Psychis the perfect TV show afterMonk, and the two series even seem to be set in the same universe. For years, it was clear thatPsychandMonkhad a great deal in common (aside from their trendy single-syllable titles). Both are crime dramedies that follow a genius yet quirky consulting detective as he solves crimes and drives everyone around him bonkers with his idiosyncrasies.PsychandMonkoften even took up neighboring time slots on the USA Network during their overlapping years on the air. Still, they may share even more than just this.
Monkpremiered in 2002 and has remained beloved ever since. Theseries stars Tony Shalhoubas a genius detective, Adrian Monk, whose knack for observation is owed, in part, to his obsessive-compulsive disorder. A few years intoMonk’s eight-season run, another similar TV show came to USA.Psychalso follows a consulting detective who can solve just about any crime thanks to his observational skills. However, Shawn (James Roday) passed this off as a psychic ability.These two detectives are fundamentally different, yet somehow cut from the same cloth—and exist in the same universe.
Psych’s Final Episode All But Confirmed That It Was Set In The Same Universe As Monk
There Was A Subtle Reference To Shalhoub’s Character
Thefinal episode ofPsych, which aired in 2014, saw Shawn and his sidekick Gus move to San Francisco, and as they got settled in, it was mentioned that they could return to work as consulting detectives. However, Chief Vick (Kristen Nelson) said thatthe police department had already hired a new consultant who was currently in the kitchen “alphabetizing the pantry.“Nothing else was said about this new detective, but the comment immediately alerted Monk fans. This could be none other than Shalhaub’s beloved Adrian Monk.
It had already long been theorized thatMonkandPsychwere set in the same universe, and the finale of the latter series seemed to confirm this. While a true crossover never happened,Psychset the similarities between these two series in stone. So, if you loveMonkbut haven’t yet begun to dive intoPsych, you may do so knowing that these two branches within the genre ultimately come crashing together.
How Psych Is Different From Monk (But Still The Perfect Show For Monk Fans)
Monk & Shawn Are Different In Every Other Way
Fans ofMonkare sure to lovePsych, but there are some differences to be aware of. The most prominent contrast between one series and the other is the primary character. Where Adrian Monk is socially awkward and overtly quirky,Psych’s Shawn is charismatic, charming, and entirely unserious. Additionally,Shawn’s work as a consulting detective revolves entirely around a massive deception. In the first episode, Shawn is suspected of being a criminal thanks to his observational knowledge of dozens of crimes. To get out of this, Shawn convinced everyone that he was actually just psychic.
Where Adrian Monk is socially awkward and overtly quirky, Psych’s Shawn is charismatic, charming, and entirely unserious.
Shawn’s lie continues to grow throughoutPsych, and a significant part of the series' plot is the primary character’s efforts to keep everyone from finding out the truth. This clearly isn’t a feature ofMonk, where Shalhaub’s character is unapologetically himself and sometimes brutally honest. These differences shouldn’t deterMonkaudiences from givingPsycha try, however. The shift is just enough to make a rather similar concept feel entirely unique.
It’s Frustrating How Monk And Psych Never Got A Real Crossover
Monk Only Met Shawn And Gus In TV Promos
While we can assume thatPsychandMonktake place in the same universe based on the former’s finale, the shows never had a proper crossover. Technically,Adrian Monk has met Shawn Spencer and Gus, but only in TV promos for USA Network. It has always been common for networks to do special promos featuring some of its most popular characters in scenes or sketches whose “canon status” is debatable. Unfortunately,those USA Network promos are the only examples of aMonkandPsychcrossover that we have.
Monk’s 8-Season Run Was Missing 1 Thing That Would Have Made The Show Even Better
Monk ran for eight seasons and had time to try a lot of fun things, but there is something that the beloved Tony Shalhoub show never delivered.
Unlike other famous procedurals like theLaw & Orderfranchise or theOne Chicagoshows,Monknever had a crossover episode.While the Tony Shalhoub series would often have famous guest stars, from John Turturro to Stanley Tucci,Monkwas never part of a crossover event. Considering the TV shows that were airing on USA Network at the same time asMonk, there were not really a lot of options that would have made sense. AMonkandPsychcrossover, however, would have worked perfectly and could have given us an unforgettable episode.
How The Perfect Psych And Monk Crossover Can Still Happen
Psych 4 And Monk 2 Should Be The Same Movie
The fact thatPsychandMonkboth ended several years ago does not mean that all hopes for a crossover are lost. That is because both franchises are still around in the form of movies.There have been threePsychfilms since the show ended in 2014, each of whom sees Shawn and Gus working on a different case. While thestatus ofPsych4is unclear, thePsychmovies are a great example of how to bring beloved TV characters back without necessarily reviving the show.Monkhas since experienced something similar thanks toMr. Monk’s Last Case.
ThePsychmovies andMr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movieare all available on Peacock.
TheMonkmovie was set 14 years after the series finale and had Adrian working on one of his most personal cases yet while struggling with his mental health and finances in a post-COVID world. Despite the title of the movie,Mr. Monk’s Last Case’s endingleft the door open for Adrian to continue solving cases. Therefore, there are no reasons to think aPsychandMonkcrossover movie wouldn’t work. In fact, between the uncertainty ofPsych 4and the lack of updates regardingMonk2, a crossover film would arguably be the best way to continue both franchises.
Monk
Cast
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.
Psych
Shawn Spencer happens to possess some uncanny powers of observation thanks to his father, Henry, a former police officer who taught his son to remember even the smallest details of his surroundings. When Shawn is accused of committing a crime that he actually solved, he convinces the cops that he’s a psychic – and with the reluctant help of his best friend, Gus, Shawn starts solving cases for a skeptical but increasingly impressed police force.
