a Monk Psych combined episode. It would be hilarious… those commercials are classic with the pair, and a whole show would be side splitting.
Count me on the side that does not care for Sharona. She always was chewing gum like a cow chewing cud. Her character reinforced the old stereotypical image of New Yorkers / New Jersey citizens as loud, crude, poorly educated slobs. I realize that is not who she is but the character she was supposed to portray. I just did not care for it. I agree that she was just to whinny. Natalie is a classy woman. She is strong willed, intelligent, caring, and comes from a good background even if they do have their own problems – she has survived in the world despite her parental upbringing, and disapproval of her marriage. And lets not forget Natalie’s daughter, Julie Teeger, she helped bring Monk out of his cocoon. She was a great addition to the cast. I have to say that I am less than happy with the quality of the stories last year and so far this year. The plot is so transparent. My wife and I usually figure it out in the first 10 to 15 minutes which ruins the rest of the show for us. The worst was the episode when Monk was pimping for a hotel chain. We all know that the sponsors pay the bills but this was just over the top commercialism. Monk appears to have lost so many of the little quirks that endeared him to us. I know he is on the road to recovery but I feel like it should have been written into the script not just ignored. Some one new to the series would never know that Monk has OCD. He just seems a little eccentric.
I am absolutely thrilled we will get to see Sharona again, though a little sad it will only be for one measly episode. Natalie is “okay” but never really compared to Sharona, or FIT the show and Monk’s character like Sharona did. To this day, I watch and enjoy again every Sharona re-run, and have them all taped. I have loved MONK since the first episode and have been in mourning since I learned this would be the last season. Goodbye Tony, you will be sorely missed.