Natalie vs. Sharona | Monk

Natalie and Sharona go head to head: who's the better assistant?

From Season 8, Episode 10, "Mr. Monk and Sharona": When Sharona (Bitty Schram) returns to San Francisco to handle legal issues related to an uncle's death, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) suspects foul play and is torn between the differing styles of Sharona and Natalie (Traylor Howard). Jack Wagner guest stars.

Monk Synopsis: Adrian Monk (Emmy®-winner Tony Shalhoub) was once a rising star with the San Francisco Police Department, legendary for using unconventional means to solve the department's most baffling cases. But after the tragic and still-unsolved murder of his wife, Trudy, the devastated Monk becomes obsessive-compulsive. His psychological disorder has caused him to develop an abnormal fear of virtually everything: germs, heights, crowds... even milk. Monk's condition costs him his job, but he's back as a police consultant despite the unique challenges he encounters in his everyday life. These challenges lead Monk to hire a personal nurse, Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram), who is always there to offer her assistance, even with the simplest of tasks (like organizing his sock drawer). Her less-than-subtle prodding keeps the "defective detective" on track in his investigations, as well as in his efforts to convince Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) to allow him to return to the force.

#Monk #AdrianMonk #Detective #OCD #HeresWhatHappened #TonyShalhoub #Comedy #NBCU #PeacockTV

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[JasonC]

What was particularly nice about Sharona coming back for this episode was that it proved that Bitty Schram was still on good terms with the show - and it also gave her the proper goodbye that she didn't get when she actually left.

[oldenoughtoknowbetter]

I always loved Sharona. The spiciness provided the perfect between her and Monk balance for me.

[lukacunningham]

“It’s not what you think”
*He makes it sound like a love affair*

[An-Interesting-Name]

I loved Sharona. She was my favorite character and, in my opinion, the best assistant. However, I do appreciate how Natalie was her own character and not a character trying to replace Sharona like I originally thought would happen.

[crazjaymz]

My fav ep is when Sharona and Monk pretended to be married. Lol.

[temilolaakpeakinsulire]

I just loved the fact that they weren't written as the same person. As if we're not supposed to notice that they were 2 completely different human beings

[bencekovacs]

I did love Natalie she is so sweet but Sharona's fierce short-tempered loud-mouthed personality made bigger contrast between their duo which made the show more entartaining sooo my rating is 51%-49% for Sharona! ;) But I must repeat myself I love Natalie as well:D

[Dan]

I found the Sharona character to be SO entertaining and amusing! The actress has a wide range. I really missed her when she was gone from Monk. I must say I was half watching for Sharona because I just loved the way she interacted with Adrian. And I missed her pleading when she was exasperated with him.

[slashbash]

When they introduced Natalie, I appreciate how she wasn't just a shoddy clone of Sharona, instead creating a whole new dynamic with Monk.

[marymcmenemy]

I just loved both of them. They each had their own way of handling problems. Both actresses were great!

[MizzEanaj]

Natalie was his assistant. Sharona was his friend. I think those relationships are obvious, and they both served their purpose on the show. But I wholeheartedly prefer Sharona’s friendship. She was a more entertaining character for me as well, especially her dynamic with all the other characters.

[glennreeve]

Sharona for me every time. Brilliant Bitti Schram.

[nnr]

Sharona Fleming was the character who got me into this show, and she was hands-down my favourite character on it. I was amused by Monk, but honestly the bulk of the entertainment for me was watching Sharona's hilarious expressions and reactions to his eccentricities. Every time Monk did something quirky or socially inappropriate, I grinned in anticipation of Sharona's reaction. That was everything. It was the punchline that got me in stitches laughing. For me, Monk was as much a straight-man to Sharona's character as she was to his.

No one — and I mean NO ONE — could play Sharona but Bitty Schram. She portrays the character's spunk and sass like no other actress could; she's incredibly dynamic, hilariously expressive (Andy Breckman actually said that one of the reasons they cast Bitty was because her facial expressions were hysterical); her comedic timing and line delivery is beyond impeccable; and there is SO much personality in her performance. Her exclamation of _"ADRIAN!!"_ whenever Monk was being disruptive was such a beloved staple for me on this show; no one can pull off that name like Bitty does. And her NJ accent cracked me up. It made all of her dialogue immensely fun to listen to.

