Monk Season 3.5 (now with Natalie, no mo' Sharona) ongoing thread (1 Viewer)

[Moore Maxx]

My vote for a replacement would be Crystal Bernard. She was on "Wings" with Tony and I think they would have a good chemistry together.

Maxx

 

[Linda Thompson]

Another news item; same info, subtlely different spin:

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...en_tv_eo/14843

 

[MatthewLouwrens]

Sad to hear, as I really like Sharona.
I would have liked to see Monk try to cope for a while without a Sharona, that could have been an interesting approach for the show to take. Or at least go through a few replacement nurses before finding someone he's comfortable with.
Whoever replaces Sharona, she has to be different. She should not be Sharona wth a new face and name, we have to believe that she is a different person. That's what shows like MASH did so well - Henry to Col. Potter, Frank to Charles, they weren't carbon copies, they were their own characters that offered their own new elements to the show. Unfortunately, according to this FilmForce article, it sounds like she is just the same character. A shame, really.

 

[Tony_La]

According to tvguide.com:

TRAYLOR PARKED: Traylor Howard (Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place) has joined the cast of the USA series Monk as a replacement for Bitty Schram, Variety reports. Howard will play Tony Shalhoub's new assistant Natalie, a former bartender and single mom. She'll debut in January.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Another single mom?

 

[Todd Terwilliger]

Don't forget Cheers doing it twice, once due to the death of Coach and also with the Shelley Long character.

 

[Kevin M]

Traylor Howard huh? I always wondered what happened to her...personally I think Suzanne Cryer would have been a more interesting choice from Two Guys....although maybe it's just because I find her more attractive than Howard.

 

[Randy Tennison]

I liked Howard a lot of Two Guys and a girl. She is funny, and attractive.

I, for one, don't think the series is going to die. After all, it's called "Monk", not "Sharona".

I think that the last couple of shows, showing us Monk's wife, and his complete undying love, really grew the character a bunch. Before that, he was really just a crime solving robot. Now, he's a human character, with so much more depth that just being able to find a clue on a crime scene.

As long as they keep going down that road, I think it will be fine.

 

[Alex Spindler]

Braced for the change. I'd rather it not happen as I like Sharona and would rather they continue their play on Randall's affection for her. It will be a real shame that it won't be expanded on. Plus, she was plenty funny and a great foil for Monk.

I remember liking Traylor from Two Guys and a Girl. I wonder how they're going to make this character different from Sharona.

 

[Patrick Sun]

FYI, tonight is a new episode of Monk on USA, consult your local listings. (usually 10 p.m. EST)

And it will be Traylor Howard's first episode on "Monk".

 

[Marty M]

I just saw the new episode tonight and I liked it. I think Traylor Howard will do fine as Monk's new assistant. I've had a crush on her since she was on Boston Commons.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

I just now finished watching the season premiere, I taped it because I was watching Friday Night Lights last night, and I think that i'll get used to this new girl in no time, she had a sort of Tea Leoni air about her IMO.

I can see also the possibility that she and Monk may form a deeper relationship than he and Sherona had. Can Monk fall in love again? Who's to say. How that would work I have no idea, but it would be nice to get Monk together with someone. It would take the show off on an emotional direction that would deepen it further IMO. But, on the other hand, I don't think that he can feel that way about anyone again until he has closure regarding Trudy's murder.

To those who seem to be souring on the show because of this change I must ask, don't you care about Adrian?

Afterall it's him that, I at least, care about first and foremost, not his assistant, sure they had great chemistry and she was funny, but he's the one that I really feel for. It's Monk's turmoil and inner pain over the loss of Trudy that I care about and I want to see how HE ends up in the end, I want good things for Adrian Monk.

He's one of the most facinating charactors on tv, both funny and heartfelt, brilliant but heartbroken, he's a damaged man that at turns makes you almost shed a tear for him and then a moment later smile at.

Don't you want to know what happens to him? If your upset over Sherona leaving this much, your priorities for who's important on the show are in the wrong place.

So we lost Sherona, big deal, after a few episodes I guarentee that you'll get used to this new woman, it'll just take a period of adjustment that's all. In real life, people and friends leave, it happens and yes it hurts, but we move on.

I also think it'll freshen the show up a little, not that I felt it was stale, at all, but it'll be fun seeing how she reacts to Monk as they get involved in future capers together.

She hasn't even seen Adrian at his worst yet!

Now, will this hurt the show's popularity and success? I don't think it will. The fans of the show get it, they love Monk himself and I truly believe that they'll continue to stick with him through this adjustment. A little change can be good for a show I think.

I shall miss Sherona's weekly dose of generous cleavage though.

 

[Kevin M]

I liked the way she barely fit into her jeans.......not too skinny not too fat...a real woman.

 

[Steve...O]

My wife and I both gave a thumbs up to the 1/21 episode. I am not familiar with the actress who is playing the new assistant, but she did a good job and seems to have warmth and humanity that the Sharona character lacked.

It is my opinion that Monk and Natalie will not become romantically involved. The very essence of Monk's character is his devotion to his late wife and how he focuses on his career as his way of staying true to the person that she knew.

Steve

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

I knew in five minutes that the producer's had hit paydirt with Taylor Howard, whose previous work I was not familiar with. I think the new character is very good, in a similar situation to Sharona, but a totally different personality, and I like the fact that this single mother has a daughter. I think this opens up whole new vistas of social ineptitude for Adrian.

I think we're looking at a Henry Blake/Col. Potter, or Frank Burns/Charles Winchester situation here - where an "irreplaceable" character who was to a degree a comic device is replaced with a more rounded one, who wears better in the long run.

I always wonder about actors who paint themselves into a corner in contract negotiations to the point where they have to leave a successful show because they're so convinced that the show can't survive without them. (And believe that the producers agree with that judgment.) Makes you want to lean over and whisper something in their ears like, "Mac Stephenson. David Caruso..."

Regards,

Joe

 

[Patrick Sun]

Not a bad intro, and Natalie is one fierce woman, she did not play the helpless victim while being attacked by the robber. The daughter is just old enough to get most of the adult situations and still provide enough embarrassment for the adults.

Looking forward to the next phase for Monk's life.

 

[Evan M]

Well, I have to echo the sentiment... I thought the transition was great, and I didn't miss Sharona at all. I am really looking forward to this new relationship and the chemistry between Monk and Natalie. I also am very much looking forward to the insights and advice she'll give him to push him the next step out of his slump. As someone who has lost her spouse and has moved on, she has a much needed point of view that I think will be able to help Monk, in the long run.

They did a wonderful job of making the transition... I so love this show

 

[Joseph S]

I liked the episode and think Natalie will be great for the job. The part where they screwed up was in making/airing the last episode with Sharona.

Having her gone caring for sick relative was a much better transition than the foolish excuse that she re-married the old husband out of the blue. They could've re-ordered them for DVD to fit the story line better. Heck, even giving the same sick relative reason for her going back to NJ would have worked better than their explanation in the new episode.

 

[Joseph S]

I'm usually the last to pick up the flubs, but you can't miss the candle wax one in tonight's episode.

 

[BenjaminX]

I was expecting one of those (in the words of my Law and Order fan side) when Southerlyn replaced Carmichael situations. Instead we got a Van Buren/Cragen situation or even a (dare I say it) McCoy/Stone.