This Friday night, Monk will return with a brand new episode. Monk is a USA dramedy that follows Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub), an obsessive compulsive man who has a knack for solving crimes. With the help of his assistant, Natalie (Traylor Howard), Monk helps the police out in solving homicides and other crimes. He’s a quirky man whose OCD has a tendency to get in the way but that’s all part of the humor of the series.

This season’s opener is kind of special because not only does the episode, titled “Mr. Monk Buys a House,” introduce a new cast member to the series, but unfortunately, it also acknowledges the death of Stanley Kamel, who played Dr. Charles Kroger, Monk’s much-needed therapist in the show.

Kamel passed away suddenly last spring and I’m sure I wasn’t alone in being both sad about his death and curious as to how it would be dealt with on the show. Just as Kamel passed away in real life, so has Dr. Kroger and Monk is taking the loss pretty hard. Monk doesn’t like change and it’s also understandable that he would miss Kroger on a personal level. So I was not disappointed to see that they were able to incorporate Kroger’s departure from the series in a fairly emotional way. And it is Kroger’s death that sets Monk on an unpredictable path in this season’s premiere.

Here’s where I start talking about the episode in a bit more detail. I won’t give any huge details away (what fun would that be?) but consider yourself mildly spoiler-warned.

A girl living across the street from Monk’s home is constantly playing the piano and since Kroger’s death, the sound of the music is really starting to get to Monk. Ok, that’s putting it mildly. The “noise” is driving him crazy(er). When inspecting a house where an old man died, Monk learns that the place is up for sale. He quickly forgets that he’s supposed to be investigating a possible homicide and decides on the spot that he wants to buy the house. He buys the house and hires a handyman (played by Brad Garrett of Everybody Loves Raymond, ‘Til Death) to help him fix it up.

There was a reason the old man was murdered in that house but Monk, who is too caught up in getting his new home up to code (the ceiling light in the dining room is off center and there aren’t enough holes in his shower head) that he doesn’t realize he’s about to get caught up in a huge mess involving the house, the old man who was murdered and a lot of money.

As I mentioned earlier, there is a new character introduced in the episode. Monk has been shopping around for a new therapist. He tries out a few but due to his extreme pickiness (to put it mildly), none of them are satisfactory. Then he meets with Dr. Neven Bell (Hector Elizondo). Bell goes out of his way to make Monk comfortable and throughout the episode he does his best to win him over. Elizondo is perfectly cast for this role. He has that quiet, calm voice that would sooth even the most uptight person. Plus, from what I’ve seen of him in previous roles (Tortilla Soup, The Princess Diaries 1 & 2, etc), he’s got this great sort of dry sense of humor that I hope we’ll get to see in his character in this series.

While this episode had everything you might find in any given episode of Monk (a murder mystery, jokes about Monk’s OCD, a smidge of suspense, etc), there was an added element of sadness due to Kamel’s death but all the same, I’m glad they put that in there. Kamel’s character was a part of Monk’s world and it was good to see that the writers went out of their way to make sure they honored him in this first episode of the new season. At the same time, bringing Elizondo into the cast in this episode also gives the feeling of something fresh and new to look forward to in the series.

Following the unexpected passing of actor Stanley Kamel earlier this summer, Monk fans knew the dreaded day would come when the series would have to deal with the aftermath of losing both the talented actor and his roundly loved character on the show, Dr. Charles Kroger. The July 18 seventh-season premiere, “Mr. Monk Buys a House,” wastes no time addressing the situation with a plot that deftly and directly acknowledges Kamel’s departure while opening the season on a very high and promising note. Oh, and the funny’s still there, too, in a big way.

The title says it all when it comes to the main premise of the episode. In a familiar agitated state, this time because of Chopin music only he can hear his young neighbor playing incessantly, ace detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) decides to buy a house that seems perfect in all but one respect — it was the site of a recent murder. However, not even a tragedy that terrible is capable of lessening Monk’s attraction to the home’s spotless interiors and soundproofing.

Since Monk is Monk, perfect is never perfect enough, though, right? So, off he heads to the hardware store one day to buy what’s needed to make the house even more perfect. That’s where he bumps into handyman Honest Jake, played by effective guest star Brad Garrett (‘Til Death), whom he later calls when another aspect of the house inevitably starts bothering him. Bad idea, to say the least.

