Mr. Monk and Sharona
- Episode aired Oct 23, 2009
- TV-PG
- 43m
IMDb RATING
8.5/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
Sharona's big payday is in jeopardy when Monk believes her uncle was murdered, rather than killed by an accidental fall, and the investigation will test everyone's tempers as Natalie and Sha... Read allSharona's big payday is in jeopardy when Monk believes her uncle was murdered, rather than killed by an accidental fall, and the investigation will test everyone's tempers as Natalie and Sharona mark their territories.Sharona's big payday is in jeopardy when Monk believes her uncle was murdered, rather than killed by an accidental fall, and the investigation will test everyone's tempers as Natalie and Sharona mark their territories.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis is the only time where Bitty Schram (Sharona Fleming) and Traylor Howard (Natalie Teeger) meet.
- GoofsIt is stated that Sharona is handling her uncle's affairs because she is his "only family." However, it has been established she has a sister, Gail, and it is never explained why she has no involvement in the case.
- Quotes
Sharona Fleming: Hello, Adrian.
Adrian Monk: [confused] What year is this?
- ConnectionsReferenced in Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie (2023)
Featured review
Something's Wrong Here!
Wait. Something's not right.....
How can an episode of Monk, which contains BOTH his lovely assistants, Natalie and Sharona, at the same time, on the same show, have only one lone user review (July 2012)?
And how can the description of this most excellent episode be so commonplace? It's written as though the return of Sharona is just another plot line in this 8th and final season of Monk. Hello?!
Here's the thing...
Is it not thoroughly understood that Monk fans loved both Sharona AND Natalie, not to mention the fine actresses behind the characters? Hey, initially we loved Sharona, and for some people, breaking up the dynamic duo of Adrian and Sharona was like breaking up.... well, you know. (hint: "dynamic duo"). But then the impossible happened. We fell in love with Sharona's replacement, perky Natalie Teeger. Traylor Howard fell into the role in season 3.5 every bit as naturally as Bitty Schram did in season 1. So here we are, the audience, men and women alike, loving two characters at the same time. :>
So what could be better than having both Howard and Schram appear TOGETHER in the same episode?? This is big news people! So let's see if we (the audience) can't get it together and tell the world, visa vi a few more reviews, that we loved this episode. It may not have been easy to make it happen! And, it was a good episode. Natalie and Sharona played off each other beautifully. Throw in Monk, and all of them together reminded me of the Three Stooges... with emotional battering substituted for a physical poke in the eye.
But seriously, you really get an opportunity in this episode to see how each actress adapted to the role in her own unique way, with Schram taking the no-nonsense tough-girl stance toward Monk, and Howard playing the compassionate, sympathetic assistant. Neither approach was better or worse, simply the right approach for each actress's core temperament. But what is really noteworthy here are the *similarities* between the two women. Both actresses take full advantage of the gifted writing, acting out the script with not only convincing performances, but enhancing their performance with *nuance*. For instance, there are many Ricky Gervais style "throw away" lines in the scripts, and what I am referring to is the many many one-liners that are not given a focused setup... just simply uttered (or muttered) by Monk's assistant. Both Schram and Howard get the lines off wonderfully, without out drawing undo attention to themselves. Sometimes I have to stop the DVD to compose myself after Sharona or Natalie squeeze in a short one-liner that leaves you howling. And then there's the looks they give Monk. Priceless. Either actress would have fared well in the silent picture days.
So how did the producers entice Bitty Schram to come in and do a guest shot, considering that there may have been hard feelings on both side when she departed? Well....
Here's what happened...
Andy Breckman was secretly in love with Betty. When she moved back to New Jersey after leaving the show at season 3.5 Breckman was heartbroken. He only had himself to blame however, as it was at his insistence that Betty demanded 100 Million dollars per episode.
For the next 5 years Breckman tried to get Betty back to the show, but David Hoberman blocked every attempt, because he had fallen in love with Traylor Howard. This left Breckman and Hoberman in opposition for that 5 years because Howard started showing sympathy for Schram and wouldn't date Hoberman until the issue was resolved. Bitty and Traylor finally stepped forward with a proposed solution. In their personal lives this meant something along the lines of a love quadrangle (whatever that is). On the show it simply meant writing in Sharona to appear as a guest star.
Duh! Why didn't they think of that sooner? They did, and both Breckman and Hoberman loved the idea, but as it turns out Schram and Howard secretly detested each other, but only as actresses, and refused to work together on set. Bitty thought she had played the best assistant Monk could ever have, and of course Traylor felt the same way about her own performance. Thus, animosity abounded.
