USA NETWORK ANNOUNCES SEVENTH SEASON PICK-UP OF THE AWARD-WINNING ORIGINAL SERIES MONK

Sixteen Episode Order for Season Seven

NEW YORK, NY � February 20, 2008 � USA Network announced today that MONK, the award-winning original series starring Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award winner Tony Shalhoub, has been picked up for a seventh season, with a 16 episode order. Season seven of the hit show will premiere the first half of the season in July and the second half in January 2009. The announcement was made by Jeff Wachtel, USA's executive vice president, original programming.

"You might say we were obsessed with making this deal," said Wachtel. "Let's face it, it's not easy to wash your hands of a show like MONK. We have high hopes that this summer it will once again clean up in the ratings."

Tony Shalhoub ("Big Night," "Wings," "Men in Black") has earned three Emmy Awards (with five nominations), a Golden Globe Award and two SAG Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his portrayal of Adrian Monk, a brilliant detective who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. Monk's psychological disorder costs him his position as a legendary homicide detective on the San Francisco Police Force. Due to the tragic unsolved murder of his wife, Monk has developed an abnormal fear of germs, heights, crowds and virtually everything else, which provides an unusual challenge to solving crimes � not to mention his day-to-day existence. Traylor Howard ("Two Guys and a Girl," "Me, Myself and Irene"), Ted Levine ("Heat," "Moby Dick") and Jason Gray-Stanford ("Taken," "A Beautiful Mind") also star.

MONK is executive produced by David Hoberman ("Raising Helen," "Bringing Down the House," "The Negotiator"), Andy Breckman ("Saturday Night Live," "The Late Show with David Letterman," "Rat Race"), Tony Shalhoub and Randy Zisk ("House," "Without a Trace'). Fern Field ("Kane & Abel," "Heartsounds") and Tom Scharpling ("The Best Show on WFMU") serve as co-executive producers. Anthony Santa Croce ("Carnivale") and David Breckman ("Saturday Night Live") are producers. MONK is from Universal Media Studios in association with Mandeville Films, Inc. and ABC Studios.

USA NETWORK is cable television's leading provider of original series and feature movies, sports and entertainment events, off-net television shows, and blockbuster theatrical films. The #1 network in basic cable, USA Network is seen in nearly 94 million U.S. homes. The USA Network Web site is located at www.usanetwork.com. Characters Welcome.

USA Network is a program service of NBC Universal Cable a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.