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USA Network

After six years of getting his hands dirty and then vigilantly scrubbing them clean, Monk is gearing up—probably pretty carefully—for his last case.

USA announced Friday that it has picked up its Emmy-winning detective series Monk for an eighth and final season that will air next summer.

The "Characters Welcome" network has ordered up 16 episodes, and E! News is hearing that the finale will clue Monk in on who killed his dearly departed wife, Trudy, the tragedy that turned him into the OCD-addled mystery-solver who cable audiences have come to love.

"We want to build to a spectacular conclusion for this wonderful show," said Jeff Wachtel, executive VP of original programming for USA Network.

"By many measures, Monk is the most successful series in the history of basic cable television—and it was certainly the original tentpole of our 'Character' brand. Our fans have been extremely dedicated and season eight should prove to be a very satisfying reward."

Monk, which marked its 100th episode last month, averaged 5 million viewers per episode in 2008, so the series definitely isn't being put out to pasture on a downswing.

On whether playing such a neurotic, tic-ridden character has rubbed off on him over the years, three-time Emmy winner Tony Shalhoub told USA Weekendin June:

"I think I had low levels of those kinds of quirks, as a lot of people really do, but it's definitely grown over time. I'm not really the kind of actor who brings my work home with me so much, normally, but I sort of feel infected by this character in a way. I think about things that I normally wouldn't otherwise."
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몽크몽크... 맨 처음 접했던 미드 중 하나라 끝난다니까 아쉽다 ㅠㅠ
6시즌 즈음인가.. 재밌긴 했지만 이제 끝날때가 되지 않았나 말이 많아서 그닥 놀랍지는 않다. 개인적으로는 몽크 캐릭터에서 나오는 이야기는 무궁무진하지만, 몽크가 해결하는 사건들이 뻔한 이야기가 점점 많아져서 좀 지루해진듯.
지금이야 Emmy에서 케이블 시리즈들이 강세지만 중요한 작품상들은 모두 공중파 방송들이 장악했을 때 세 번이나 남우주연상을 탔던 토니 샬룹. 초큼 대단한듯. ㅠㅠ 몽크 한창 재밌게 봤을 땐 나도모르게 다른 사람이 기침하면 피하게 되고 모서리마다 손가락으로 톡톡 치고 다니고.. 악수하면 물수건으로 닦고싶고 그랬는데 ㄲㄲㄲ
팬들도 아쉽겠지만 토니 샬룹 본인이 가장 아쉽지 않을까. 원래 촬영장을 벗어나면 본인의 모습으로 돌아오지만 몽크 캐릭터는 정이 많이 들었다고 말하는 그... 그럴법도 하다. 짧지 않은 6년이라는 세월에, 몽크라는 캐릭터로 너무 굳어져버려서.
내년에 끝난다고 하니.. 좀 기다렸다가 나중에 슬퍼해야지. ㅋㅋ