Bitty Schram's exit from Sharona's departure from Monk could have ruined the series if not handled correctly.

Fortunately, while replacing Sharona was impossible, Monk found in Traylor Howard's Natalie Teeger the perfect next assistant for Adrian. Natalie could not have been more different from Sharona, which proved to be the right decision. Rather than replacing Sharona with a similar assistant, Monk allowed Natalie to be her own character. Sharona and Natalie would only interact in season 8's "Mr. Monk and Sharona," which is also when Randy and Sharona got together.

Sharona And Randy's Relationship Happened Almost Entirely Offscreen

We Barely Saw Randy And Sharona As A Couple

Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram) and Randy Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) hugging in Monk season 8, episode 10

"Mr. Monk and Sharona" ended with Sharona and Randy sharing a kiss after reuniting in San Francisco for the first time in years. It's unclear whether Randy and Sharona kept in touch during this time, but it seems like they did, considering how close they were during the episode. Sharona and Randy's kiss at the end was quite surprising, even though the show had been teasing their potential relationship ever since the first season. At the end of Monk season 8, we learn that Randy is planning to move to New Jersey to live with Sharona.

Whereas Randy was always coming up with the most bizarre theories for a case, Sharona had a no-nonsense attitude and just wanted to get the job done.

In Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie, which was set almost 15 years after the events of "Mr. Monk And The End," we get confirmation that Randy and Sharona made it work and got married. While they didn't have any kids, Sharona had recently become a grandmother and stayed back home to help Benjy take care of his child. This is how Mr. Monk's Last Case addressed Sharona's absence from Molly's wedding, as Bitty Schram's character was not included in the movie.

In other words, apart from their flirty dynamic in the first three seasons, we never really got to see Sharona and Randy's relationship develop on screen. Their only real romantic interaction came from "Mr. Monk and Sharona," after which Randy began to plan to move to New Jersey. Given how Sharona was neither in the Monk finale nor in the movie, everything we know about their life as a couple comes from Randy.

I Wish We Had Seen Sharona And Randy's Relationship Develop On The Show

Sharona And Randy Dating Would've Been Comedy Gold

Although there was enough in Monk's first three seasons to make us believe that Sharona and Randy could end up together, I wish we had seen more of them as a couple. Sharona's exit changed Monk in a lot of ways, although the show did manage to maintain its formula thanks to how well Natalie and Adrian worked together as characters. Still, while Natalie's dynamic with Randy and Leland was funny, the way those two interacted with Sharona was even more hilarious.

A composite image of Monk and the rest of the cast of Mr. Monk's Last Case
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Whereas Randy was always coming up with the most bizarre theories for a case, Sharona had a no-nonsense attitude and just wanted to get the job done. That difference was comedy gold, and it led to some of the funniest Monk scenes. Seeing those two as a couple in multiple episodes would have been hilarious, and the fact that it never happened on screen is very disappointing.

I did like to learn that Sharona and Randy got married and lived happily ever after, but not having Sharona in the Monk movie was also frustrating. While Natalie, Leland, Randy, and Dr. Bell were the core characters of Monk for more than half of the show, Sharona continued to be an important part of that universe even though she only returned once after season 3.

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Monk
Mystery
117
9.4/10
Release Date
2002 - 2009-00-00
Network
USA
Directors
Randy Zisk, Jerry Levine

Cast

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WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming
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Starring Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk, Monk follows the titular detective, a private investigator with OCD who helps solve crimes with the San Francisco Police. On the side, he also investigates the death of his wife, who was killed by a car bomb. Bitty Schram, Traylor Howard, Ted Levine, and Jason Gray-Stanford also star.