USA Network orders 7th season of 'Monk'

BURBANK, Calif., Feb. 20 (UPI) -- The USA Network Wednesday announced it has picked up the award-winning comedy series "Monk" for a seventh season.

The network said it has ordered 16 episodes of the show, starring Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award winner Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk, a brilliant detective trying to cope with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The first half of the new season is slated to premiere in July, while the second half is set to air in January 2009.

"You might say we were obsessed with making this deal," Jeff Wachtel, USA's executive vice president of original programming, said in a statement. "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."