Monk was a smash hit USA Network show that ran for eight seasons, but it wasn’t without its controversies.
In its early days, Monk delivered a fun friendship between Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub), a detective with OCD, and his assistant Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram). Sharona was the person who brought Monk down to earth and helped him navigate the world. She taught him all-important life lessons and he in turn helped her get out of various difficult situations. The pair of them made each other better…
…and then suddenly Sharona was gone.
Her last appearance was in “Mr Monk Takes His Medicine” (an episode that itself caused controversy), midway through season three in 2004. When the show returned the following year, her disappearance was explained as her having got back together with her ex-husband and leaving Monk’s employment to be with him. This seemed pretty out of character, and so of course fans wondered what the real reason was for her departure.
Why did Bitty Schram leave?
While it’s never been confirmed by any of the people involved, it seems likely that Schram left the show because of a contract dispute. The supporting stars of Monk renegotiated their contracts during season three and Schram, Ted Levine, and Jason Gray-Stanford all asked for more money. Whatever actually happened during negotiations we may never know, but it seems that despite having won a Golden Globe for her role on the show, Schram didn’t get the raise she wanted.
At the time, a spokesperson for the USA Network said to TODAY, “Monk has decided to go in a different creative direction with some of its characters. Bitty will not continue with the cast and we thank her for her notable contributions and wish her the very best.”
Schram’s representatives United Artists said, also to TODAY, “Bitty Schram and USA Network have amicably decided to go their own separate ways … She wishes everyone connected with the show continued success and looks forward to pursuing the various opportunities before her.”
Schram briefly returned to Monk
In 2009, Schram reprised her role as Sharona for the season eight episode “Mr Monk and Sharona.” Shalhoub told Entertainment Weekly at the time, “We couldn’t think of a better way to help wrap up the series than with the return of Bitty’s character. Bringing some closure to Sharona is long overdue.”
And Schram seemed fine with how things had turned out. The day “Mr Monk and Sharona” aired, she and Shalhoub did an interview with MovieWeb and she said, “I mean honestly it felt like I never left. Even with the crew, with everyone. [Returning] was bizarre, but in a good way.”
What actually happened to Sharona in the end
In the series finale of Monk, we learn that Sharona has taken up with Randy (Jason Grey-Stanford) and he’s moving to New Jersey to be with her. Awww!
And in 2023’s Mr Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie, Sharona doesn’t appear except in flashback but we get a good explanation for her absence. Turns out her son Benjy had become a father, making her a grandmother, and that was why she was absent for the events of the movie. So she got a happy ending, even if there were some bumps along the way.
