TELEVISION 'Monk' can't shake fan obsession

The hit series can't stay away from its fame, beginning its fourth season.
By ED BARK
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
"Monk" see, "Monk" do.
Three seasons as phobic detective Adrian Monk have left actor Tony Shalhoub in a slightly similar state of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Human contact sometimes prompts a germ of an idea. A picture hooked crookedly can also unnerve him.
"I never had a problem shaking anyone's hands before. But now I have that horrible little thought going through my head," Shalhoub says in a telephone interview. "I wish I could get rid of that. And I find myself bothered by things that aren't exactly straight. I think the compulsion is kind of growing in me."
Still, the veteran actor is enjoying the fruits of full-blown success after a second-banana stint on NBC's "Wings" (as cabbie Antonio Scarpacci) helped springboard him to what likely will be his lifelong signature role. "Monk," returning for a fourth season July 8, remains the highest-rated series in the 25-year history of the USA cable network. It has won Shalhoub both an Emmy and a sometimes manic "Monk" following.
"People talk about 'Monk Moments' and 'Monking out,'" he says. "I try to stay off the Web sites where they kind of deconstruct every moment and obsess about the show. I'm glad that people are feverish about it, but for me it's healthier to keep a kind of distance."
Cast change
USA again has ordered 16 episodes of "Monk," which will be served in two doses. Some fans were confused by last season's split shift and the sudden departure of Monk's loyal assistant, Sharona Fleming, played by Bitty Schram. Here's how it went:
Season 3 started on June 18 of last year, with nine episodes shown through Aug. 20. Then "Monk" vanished until Jan. 21 of this year, as did Sharona. The show resumed with Traylor Howard ("Two Guys and a Girl") cast as Monk's new ally, Natalie Teeger. What happened to Sharona? For Monk's purposes, she had relocated to New Jersey to remarry her ex-husband.
The off-screen story is that Schram wanted more screen time.
"It was kind of a mutual thing," Shalhoub says. Schram "had become kind of disenchanted with it and wanted to pursue other things. So it was time for a change. ... We had a really difficult time finding someone who was not the same as Sharona and yet still had the same kind of vibe."
Shalhoub sees a bright side to "Monk's" truncated schedule.
"I think people are getting a little more used to it," he says. "The advantage of airing them in two blocs is that viewers don't have to wait as long before new episodes come along."
Career future
Friday's Season 4 opener features an engaging guest appearance by Jason Alexander, whose rumpled detective, Marty Eels, keeps one-upping Adrian Monk during a murder investigation.
Alexander knows something about typecasting. Nine seasons as George Costanza on "Seinfeld" can be tough to shake. The actor's subsequent series efforts, as a hapless motivational speaker on "Bob Patterson" and a hapless sports commentator on "Listen Up!," have been commercial and critical flops.
"It's always a two-edged sword," Shalhoub says. "I don't really worry about the stigma of being identified with just one part. I still pursue film projects, I still want to do theater. I don't want to just sit back and not explore other areas."
The 2002 film "Made-Up," in which he directed his wife, Brooke Adams, will be out on DVD next month. And he's hoping a distributor can be found for "The Great New Wonderful," a comedy-drama set in a post-Sept. 11 New York City. Shalhoub co-stars with Edie Falco, Olympia Dukakis and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
He's also co-producing and acting in another post-Sept. 11 film, "American East," which focuses on Arab-Americans. And Shalhoub says he's "very close to finishing a deal" on "Russian Blue," where he'd play a classical cello player who's emigrated from Russia.
"Monk" sets the table for all of these projects, allowing Shalhoub to dabble and take risks within the safe confines of a steady paycheck.
There's also talk of a "Monk" feature film, he says.
"I'm having the time of my life. I can't imagine a better scenario for myself right now."