Hector Elizondo/Monk 7.1Although Monk’s house woes are at the core of the episode’s mystery, it’s his introduction and reaction to his new therapist, Dr. Kroger’s friend and former colleague Dr. Neven Bell, played by accomplished character actor Hector Elizondo, that anchor “Mr. Monk Buys a House” and make the installment immensely satisfying.

The new doctor accurately points out that Monk’s annoyance at his Chopin-loving neighbor is probably a reflection of his despair over losing Dr. Kroger, also a huge fan of the composer, to a sudden event. Monk has issues with that assessment, of course, but the final scene drives home just how close he still feels to Dr. Kamel, even if he must now move on.

I enjoyed this episode for many reasons, including the excellent contributions of Garrett and Elizondo, both of whom are really funny in their different ways, as well as the touching yet subtle farewell it gives to a former regular cast member. It’s no surprise, then, that the emphasis isn’t on the mystery, a fairly obvious whodunit with a twist or two, but rather one of the most significant relationships in Monk’s life.

“Mr. Monk Buys a House” allows the show and viewers to pay respect to Stanley Kamel in a fitting manner even as we prepare for the next phase in the evolution of Monk. Given the premiere’s success accomplishing both goals, I predict lots of fun adventures in crime ahead this season.

By April MacIntyre Jul 18, 2008, 13:56 GMT

"Monk" new season premieres on the USA Network Friday, July 18. At 9:00 PM.

Emmy-winning and Golden Globe-nominated Hector Elizondo will portray Adrian Monk's (Tony Shalhoub) much-needed therapist – a role left vacant with the unexpected passing of actor Stanley Kamel last month, who played Monk's therapist, Dr. Charles Kroger.

Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award winner Tony Shalhoub stars as the titular obsessive-compulsive detective in a series that has cleaned up as a ratings performer at USA since its premiere in 2002 and has cultivated a loyal following of fans and critics alike.

Along with many accomplishments, Tony Shalhoub is also an accomplished stage actor, his New York theater work includes stagings of "Waiting for Godot," "Conversations with My Father," "The Heidi Chronicles," and "The Odd Couple," as well as the New York Shakespeare Festival productions of "Henry IV Part 1" and "Richard III."

His next film project is about Arab-Muslim relations called "American East,"
currently wrapping post-production. Shalhoub plays a Jewish businessman who's trying to partner up with an Egyptian Muslim-American.

Hector Elizondo is now joining the cast as therapist Dr. Neven Bell.

"What attracted me first and foremost was to have the opportunity to work with Tony Shalhoub, a man whose reputation as an actor and collaborator precede him," said Elizondo. "Also, I understand USA is a nice place to work, allowing great creative freedoms, and “Monk” is actually one of the shows I enjoy watching."

Monsters and Critics joined a few journalists and spoke to Tony Shalhoub and Hector Elizondo about the new season of “Monk”.

Tony, can you give us a few words about Stanley Kamel? Obviously his passing was a tremendous loss for you and for us, the fans of the show.

Tony Shalhoub: Yes it was - well it was all so sudden. We had just - we had all been together at the Upfront in Los Angeles just about four days before - three or four days before Stanley passed away.

And he just seemed in great spirits, really looking forward to the new season. , happy that we were coming back and seemed just better than ever.

Definitely his kind of bright, cheerful self. So it was a real shock to us when we heard the news. And we - it’s just that old feeling - that old saying of you just - you don’t sort of appreciate fully and someone and someone’s position in your life and contribution to your life until one day they’re suddenly gone.

And we’re so fortunate to have Hector to come in and fill Stanley’s shoes. I know that Stanley would’ve been very, very pleased and proud to know that an actor of Hector’s stature was coming in to take his place.

Tony, do people with OCD ask you for advice?

Tony Shalhoub: I get a lot of mail from people who either suffer from it or have family members who suffer from it.

They really embrace Monk. In the beginning, we worried that we might be exploiting the disorder. We've done it in such a way that allows people who have it to laugh at themselves. It also takes a bit of the stigma off of the disorder.

Hector, what about the show - what about the character was appealing to you?

Hector Elizondo: Oh what’s appealing, of course, is working with Tony first of all. That was my main motivation. And I was - quite honest, to be asked - to be in that position, it came at a perfect time for me. I couldn’t have been happier.