Finally though the two actresses agreed to work together for one show only... just to see how it went. Breckman and Hoberman were ecstatic!
But if this is all true how come Howard and Schram had such good chemistry in the episode? Because they are PROFESSIONAL actresses, that's how. And it was worth the effort, because not only did the cast turn in a great episode, Traylor and Bitty got past their superficial contempt for each other and became gal-pals.
And everyone lived happily ever after.
Someone give me a wipe. I think I'm gonna cry...
Q: Dude, is all that love stuff actually true?
A: Not a single word. Except for the fact that Howard and Schram rock!
How can an episode of Monk, which contains BOTH his lovely assistants, Natalie and Sharona, at the same time, on the same show, have only one lone user review (July 2012)?
And how can the description of this most excellent episode be so commonplace? It's written as though the return of Sharona is just another plot line in this 8th and final season of Monk. Hello?!
Here's the thing...
Is it not thoroughly understood that Monk fans loved both Sharona AND Natalie, not to mention the fine actresses behind the characters? Hey, initially we loved Sharona, and for some people, breaking up the dynamic duo of Adrian and Sharona was like breaking up.... well, you know. (hint: "dynamic duo"). But then the impossible happened. We fell in love with Sharona's replacement, perky Natalie Teeger. Traylor Howard fell into the role in season 3.5 every bit as naturally as Bitty Schram did in season 1. So here we are, the audience, men and women alike, loving two characters at the same time. :>
So what could be better than having both Howard and Schram appear TOGETHER in the same episode?? This is big news people! So let's see if we (the audience) can't get it together and tell the world, visa vi a few more reviews, that we loved this episode. It may not have been easy to make it happen! And, it was a good episode. Natalie and Sharona played off each other beautifully. Throw in Monk, and all of them together reminded me of the Three Stooges... with emotional battering substituted for a physical poke in the eye.
But seriously, you really get an opportunity in this episode to see how each actress adapted to the role in her own unique way, with Schram taking the no-nonsense tough-girl stance toward Monk, and Howard playing the compassionate, sympathetic assistant. Neither approach was better or worse, simply the right approach for each actress's core temperament. But what is really noteworthy here are the *similarities* between the two women. Both actresses take full advantage of the gifted writing, acting out the script with not only convincing performances, but enhancing their performance with *nuance*. For instance, there are many Ricky Gervais style "throw away" lines in the scripts, and what I am referring to is the many many one-liners that are not given a focused setup... just simply uttered (or muttered) by Monk's assistant. Both Schram and Howard get the lines off wonderfully, without out drawing undo attention to themselves. Sometimes I have to stop the DVD to compose myself after Sharona or Natalie squeeze in a short one-liner that leaves you howling. And then there's the looks they give Monk. Priceless. Either actress would have fared well in the silent picture days.
So how did the producers entice Bitty Schram to come in and do a guest shot, considering that there may have been hard feelings on both side when she departed? Well....
Here's what happened...
Andy Breckman was secretly in love with Betty. When she moved back to New Jersey after leaving the show at season 3.5 Breckman was heartbroken. He only had himself to blame however, as it was at his insistence that Betty demanded 100 Million dollars per episode.
For the next 5 years Breckman tried to get Betty back to the show, but David Hoberman blocked every attempt, because he had fallen in love with Traylor Howard. This left Breckman and Hoberman in opposition for that 5 years because Howard started showing sympathy for Schram and wouldn't date Hoberman until the issue was resolved. Bitty and Traylor finally stepped forward with a proposed solution. In their personal lives this meant something along the lines of a love quadrangle (whatever that is). On the show it simply meant writing in Sharona to appear as a guest star.
Duh! Why didn't they think of that sooner? They did, and both Breckman and Hoberman loved the idea, but as it turns out Schram and Howard secretly detested each other, but only as actresses, and refused to work together on set. Bitty thought she had played the best assistant Monk could ever have, and of course Traylor felt the same way about her own performance. Thus, animosity abounded.
Finally though the two actresses agreed to work together for one show only... just to see how it went. Breckman and Hoberman were ecstatic!
But if this is all true how come Howard and Schram had such good chemistry in the episode? Because they are PROFESSIONAL actresses, that's how. And it was worth the effort, because not only did the cast turn in a great episode, Traylor and Bitty got past their superficial contempt for each other and became gal-pals.
And everyone lived happily ever after.
Someone give me a wipe. I think I'm gonna cry...
Q: Dude, is all that love stuff actually true?
A: Not a single word. Except for the fact that Howard and Schram rock!
helpful•3817
- CoastalCruiser
- Jul 17, 2012
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- Runtime43 minutes
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