Stanley Tucci to guest star on 'Monk'

NEW YORK, June 21 (UPI) -- The season premiere of "Monk" will be a big night for Tony Shalhoub and his old pal Stanley Tucci who co-starred with Shalhoub in "Big Night" in 1996.

"Tony has asked me over the last few years or more to do something on the show, and I've never been able to do it," said Tucci about his guest spot on the season premiere, "and then this one came along, and the timing worked out perfectly," the New York Post reported Wednesday.

Tucci will play an actor who tags along at crime scenes to observe Adrian Monk, played by Shalhoub, at work.

In the show, Tucci's character is getting ready to play Monk in a movie.

Since he's playing an actor who plays Monk, Tucci describes his role on the show as "Monk once-removed, or maybe twice removed."