I thought it would require a bit more of an adjustment than it has, but it seemed like an old pair of slippers. It was very comfortable. oh gee, this is where I - oh, I lost those. Here they are.

I just put my feet in there and - put one foot in front of the other and it hasn’t been a puzzle at all. , what I’m looking forward to is the unpeeling of the characters and seeing if we can meet the challenges of dealing with Adrian Monk and his genius.

It’s not easy. It’s not easy by gosh, but a lot of fun at the same time.

Hector, I’m curious to know how the character and the script, and the selection came to you. Did you have a relationship with Tony prior to this or anyone in the production?

Hector Elizondo: Right. Well Tony and I have had a long relationship, but we’ve kept that under the radar screen. We don’t speak of it. We’ve met a couple of times in passing in the business - we just have been a lot of occasions.

I think our first meeting actually was at a press conference and which was - that perhaps another story. And that’s when I was - actually, that’s when I made my strongest impressions - Tony made his impression on me.

Just - first of all, he showed up and I thought anybody who showed up to an anti-war conference was a particularly brave American and a responsible one. So I knew he had certain character. And then...

Tony Shalhoub: Hector is referring to a press conference that we attended prior to the run up of the Iraq war. There was a group of writers, directors and actors in Hollywood that...

Hector Elizondo: And other citizens. I was surprised to see some retired Admirals there that were in the military.

Tony Shalhoub: That’s right.

Hector Elizondo: And some of the clergy, too.
And all - the mission simply was asking the question wait a minute, shouldn’t we talk before we do this?

Common sense, you mean?

Hector Elizondo: Anyway, that’s where we met and we were old sharks at the (responses). And that was our initial - well my initial meeting with him, and so it was an indelible one because of the nature of the venue.

But then of course, knowing his work and the fact that he’s a stage person, too, I’m always....because I know I’m going to get - chances are you’re going to get a professional, , comes ready for work. And he reminds me very much in his work habits like Peter Falk when he was doing Columbo. That’s another indelible character.
And I don’t think I had been with one quite like that until Monk. And he has the same work habits which means he’s working constantly.

So I’m there. I’m just trying to put one foot in front of the other and trying to stay out of my own way. And who knows, maybe we can help Adrian?

Tony Shalhoub: I think one of the - when Hector and I first met, we - I think the thing that struck me was that somehow I felt like I knew him and felt like maybe we might have worked together and wonder - and then realize we haven’t and wondered why we hadn’t worked together because we certainly had a lot of friends and colleagues in common.

Inevitably you’re in this town and in this business long enough you’re going to work with everybody - everybody you want to work with really.

This is kind of a fulfillment now of that wish. As we just were finally able to sit across from each other and there is that feeling of somehow having known each other or having had this experience before.

And so I don’t know, I think you sensed that, too, Hector?

Hector Elizondo: Yeah.

Tony Shalhoub: There’s a real déjà vu to the Monk/Dr. Bell dynamic.

Hector Elizondo: It was an easy fit. We also talk about food a lot, you see, and that - for me, that’s a measuring stick. If you like food, you’re okay with me.

Along those lines, I notice the casting for this particular season is very interesting - Brad Garrett. You’ve got Robert Loggia, William Atherton...

Tony Shalhoub: We signed Eric McCormack for the 100th episode.

Tony, do you have influence in getting people that you’ve worked with in the past onto the show?

Tony Shalhoub: Yes. Well I do because I’m an Executive Producer on the show and heavily involved in guest casting. And so when there’s someone that - when I see a role in a script and I think of someone that I’ve worked with or some - a friend of mine that I’ve always wanted to work with, I - it usually involves making a personal call along with approaching their representation.

Now so in the case of John Turturro, certainly, Stanley Tucci, people like that...there were personal calls made. Brad Garrett, of course. And so it’s - , it’s been really kind of rewarding and interesting to do that. And then of course, , there’s people that I don’t know that other people make phone calls - like one of the directors or producers will make a call. And I’m just the beneficiary of all of these relationships.

Hector, talk about being cast into a role like this and how it is different than just jumping into another show for one or two episodes?

Hector Elizondo: That’s a good question. Well entering in a situation that’s really a family and a well-oiled machine like this, is always a bit of an adjustment. And there’s a little apprehension. And Tony mentioned something that’s quite true.

