The USA Network is gearing up for the series finale of its beloved hit series Monk, which will air on Friday, December 4, and they’re bringing back some beloved past characters from the series. Bitty Schram will make her return as Sharona Flemming on this week’s episode on Friday, October 23 at 9 PM ET on the USA Network. Both Shalhoub and Schram participated in a conference call to discuss the series, and here’s what they had to say.

To prepare for your role as Adrian Monk on the USA series, Monk, it’s reported that you did a substantial amount of research with a Los Angeles psychotherapist specializing in obsessive-compulsive disorder. What was that experience like? Did you have to study someone with OCD?

Tony Shalhoub: Well, the psychologist that I spoke with and had sessions with just gave me a lot of information and a lot of reading material. And that combined with some videos that I was able to find, videos of people who suffer from OCD, I was able to kind of build the character off of that information. It was really kind of standard research that you would do for prepping for any role, really.

What can you tell us about the upcoming series finale?

Tony Shalhoub: Well, I can’t tell you too much other than the writers have – they’re going to solve the Trudy mystery and have … resolution there. But I’m really not at liberty to give away too much of that information. And after eight years on Monk, it’s had a devastating effect on my memory, so even if wanted to, I probably couldn’t tell you because I really don’t remember how it goes.

Tony, I was wondering, what was it like for you and Bitty to work together again?

Tony Shalhoub: Well, that was fantastic. It was great. It felt like we just picked up right where we left off and we didn’t miss a beat. And the only difficulty for me was that I look a lot older and Bitty looks exactly the same.

Bitty Schram: Well I’m not sure about … You’re being too kind.

Was the chemistry that Adrian and Sharona always had easy to revive, Bitty?

Bitty Schram: Oh, yes, absolutely. It was honestly like I never left. I swear, it’s exactly what he said. It’s a bizarre phenomenon, but it’s true. I mean I heard, I don’t know why that Seinfeld thing on Curb Your Enthusiasm came out and I heard stuff like a remark that Jason Alexander said. Like they never, like riding a bike, and it’s true. It’s like you never leave. I don’t know, it’s like it’s . . .

Tony Shalhoub: Bitty and I both looked at each other while we were doing the first scene, which is the scene – the first day was the scene where she returns. And we just looked at each other and laughed because it just felt like no time at all had passed.

Bitty Schram: It’s very true. I mean honestly it felt like I never left. Even with the crew, with everyone. It was bizarre, but in a good way. You know, I mean it’s good. It never leaves you, never.

I saw some pictures of a wedding taking place. I wonder, Tony, if you can give us any information on that.

Tony Shalhoub: No. Okay, yes. I’ll give you some information. A wedding takes place on the show. A man and a woman become wed. That’s about all I can tell you.

Playing the two characters over the years – and especially you, Tony. I know you said you studied the OCD and everything. What did you come away with, what lesson did you come away with about people dealing with mental health issues?

Tony Shalhoub: Well, I mean I think the biggest thing is that sometimes this is true I think for people who suffer from OCD but also just for everyone I think in our culture. Sometimes our neuroses or out idiosyncrasies or what we view as our shortcomings or our problems can actually be used as our strengths. And if you can figure out a way to turn your liabilities into assets, with Adrian Monk of course it was his obsessive attention to detail that drove him and others crazy, but also allowed him to be really good at his job. So that’s what I came away with.

Is it difficult putting away the character that you’ve played now for so long and I mean, Bitty, you’ve left and come back. And is it, … do the same thing?

Tony Shalhoub: Do you want me to go first? I really just finished shooting yesterday, so I don’t really feel that it’s left me yet. I don’t know how long that is going to take, so I think I’d have to answer that question in a few weeks.

Bitty Schram: As for me, I think it’s similar to the question I answered before. It never leaves, even though I came back for a brief moment. It was as if I never left and it’s honestly it’s not – what was the question again? I’m so sorry, what was . . . I knew the question but I kind of, I forgot it as I was answering it.

Was it difficult to put the character away?

Bitty Schram: To put it away, is that what you said? I get it. And does it come back. No, because it kind of like it just comes back. I can’t explain it, but it just does. No, it wasn’t and it wasn’t hard . . .

Tony Shalhoub: I think it has a lot to do with the writing, the way these writers work, the language, the rhythm, the music of the dialog. It sort of, kind of infects you and lives inside of you and it’s just, it really does become a part of you.

Bitty, did you give much thought to how the character of Sharona would react to the character of Natalie as you were going in?

Bitty Schram: Well, no. I didn’t really know what the script, what they had planned until I got the script. I got it like a week before, then I thought about it once I got the script because I didn’t really know what they wrote for me to come back and stuff like that and what they had the relationship thing. You know what I’m saying? But once I read the script and then I can make choices on how to play that and how to play my relationship with Natalie. But I didn’t know until I had more information.

Did you watch the show much after you left?

Bitty Schram: No, I honestly I didn’t but you know, that had nothing to do with me leaving because when I was on it, I didn’t really watch it because it’s hard for me to watch. Like it’s just hard for me to watch anything. I honestly have never really even watched some other things I’ve done. I don’t like doing that to be honest. So it has nothing to do with – it’s just my neuroses.

Tony, when you look at Monk now, what feelings do you have for the character as compared to day one?

Tony Shalhoub: Day one, yes. Well day one I was, I had no idea what I was doing and I didn’t really have an understanding of where the writers and where I was going to take this character, how it was going to evolve. But now, of course, having done 124 episodes, I was really, really gratified to see that we made this character really multifaceted and full of contradictions and I think pretty well rounded. So, and as an actor, that’s something that you really always look for.

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