2009 Summer TV Preview: Monk - The Final Season

For any fan of the popular USA show Monk, the return of the series next month is kind of a big deal as it’s already been announced that the eighth season of Monk will be its last. That’s the bad news. The good news is, as the series concludes, it looks like the final season will be answering some questions and I’m assuming the biggest resolution will be learning the truth behind Monk’s wife Trudy’s death. Plus, at some point during the season, Sharona will be back!

Below is the full description, for the eighth season as posted by NBC Universal. This includes some information on the season premiere, which based on the videos below, looks like it’s going to be a good one. Having just finished marathoning through the fourth season of Showtime’s Weeds, I’m loving the fact that Elizabeth Perkins is guest starring in Monk’s eighth season premiere.

Spoiler warning: NBC Universal’s description below and the video clips posted further down contain some spoilers from the season premiere and future episodes, as well as the rather sizable list of guest stars. There are no details about Trudy’s death or any other big spoilers in terms of the character development but if you want to go into this season without knowing what to expect, read no further!

As the series concludes, all of your questions will be answered. In addition to the return of Sharona and resolution to Monk's efforts for reinstatement to the SFPD, the final episodes will concentrate on solving the murder of Monk’s beloved wife, Trudy.

As the season kicks off, Monk is thrilled to act as a bodyguard to his favorite actress, a former child star (Perkins) who published a tell-all book, when an attempt is made on her life; Monk finds himself increasingly drawn to a case involving a visiting African man (Akinnuoye-Agbaje) who is investigating his beloved wife's hit-and-run death -- a case that strongly resonates with Monk; Natalie becomes convinced a critic (Baker) who panned her daughter Julie's theatrical performance was responsible for a murder at the same time as the show; unmarked dolls sent to San Francisco residents accurately predict a series of inexplicable deaths - including, perhaps, Natalie's; Monk's phobias threaten to undermine a big murder case when an aggressive defense attorney (Mohr) targets the detective's unconventional methods; Monk must uncover the link between a missing woman and a UFO sighting after he and Natalie get stuck in a small desert town; Monk accompanies Lt. Disher on a camping trip to woo the troublesome son (Wolff) of an officer on the reinstatement committee - and nature turns out to be the least of their worries; Monk assumes the identity of a dead hit-man in an effort to foil an assassination plot; and Monk reluctantly adopts a dog while looking into the suspicious disappearance of its owner.

Guest-stars for season eight include Elizabeth Perkins, Rena Sofer, Dylan Baker, Meat Loaf, Bernie Kopell, Jay Mohr, Daniel Stern, Alex Wolff, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Eric Balfour, Kelly Carlson, and Reed Diamond. Special appearances will also be made by Tim Bagley as Monk's nemesis Harold Krenshaw and Bitty Schram (“A League of their Own”). Schram co-starred on the show from its inception as Monk’s beloved nurse and “Girl Friday” sidekick, Sharona Fleming.

Below are the videos. My favorite one is the last one, which is ridiculously hilarious:











Monk will premiere FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2009 AT 9/8C on USA.