It didn’t take long for us to have a sense that we had worked together - I’m talking about ten seconds actually. And that helped a great deal. But still, going - walking into the family unit and finding the place - a seat the table is not always easy.

This one - this has been incredibly easy, mainly because of Tony - because the - it runs so very well. They’ve got this down to a science. And when it comes from the top, it kind of comes from Mr. Shalhoub. So you have an environment that’s one - that’s quite workable.

The fish is fresh. There’s a saying the fish stinks from the head, right? Well this is fresh.

This is a good thing. It was not an adjustment. And they feed you. They give you water and food, and everything. They cart you around in electric carts. It’s a lot of fun and you almost hit people. It’s white knuckle time getting to the set.
It’s very energetic, very buzzy and everyone’s been there forever. So it’s very comfortable.

Tony, what keeps you motivated to keep playing Monk?

Tony Shalhoub: Well as Hector mentioned it has a lot to do with the people - the writers, the group of directors that we have kind of (rode) to - through the system.

The crew is great. The guest casts that we are able to draw in. I just - I never really dreamed when we started that we would be a seventh season and approaching our 100th episode.

I didn’t know if this idea of this character in this situation could sustain itself for that long. But I’m always amazed the writers keep coming up with interesting twists and that’s why I keep showing up.

I just feel like I have not exhausted it completely and I feel like there am still some new territory to explore. There are new dragons to slay in this - in the world of this character.

I don’t know that it would be healthy for me to do it for forever and ever. But I definitely - I could definitely see doing it for another year after this.

Has either of you two ever been hypnotized?

Hector Elizondo: Yes, I have.

Tony Shalhoub: I don’t think I have ever been - I think not successfully. I was - I think attempts have been made but I’ve always wanted to really have a sense about going under.

Hector Elizondo: I was hypnotized - watching Serena Williams play tennis, I was hypnotized.

How do you both keep it fresh when you play the same characters over and again on TV versus theater?

Tony Shalhoub: I think for me it comes from having been trained in the theater and working so many years in the theater prior to doing film and television.

And in my training, which was at the Yale Drama School, the emphasis was always on character work and transformation, and not - trying not to play yourself too much.

So I’ve been fortunate that I’ve been able to kind of carry that over into film and television work. But it started - definitely started in the theater.

Hector Elizondo: Likewise for me. I guess that’s one of the reasons we got along. This is the other guy. I’m the guy with less hair. So coming from that same background and that same work ethic, and that training - so that’s - there’s a camaraderie there and camaraderie immediately.

There’s another thing with - you can tell when people, that come from the theater. They hang up their clothes after they finish. They hang up their costumes.

With regards to theater - I’m not going to speak for Tony, but I have a feeling maybe there’s something to it here also. I wanted to be an intermediary between the author and an audience.

The author was super important. I love Arthur Miller, for example - Shakespeare of course Neil Simon. I wanted to be the voice for those - in those people. You wanted to be the voice for those big writers.

It’s very, very exciting and I recommend it to anyone - any young person who wants to do film and television - learn how to drive shift first.

Are we going to get more Monk back-story this season?

Tony Shalhoub: Yeah. I think we always try to do a little more - , go into the back-story of a lot of these characters. So I think we’ll be seeing more of that this year certainly, too.

I know we’re doing an episode coming up called Mr. Monk Gets Hypnotized and you get put back - he’s asked to go back to a time in his life when he was - he felt good and was happy, and there was a brief period when he was about nine or ten years old until he sort of gets lost back in the hypnosis, into being a young boy.

And so I think we’re going to see a lot of glimpses of him as a child again, as we have in the past. But yeah, they’re always exploring different relationships and family histories so I’m sure we’ll continue with that.

Hector, how is your character going to be different from Dr. Kroger?

Hector Elizondo: Well yeah, different DNA - just a different human being. Perhaps he has his own particular background. He’s a product of certain experiences - perhaps different.

Tony Shalhoub: I think one of the main...

Hector Elizondo: He brings something else to the table completely.

Tony Shalhoub: I think one of the main differences that I’m sort of experiencing now is, sitting on - in that other chair in the new shrink’s office, it’s - the - Hector’s character, Dr. Bell, there’s a little more of no-nonsense.

He’s more direct, I think, than Dr. Kroger was. Dr. Kroger very often handled Monk with kid gloves and was almost differential to a fault and tread very carefully.

