'Monk' renewed for second season
Tuesday, September 24, 2002 Posted: 9:02 AM EDT (1302 GMT)
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Reuters/CNN) -- USA Network's detective drama "Monk" has been renewed for a second season set to premiere in summer 2003, Variety reports.
Series star Tony Shalhoub and all other primary cast members will be returning.
The move is hardly a surprise, since the show has drawn boffo ratings for USA Network on Friday nights this summer.
"Monk" also provided healthy audiences for ABC, which repeated four episodes this summer and has since made "Monk" a regular part of its lineup for two months, starting Thursday.
It will air on ABC at 8 p.m. -- opposite NBC's "Friends" and CBS' "Survivor" -- as a lead-in to ABC's much-hyped reality/drama hybrid "Push, Nevada."
ABC's Disney-owned corporate sibling Touchstone Television originally produced "Monk" for ABC, but the network passed; however, as part of a deal selling the show to USA, ABC included a clause allowing "Monk" to have a second window on ABC.
There's been industry buzz in recent weeks that Disney chairman Michael Eisner may ask old pal Barry Diller to give ABC first crack at the second season of "Monk," with the show airing first on ABC, then on Diller's USA Network.
An ABC spokesman wouldn't discuss what kind of deal may be in the works for airing future episodes of "Monk" on ABC, saying only that "discussions are ongoing."
Tuesday, September 24, 2002 Posted: 9:02 AM EDT (1302 GMT)
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Reuters/CNN) -- USA Network's detective drama "Monk" has been renewed for a second season set to premiere in summer 2003, Variety reports.
Series star Tony Shalhoub and all other primary cast members will be returning.
The move is hardly a surprise, since the show has drawn boffo ratings for USA Network on Friday nights this summer.
"Monk" also provided healthy audiences for ABC, which repeated four episodes this summer and has since made "Monk" a regular part of its lineup for two months, starting Thursday.
It will air on ABC at 8 p.m. -- opposite NBC's "Friends" and CBS' "Survivor" -- as a lead-in to ABC's much-hyped reality/drama hybrid "Push, Nevada."
ABC's Disney-owned corporate sibling Touchstone Television originally produced "Monk" for ABC, but the network passed; however, as part of a deal selling the show to USA, ABC included a clause allowing "Monk" to have a second window on ABC.
There's been industry buzz in recent weeks that Disney chairman Michael Eisner may ask old pal Barry Diller to give ABC first crack at the second season of "Monk," with the show airing first on ABC, then on Diller's USA Network.
An ABC spokesman wouldn't discuss what kind of deal may be in the works for airing future episodes of "Monk" on ABC, saying only that "discussions are ongoing."