USA Network Upfront 2008: Tony Shalhoub and Corbin Bernsen
by Brian Tallerico

The story of the USA Network is truly a remarkable one. While every other network on the cable dial is nervously watching plummeting ratings and the departure of their biggest hits and stars, the house that Monk built continues to grow at a remarkable rate. They're one of the few bright spots in an otherwise bleak TV picture over the last few years. And they couldn't be brighter. USA was the number one cable network on television last year. They launched the two hottest new shows of the year in The Starter Wife, which was #1 in the 25-54 demo, and Burn Notice, which was #1 in the 18-49 demo. They landed dozens of award nominations and the good news keeps coming. Just this week, Mediaweek reported that USA "walked away with the quarter" and that the network averaged 2.89 million total viewers, up 6 percent versus the same period last year. While even the hits on broadcast TV are dealing with double digit percentage losses, USA is UP six percent! It's an incredible success story and the rise of USA appears to still have a ways to go.

With so much success, is it any wonder that USA wants to throw a party? That's just what they did this week for advertisers in Chicago. Pushing so many different elements of their slate, including the very clever branding of "Characters Welcome", the presentation was so convincing that it's hard to believe that any company wouldn't want to get in bed with a network that has figured out a way to cross-market their product across several platforms. USA is not sitting back and letting success go to their head. They're continuing to develop interesting new programming - what we saw of this summer's new show, In Plain Sight, looked fantastic - and bringing back hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, and The Starter Wife. Four of the stars of USA - Tony Shalhoub, Gabrielle Anwar, Corbin Bernsen, and WWE's Diva - were on-hand for the Chi-town soiree and The Deadbolt got time with every one of them. All four were great interviews, interesting and amiable. But considering they're a part of the biggest success story in cable in the last year, can you blame them for smiling?

USA NETWORK UPFRONT 2008: CHICAGO

Tony Shalhoub of Monk

Tony Shalhoub on how he keeps the role interesting for himself:

"I have to say that it's the writers that keep it new and fresh. They keep throwing us curve balls and things that we never would have imagined. In a way, basically, it sort of becomes an exercise in rule-breaking. All TV shows have what they call a "show bible" - certain things that you do or never do - and what we've learned is that it isn't really a bad thing to break your own rules. The audience will go along with it. It's risky at times but when it works, it works beautifully."

Shalhoub on if he's more aware of OCD in his own life:

"I don't really have huge phobias. Being in the mind set of Monk, I do start to think about things in my everyday life that can trouble me. I was recently at a restaurant and it struck me that the menu was probably really filthy. They probably don't wash them and many, many people handle them and they're like touching their mouths. Now, what I do is I look at the menu, order, and THEN I go wash my hands."

On public response to the show:

"People seem to really love it. What's really gratifying is that it crosses a lot of demographics. Young people like it. Middle-aged people like it. Older people are always saying to me "I love the show because I can watch it with my grandchildren. We all enjoy it on our own level and it doesn't talk down to kids or us." That's the best part of it."

On if he pictures the end point or if he takes it year to year:

"I had six years on my original contract, which we just finished. I re-upped for seven and there could be an eight but that's really up to the network. I could definitely do one more after this one. If the writers can do it, I can do it. We're coming up on our 100th show. We're going to shoot that in July."

On why he always goes back to theatre:

"I was trained in the theatre. It's how I always imagined it. I always imagined I would have a life in the theatre. I never set out to do film and television. It wasn't part of the original half-baked plan. Also, I think it's really good for actors to perform in a live venue. I think it's a whole different discipline. I've been lucky. I've been able to do television, film, and theatre, alternately. I'm blessed."

Shalhoub on if there are other people he'd like to work with:

"A million people. Martin Scorsese, I'd love to work with. Meryl Streep, I'd love to work with. Al Pacino, I would love to work with. I met him. Oh my God. There are so many great people that I probably will never get to all of them."

On how TV has changed since Wings:

"It's really all about cable and the onslaught started by networks like HBO and Showtime, giving people an alternative to what became predictable. Because they were allowed to do edgier and riskier things on cable, they gave the networks a run for their money. They became kind of an equalizer. At first, nobody took cable that seriously, and now they're starting to fear the onslaught. But it's good. It's healthy. It's also been good for a lot of writers, directors, and actors who worked exclusively in features because the feature market has started to dwindle in terms of the number of large films made. A lot of those people have gravitated towards TV and cable has absorbed a lot of those people. It's been healthy. It's created a competitive environment all around."

Tony Shalhoub on if Monk would have been different on a broadcast network:

"Yeah, I think if it had been at a network, it would have had a different gloss and the emphasis would have been somewhat different. At the time Monk started, USA was in the process of reinventing itself. A lot of executives were leaving and new people were coming in and they were trying to find their new identity. So, we were very fortunate that they decided to do Monk and promote it really well and market it really well and give it time to build."

On if there will be more back story into what happened to Trudy this year:

"That's really a writer's question. I think we will try and start. Everyone has the sense that we're approaching the end, whether it's this season or season eight, we got to wind it down. And I think the writers, in their heads, are starting to move towards that."

On what he'd be doing if he wasn't acting:

"I'd be homeless. [laughs]"

Shalhoub on whether he had that "I want to be an actor" moment:

"Yeah, when I was very young, I was watching television at a time when there weren't VCRs and if a movie came up on TV, it came up once every two or three years. And I saw a film version of a play called A Thousand Clowns. The play was written by Herb Gardner and the actor who did on stage did the film - Jason Robards. I saw this movie and I knew that it was a play and it had such a tremendous impact on me. I was such a gigantic fan of Jason Robards. And I ended up actually...I did a movie called Quick Change and he was in that. A few years later I got a call from Herb Gardner to do a play called Conversations With My Father. I got to work with my heroes."

Tony Shalhoub on whether he has any advice for young actors:

"I would say that theatre is a great place to start. Do as much as you can. Try to vary your roles as much as you can. The best advice I ever got when I was a student was one word from an acting teacher - persevere. It's really about showing up. You got to keep showing up. And you got to stay positive."

USA Network Upfront 2008: Tony Shalhoub and Corbin Bernsen Page 2