And I think for Dr. Bell, it seems that - a little more old school, a little more kind of you got to kind of get over yourself, you got to kind of move forward faster.

So - and I think that comes at a good time in terms of the whole arc of the series because, , we see these - we see small changes in Monk occurring now that it’s - we’re seven years in and I think that’s where people are going to see the main difference.

Hector Elizondo: I meant to say all that.

Who your favorite iconic TV detectives of all time, Tony?

Tony Shalhoub: Well when I was young, I really liked Columbo a lot. I also - I don’t know if it counts, but I - The Avengers were always kind of a favorite of mine, if you could regard them as detectives.

When I was young, I was kind of obsessed with the Wild, Wild West that was a very, very, kind of romanticized fantasy sort of - he was kind of like a super spy detective in the Old West, completely fictitious of course. But that had a huge impression on me.

Hector Elizondo: Oh well, well - good question. Columbo, of course. I have a perverse sense of humor. I’m just incapable of taking myself seriously and I love the combination of Columbo and Get Smart, quite frankly.

Tony Shalhoub: Yes.

Hector Elizondo: So one of the - my favorites, I don’t know if it qualifies as a detective, but there was a series that captivated me for a number of reasons. I love the erudition of the character. I love the fact that he was a civilized man in a non-civilized environment - Richard Boone in Have Gun-Will Travel.

Tony Shalhoub: Great, great show.

Hector Elizondo: That always was what attracted me.

Hector, what about TV shrinks from the past that you like?

Hector Elizondo: I can’t imagine that - well there was one recently on HBO that was rather interesting for a moment - the - In Treatment.

Tony Shalhoub: That’s still going.

Hector Elizondo: Yeah, it’s still going. That was an interesting attempt. But I can’t say that I’ve been affected by TV shrinks. I...

Tony Shalhoub: What about real shrinks, yes?

Hector Elizondo: I’ve known lots of them. I’ve talked to lots of them - not as a patient, just as - most of the time I thought they should go for a good hike. They need a good doctor.

Tony Shalhoub: Oh, I thought of another TV detective that I was kind of fixated on. Hector, do you remember Honey West?

Hector Elizondo: Yes, my gosh.

Tony Shalhoub: Do you remember here - that woman? Who was that woman? She was... Anne Francis…she had a great beauty mark on her...

Hector Elizondo: That’s right.

Tony Shalhoub: Anne - yeah.

Hector Elizondo: I’ll be darned. Yeah.

Tony Shalhoub: Is that wrong that I remember that so well?

Tony, will we see a romantic interest for Monk at some point down the line or will that sort of interfere in the whole sort of Trudy angle?

Tony Shalhoub: Well we were doing an episode now actually called Mr. Monk and the Pretty Face which isn’t necessarily a model, but just an Eastern European woman that he becomes captivated by.

And it’s a real crack in the veneer really, frankly, because it’s the first time that he’s entertained the idea of any kind of attraction or romantic interest in a woman since Trudy’s death.

And it’s troubling to him but at the same time it’s exhilarating. And so I would not rule it out that somewhere down the line, they will take the next step and then the next step. It just depends on how long they move - they can drag this show on.

What is the secret with your show's success?

Tony Shalhoub: Yeah. What is the secret? Well I wish I knew so we could bottle it. I say this again and again, we’re blessed, , by having these amazing writers who are kind of fearless and in a lot of ways, coerce me or force me to be fearless.

And it’s - sometimes there’s an unspoken philosophy where we just kind of keep breaking our own rules.

We establish kind of a rulebook or show bible, if you will, and then we - they sort of freely poke holes in it. And it makes - it really makes for interesting work.

And I think it all stems from the fact that very early on Season 1 and Season 2, they very wisely or possibly accidentally gave us a very wide range with the - which to work.

Like some shows kind of have a way to paint themselves into a corner. This is what we can do and this is what we can’t do. And then you’re kind of limited. Your boundaries are a little limited.

And our writers very wisely sort of just made it a wide, wide playing field. Some episodes can be light and frothy. Some have - some can be really dark and poignant and we’re not - we don’t feel a sense of accountability from one week to the next in terms of that consistency of tone.

And I think that’s really helped us to serve up unpredictable and diverse kinds of episodes.

Hector Elizondo: If I may interject for a moment - for me, it’s very simple being there for a relatively short time and having watched a few shows prior. You’ve created a character - Mr. Shalhoub has created a character that is uncompromisingly real and empathetic.

