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 seasons five and six, with a 16 episode order per season. Additionally, USA has picked up the back-end strip rights to MONK from NBC Universal Television Distribution. Beginning in 2008, USA will strip all six seasons of the show, totaling 93 episodes. The announcement was made jointly by Jeff Wachtel, USA's executive vice president, original programming and Jane Blaney, USA's senior vice president, programming.

"Monkis the cornerstone of USA's original programming," said Wachtel. "It remains one of the highest-rated series in basic cable history. We are so proud to bring it to the next level."

"We are thrilled to keep such an acclaimed and beloved series in our stable of programming," added Blaney. "Monk is such a consistent performer, we are confident that it will have a long, successful life on USA for many years to come."

Tony Shalhoub ("Big Night," "Wings," Men in Black) has earned two Emmy Awards, 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.