Bitty had such a natural, electric chemistry with Tony Shalhoub, which extended to their characters. Watching the two of them working together was entertaining as hell, and it was the most amusing high-contrast dynamic I'd seen in a crime show since _Moonlighting._ The interplay between Monk and Sharona was THE centrepiece of my investment in the show, and they were (and still are) one of my favourite duos on all of television.

When Sharona was gone, I was done. I never watched Monk again until I heard they were bringing Bitty back, and I would have *never* given the rest of the show any of my time if they didn't. She was the only — I mean ONLY — reason I watched the show past the point of her departure.

I found the show so lacklustre without her presence. Sharona delivered an impressive measure of the comedy on the show for the first three seasons, and it felt like at least half the show (and the show's humour) was missing. Natalie, I found oscillated between either completely bland or absolutely insufferable, for reasons that would expand too far beyond the character limit to comprehensively catalogue. I could not stand her. Monk's character changed as well, and (excluding the end of the finale) not for the better. He became like a bumbling parody of the man he was in the beginning, and his eccentric "moments" were excessively drawn out and milked way past the point of the joke being dry. Monk had to carry almost all of the comedy on the show himself with Sharona's absence, and as much as I LOVE Tony Shalhoub, his character honestly wasn't quite up to the task. Sharona was the one who really made his character shine.

The producers were right not to re-cast Sharona, because Bitty Schram absolutely OWNS that character. But she should have never been written off the show in the first place. For starters, Monk and Sharona's characters contrasted each other in a way that directly spotlighted the entire crux of the series. Monk was phobic, anxious, paranoid, circumspect, sceptical. Sharona was bold, fearless, tenacious, bull-by-the-horns, impulsive. They were core opposites — Monk's core is rooted in *fear, * and Sharona's in *audacity.* Her personality drew a crisp focus on the phobic and sceptical core of Monk's personality by contrast, which emphasised the original premise of the show.

Natalie's character, on the other hand, contrasted Monk in a way that shifted the focus off the show's original premise. Her chipper, optimistic, sanguine disposition drew more attention to Monk's comparatively opposite pessimism, gloom, depression, irritability, and jaded outlook. And for me, this siphoned all the enjoyment out of Monk; as a character, and as a show. In Sharona's era, the show originally felt like it was about a detective coping and dealing with _phobias and compulsions, _ with depression on the side. In Natalie's era, it felt more like watching a show about a detective coping and dealing with _depression, _ with phobias and compulsions on the side. Monk and Sharona were the duo that embodied and highlighted the original concept of _Monk._ Ergo, Sharona's character was absolutely *essential* to holding this show together in its original integrity. The Bitty Schram era of the series is Monk at its peak best.

The producers succumbed to abject idiocy retracting her from the programme. Possibly they were heeding a concern that her character was usurping Monk's spotlight, but they were evidently too myopic to realise that Monk was phenomenal because of her contribution to the show. And honestly... SO WHAT if she was stealing scenes and laughs? The entire point of a comedy show is to *produce comedy.* A similar thing happened with the crime comedy show _Castle._ Rick Castle was the title character, but the supporting actress stole the show. The writers and producers just went with it though, and the show became HUGE because of it. They never re-named the show. They just allowed it to naturally become the phenomenon it was, and let a bright light shine brighter rather than extinguishing it and starting over from scratch.

Sharona's inclusion in the cast I felt made Monk's character far better and more entertaining. SHE was the reason I enjoyed him so much. She was the reason I was watching the show in the first place. And she was the reason I quit the show when she was gone.

Bitty Schram should have been paid fairly and kept on board. End of story.

[emperorgreene]

They all arguing
Monk: iight ima head out

[kelvinize]

I always thought Sharona was way more fun

[itaatisa]

Sharona is sassy, funny, has strong character. Earlier episodes with her was more fun!

[fallstorm]

I love sharona so much, was so upset when she was taken off the show 😭
I stilled kept watching but my parents stopped watching it after she left

[vbpmdyu]

I like Natalie. I ❤Love❤ Sharona. She knew Monk inside and out. Sharona was rougher, tougher.

[krithikav]

I like Sharona. She killed the role. Natalie’s role was too much exaggerated by the director. She assumed herself as the detective, treats AM like a too small kid. Sharona’s role and her handling of Monk was what held the character very high.

[WeepingWidowSueAna]

I loved all the characters in Monk but Sharona was my favorite assistant by far. I loved her saucy New Jersey attitude and the romance with Randy was just so sweet and cute and endearing! I am so glad they let them end up together!!!!