Tony Shalhoub: Thank you.

Hector Elizondo: And he’s not a manipulation and you want to see him in your home every week. You don’t get characters like this very often. If - this is the result, what you get. It’s the result of a lot of hard work, especially when you part from (unintelligible). I know Tony’s blushing now, but sorry Tony.

Tony Shalhoub: I am.

Hector Elizondo: But it’s a fact, you - comedy is very difficult. It’s the hardest thing to do as a good actor will know that.

Tony Shalhoub: Right.

Hector Elizondo: So it’s more difficult than dying. Remember that old joke, the dying actor on how does it feel and he says comedy is harder. And Tony (parses) those moments. I mean, he’s not satisfied with what most other people would be satisfied with. He’s got an excellent ear.

And when you put that together, what you get as a result is an honest character, you see. And I think that is what propels the whole experience. That said I said ladies and gentlemen and if I’m elected president.

Tony Shalhoub: I think it's a tribute to our writers and how they keep finding these bizarre situations to put the characters in. They're kind of revealing more and more, even to me, about them. People relate to this guy because he struggles so hard and manages to get through the day in spite of all of his neuroses. There's something sort of hopeful about that.

Is there a preference in your creative acting mediums? Is there anything you like more than another?

Tony Shalhoub: Wow. Well, I’ve been asked this question before and I always kind of come to the same conclusion really, what’s worked for me -- and this may not work for everyone -- is I like to move from one medium to another. I think a steady diet of just one isn’t probably the healthiest thing for me.

But the truth - in terms of the just day-to-day, moment-to-moment work I think it really depends on the material. Every - a lot of people - you’ll hear a lot of actors say oh there’s nothing like being in the theater with a live audience.

But the truth is that there’s nothing worse than being in a bad play. It’s torture for an actor. It’s torture for an audience. And, it’s - and that’s true, I think, in movies too.

I mean, we’ve all made those mistakes for one reason or another where we've gotten ourselves involved in a movie and it turns out not to be what we hoped it would be, and then it just sort of lives forever - this big piece of crap that just - that you’re attached to, that just goes on and on for eternity in DVDs or whatever.

But it really is about the material. There’s nothing better than being in something, no matter what the medium is, if the material is good and the - you’re working with people that you respect.

And there’s nothing worse than the opposite.

Hector Elizondo: I said the material is first, always. And the second is the South of France - shooting in the South of France. Location, location, location.

Tony Shalhoub: Oh there’s that.

Hector Elizondo: But the - yeah, like real estate. But the material is first, without a doubt. Without a doubt. It’s one of the reasons I became an actor actually was -- as I mentioned before -- to do certain material.

When I saw Arthur Miller, for example, I said can I be part of that someday? And I was very fortunate that I was able to do that. But yes, it is like torture to be in something that you can’t file, wiggle or talk your way out of.

Hector, as far as your role on Monk, is the relationship between Monk and your character going to be strictly just psychiatrist and patient or is there any hope that you might be getting involved in some of the cases?

Hector Elizondo: Who knows? We’ll take it a day at a time. One of the perks of doing something like this -- meaning a long-running show - I just entered this particular family -- is that you get a chance unlike the motion picture most of the time, to unpeel the onion.

You get a chance to go into the details of the character. Now that’s the positive side of playing the same character for awhile. So who can know?

Tony Shalhoub: I can tell you though; that I came in - we’ve done an episode recently which will air this summer called Mr. Monk is Under Water. Monk has to investigate a crime on a submarine which is, of course, parked at the docks and above water.

But then because of a drill, it has to go - while he’s on board, has to go under water. And so it’s a terrible, terrible ordeal for him. And he has such a difficult time that he basically hallucinates Dr. Bell onto the sub with him so he can talk to him and help - and because he just - he has no other recourse and no other way to survive.

So in that sense - in a fantasy sense, Hector was there helping me solve this crime as a hallucination.

Hector Elizondo: It was pretty funny.

Tony Shalhoub: Which was some of his best work, I might add.

Can you tell us a little bit about your experiences of working on the seventh season opener and sort of maybe stepping back into the role this year for you?

Tony Shalhoub: Well, that’s a really interesting question because every season when we start up I kind of have to regroup and try and remember how to do this again because we have a four month hiatus in the winter prior to the beginning of each new season.

