The Psych series finale included an interesting reference to the title character in Monk. In the latter series, Tony Shalhoub starred as Adrian Monk, a highly observant detective who deals with obsessive-compulsive disorder. In each episode, Monk uses his skills to help the police department solves cases and arrest criminals.
Psych and Monk have a lot of notable similarities. Aside from being shows that aired on USA, both were detective shows that relied heavily on comedic elements and main protagonists with a long list of humorous quirks. Their connection is made even deeper by the idea that Psych was born from Monk’s success. Right when Monk was at the height of its popularity is when USA launched Psych, with James Roday playing fake psychic detective Shaun Spencer and Dulé Hill playing his best friend, Burton “Gus” Guster. Like Monk, Psych focused on Shaun using his natural gifts to help detectives solve crimes, while also annoying the people around him with his oddities. For years, USA used their similarities to their advantage with commercials that advertised both shows, and by airing new episodes back-to-back on the same night.
Due to everything they had in common, fans wondered for years if a crossover was possible. The closest Psych ever came to a crossover with Monk happened in the final minutes of the series finale when Shaun and Gus were at a crime scene in San Francisco, which had just become their new home. There was talk of the two resuming their old jobs as consultants for Chief Vick (Kristen Nelson), but Vick claimed that position had already been filled. Vick said their new consultant was currently in the kitchen, “alphabetizing the pantry”. The line was instantly recognized as a reference to Adrian Monk, as Vick’s description fits with his habits. Plus, San Francisco is where Monk took place.
Comments from Psych showrunner and creator Steve Franks eliminated any doubts that Chief Vick was talking about Adrian Monk. Franks has confirmed that the reference to him was deliberate, and attributed the decision to include it to questions that people had when the series premiered. Since it was so much like Monk, many wondered if it was possible that the two shows existed in the same universe. This led the writers to show that “these two worlds collided” [via E! Online].
Though the Monk reference happened in the series finale, it ended up fueling discussions about a future crossover, especially since Psych is living on in the form of movies. Story-wise, a meeting between the main characters and Monk certainly seems plausible since Shaun, Gus, Vick, and Juliet (Maggie Lawson) now live in Monk’s stomping grounds. So far, Shawn and Monk have only interacted on commercials on USA, but Tony Shalhoub, Franks, and Psych stars have all said that they’re open to making it happen, so it’s always possible that Psych 3 – or perhaps a later sequel – will include a fun cameo from Adrian Monk.