In fact, this year - this past year it was longer because of the writers’ strike. We were actually down about five and a half months...which is a very long time. And so I’m always a little bit - I always feel like I’m a little bit on shaky ground when I start out. Luckily, we had a really nice episode with -- as we mentioned -- with Brad Garrett.

I’ve found this year that it really, instead of taking a week or a week or two to get back into it, it was really just a couple of days and it felt like we were, , swinging for the fences right off the bat.

Hector, what has made a career in this industry rewarding for you, would you say?

Hector Elizondo: Working with people like Tony and an environment like that. It becomes - that’s when I look forward to going to work. But that’s become more and more important for me in my life.

I’m a bit older than Tony and there - my skin has gotten thinner. It’s more a certain kind of atmosphere which is something I don’t like to tolerate. The tension usually is what bothers me most.
But this is different. So this is the life, quite frankly.

Tony, how would you fare acting as the shrink?

Tony Shalhoub: I actually had the chance to during one of the hiatus periods from Monk; I had a chance to play a shrink in a movie called The Great and the Wonderful.

And I found myself drawing or, that’s an actor’s way of saying stealing, from Stanley Kamel. I had a great time doing the shrink. He was kind of an unconventional therapist and sort of almost abusive to his patients to get them to where he needed them to be and justifying the means kind of approach.

But I don’t know how I would play the shrink on Monk. I would be hard-pressed. One of the reasons - one of the great challenges, I think, for Stanley and - was a challenge for Stanley and is for Hector is that for most of us on the show we’re in there every day so you get into the zone.

It’s much more difficult to do what Hector is doing where you come in for one day or a day and a half, or two on each episode having been away from it for awhile - come in re-ground yourself and recapture the tone.
and deliver the goods - that’s a really challenging thing. I kind of never - once I start a season, I sort of stay in the mindset. So in a sense it’s easier. But I’m not sure I could pull it off as Hector does.

Hector, if you were to play a Monk-like character, what would your neuroses be?

Hector Elizondo: Oh, lovely. It would be a plethora of tendencies.

Tony Shalhoub: Well one would be his compulsion to talk about eating. That would be the first.

Hector Elizondo: Yes, yes. I love that. How do you chop parsley, really? There wouldn’t be much difference. I wouldn’t - for me it’s - for my Monk - the thing would be wear comfortable shoes. I’m on my feet a lot. Find the right shoes; make sure that collar stays unbuttoned.

I think it would be interesting how - now that’s an important thing. I just thought of that. Would the psychiatrist ever try to convince Tony to unbutton his top collar for just a little bit at a time - for ten seconds a day, see how it feels and then keep expanding that, . Things like that.

Tony Shalhoub: That’s an excellent idea.

Hector Elizondo: And make that a hurdle that you can’t unbutton my button? Just because - wait a minute, we’re talking story here. There wouldn’t be anything different I would do. First of all, I like brown. I would find the right hairpiece and Tony would have to shave his head.

Will Trudy’s death be resolved?

Tony Shalhoub: I’m not inside their (writers) heads so I can only speculate as to what they would do. I mean, they might choose for example, to just draw the series to an end but leave the story open-ended so they could do possibly TV movies of Monk. I don’t know.

That’s not been discussed, but I wouldn’t rule it out somewhat the way they did with Columbo, for example.

What would you prefer in this type of situation?

Tony Shalhoub: I’m wide open to however they want to play it. And I think whatever they choose, the writers will be able to - I’m confident that the writers would be able to adapt to it.

Tony, would you consider a crossover between Monk and Psych?

Tony Shalhoub: Well again, it’s really in the hands of the network and the writers, depending on how their team can hook up with our team. My confusion really is would it be a Monk episode or would it be a Psych episode? That’s kind of my main question and what I think is the greatest challenge.

Whose world are we entering into and whose - for lack of a better term, whose A-story is it? That’s my main concern. But again, as I say, all things are possible.

Hector, would Dr. Bell have gotten along with Dr. Watters from Chicago Hope?

Hector Elizondo: Good question. It would’ve been a challenge. I think it would’ve been a challenge, though I would’ve liked to have seen that.

Tony Shalhoub: Separated at birth.

Hector Elizondo: Yeah, that’s right. It inflames my passion here. I don’t think it would be acrimonious, but of course, the interesting sparks would fly.